WEBB CITY, Mo. — A strong finish propelled the Neosho Wildcats to a signature win.
Clinging to a one-point advantage entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored 10 of the first 11 points of the final frame en route to a stunning 54-41 victory over Webb City on Tuesday night in the Central Ozark Conference opener for both teams inside the Cardinal Dome.
“This is definitely a signature win,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “This is the first time in my tenure we’ve beat Webb City. Our seniors have meant a lot to the program. And Coach (Jacob) Srigley, who left Neosho to go to Webb, was a big part of why they were good. I know this win means a lot to our seniors, so I’m just happy for them.”
The Wildcats won the fourth quarter 19-7.
Key to the fourth quarter surge was the play of senior guard Isaiah Green, who scored 17 points in the final eight minutes.
“We wanted the ball in Isaiah Green’s hands,” Culp said. “And he took care of business tonight. And we played great team defense, so I’m really proud of them. I can’t say enough about the defense. The boys locked in and did what they were supposed to do.”
It was a disappointing setback for the Cardinals.
Webb City was not only coming off a Kaminsky Classic championship, but also entered the night riding an eight-game winning streak.
The Cardinals (10-3, 0-1 COC) managed just four made field goals in the second half, with only one made field goal in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we were terrible all game,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said bluntly. “Defensively, we gave up the lane way too many times. We had too many reaching fouls. We had no sense of urgency to go after rebounds and I thought Neosho’s kids were a step quicker to loose balls. They wanted it a little bit more than us. That’s on me, and we’ll do our best to correct that.”
Neosho, on the heels of winning the seventh-place game at the Kaminsky Classic, improved to 11-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Culp noted Tuesday’s win should be a confidence boost going forward.
“I told our guys, ‘Don’t let this be your Super Bowl,'” Culp said. “We have a lot more to accomplish. But I think this win shows that we can play with anybody and it should give them confidence. And Coach Horn is a great coach and is a great friend. I was under him at Neosho and he’s done a lot to help me get to where I am. So to beat him every once in a while is nice.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Neosho’s Green poured in 26 points, making 18-of-22 free throws to go with four field goals. He also had five steals.
Senior forward Kael Smith added 13 points for the Wildcats, while senior Carter Fenkse added eight points and classmate Carter Baslee had 12 rebounds to go with four points.
The Wildcats made 15-of-37 field goal attempts (41 percent) and connected on 20-of-28 shots from the charity stripe.
Webb City made 14-of-37 shots from the floor (39 percent), including 3-of-15 from beyond the arc. The Cardinals went 10-for-15 at the foul line.
“We didn’t get to the free throw line enough,” Horn noted. “And when we did, we didn’t convert enough.”
Senior forward Alex Martin scored 19 points to lead the Cardinals, while junior guard Barron Duda added 10 points. Sophomore guard Holton Keith contributed six points and six rebounds.
GAME RECAP
This one was close from the start, as the clash featured eight lead changes and five ties.
Webb City took a one-point lead late in the opening frame on Keith’s reverse layup, but Neosho’s Green answered with a runner in the lane to give the Wildcats a 12-11 advantage heading into the second quarter.
The Wildcats held a four-point cushion twice in the second period, the last on Baslee’s bucket inside.
Webb City eventually went up 26-24 after Martin’s old-fashioned 3-point play, Omari Jackson’s corner trey and another hoop in the paint by Martin.
But Neosho’s Green made two free throws late in the first half and the game was deadlocked at 26 at the break.
Both teams battled foul trouble in the second half. The low-scoring third period, which saw Neosho out-point Webb City 9-8, ended with the Wildcats up 35-34.
Neosho started the fourth quarter on a game-changing 10-1 run, with Green scoring eight during the burst.
Green often went one-on-one with his defender, either getting a shot up in the lane or drawing a foul.
“He played really well,” Horn said of Green. “He got to the rim and just did what he wanted. He’s a really good player.”
Green’s 12th point of the final frame made it 49-39 with just 2:36 remaining.
The Cardinals were unable to rally late, as empty possessions and turnovers were too much to overcome.
“We were taking too many jump shots all game,” Horn said. “We wanted to get the ball inside and assert ourself in the lane. We passed up some shots inside that we should have took and then we didn’t finish on some shots when we had a chance to swing the momentum. We missed wide open layups.”
Green made 11-of-14 free throw attempts and converted three field goals in the fourth quarter..
“When he’s shooting his free throws like that, that’s right where we want to be,” Culp said. “Once we got up by a little bit, we wanted to let him have the ball and we let him do his thing.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Both teams have conference home games on Friday, as Webb City hosts Branson and Neosho entertains Willard.
FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
