Your online home for Joplin area sports coverage.

BOYS HOOPS: New-look Webb City rolls in season opener

By:
Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City’s new-look lineup made an impressive debut.

Featuring five new starters, Webb City took control early en route to a convincing 78-60 victory over Lamar on Tuesday night in the opener of the 2022-23 boys basketball season inside the Cardinal Dome.

The Cardinals held a commanding 48-24 advantage by halftime, and the hosts were up comfortably 67-37 by the end of the third quarter.

“I thought our guys played really well tonight,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “They played very unselfishly and they played hard. They did some positive things on the defensive end and they rebounded the basketball really well. And at any point, we have five guys on the court who play with a high motor. They share the basketball and they get along really well. I really like this group.” 

Tuesday’s non-conference clash was deadlocked early when Webb City erupted for 14 unanswered points. During the surge, the Cardinals were able to push the pace and get several hoops in transition while also limiting the Tigers to one-and-done on the other end.

“We were contesting shots and forcing them into some tough shots,” Horn said. “We got the game going at the pace we wanted. We’ve had a lot of practices under our belts and they’ve probably had just two shoot-arounds. We thought that would be to our advantage. As soon as we got the pace going up and down, they were taking some shots they probably won’t take when they get to midseason form. And our guys were sharing the basketball, making the extra pass and that freed us up for a lot of those 3-pointers.” 

Webb City’s Alex Martin shoots over Lamar’s Jack Killmon during Tuesday’s game inside the Cardinal Dome. Webb City won the game 78-60. Photo by Derek Livingston.

Of course, many of Lamar’s athletes were still playing football this past weekend, as the Tigers suffered a loss in the state title game. Horn’s Cardinals have been in a similar position in years past.

Three players reached double figures for Webb City, as junior guard Barron Duda poured in 25 points. The 6-foot-3 Duda made nine field goals, including four treys. 

Duda recorded a double-double, as he pulled down 14 rebounds. He scored 22 points in the first half.

“Offensively, he was huge for us because we got into some early foul trouble,” Horn said. “He carried the load. And I thought our guys did a good job of finding him.”

Webb City senior guard Joe Adams and sophomore guard Holton Keith scored 13 points apiece, while 6-5 senior forward Alex Martin added eight points to go along with 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Eli Pace contributed seven points for the Cardinals, who hit nine 3-pointers in the game.

Webb City’s starting lineup featured Adams, Pace, Keith, Duda and Martin.

After Lamar halted the hosts’ early spurt, a 3-pointer from Adams gave Webb City a 22-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Duda caught fire in the second quarter, hitting four 3-pointers while also converting an old-fashioned 3-point play in the period as the Cardinals doubled up the Tigers by the break at 48-24.

“Lamar has a good 3-2 zone defense,” Horn said. “We were able to get into the gaps and we were able to find Barron on some kick-outs. Our guys looked to get the ball to the guy who had the hot hand.” 

Webb City’s cushion ballooned to 67-37 by the end of the third quarter and Horn got his subs plenty of playing time in the final frame.

Webb City’s lone returning starter this season, senior forward Trey Roets, is currently out of action due to a shoulder issue. 

The Cardinals are also currently playing without the services of 6-2 junior forward Jonah Spieker. Of course, the Cardinals are also without senior Dante Washington, who will miss the season after suffering a knee injury during the football season.

Ian Ngugi scored 13 points to lead Lamar, while Joel Beshore added 12. 

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Webb City (1-0) will compete at this week’s Carthage Invitational. The Cardinals open tourney play against Leavenworth at 8:30 on Thursday night. 

“The Carthage tournament is loaded and we’ll have our work cut out for us against Leavenworth,” said Horn, who is now in his seventh season at Webb City. “They’ve got a good group. We’ll start preparing for them tomorrow.” 

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

 

Webb City’s Barron Duda looks to score in the lane against Lamar on Tuesday night. Duda scored 25 points for the Cardinals. All photos by Derek Livingston.

 

Webb City’s Holton Keith makes a layup against Lamar’s Ty Willhite on Tuesday night inside the Cardinal Dome.

 

Webb City’s Joel Hendrix puts a up shot against Lamar on Tuesday night. Webb City won the game 78-60.

 

Webb City junior guard Barron Duda scored 25 points against Lamar on Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams. Photos by Derek Livingston.

Share:

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Table of Contents

On Key

Related Posts