WEBB CITY, Mo. — Converting turnovers into hoops in transition and turning offensive rebounds into second-chance points were both key in Webb City’s 81-56 Central Ozark Conference victory over the Neosho Wildcats on Thursday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
The Cardinals scored 34 points off Neosho’s 20 turnovers while also converting 24 offensive rebounds into 24 second-chance points
“Coming out of our first timeout, that was a point of emphasis,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We had to start crashing the glass against their zone. We weren’t checking out early defensively. Neosho plays hard and goes after the ball. But we started doing a better job of boxing out. And we were able to get some turnovers and some runouts.”
Overcoming an early eight-point deficit, the Cardinals finished the first half on a 17-5 surge to take the lead for good.
“I thought our kids played well and I thought our kids played hard,” Horn said. “We got the game going up and down, and that’s what we needed to do.”
Webb City’s 30-point third period put the game away.
“Their putbacks and our turnovers hurt us,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “They’re so big, strong and athletic. You have to box them out all the way back to the 3-point line. I think they overwhelmed us a little bit. They are probably the most athletic team we’ve played all year. But hopefully that got us prepared for the postseason.”
The Cardinals are now 17-8 and finished 5-4 in the COC. The win assured the Cardinals of a top-four finish in the COC standings behind Nixa, Republic and Ozark.
Neosho is now 12-11 and 3-5 in the COC.
NAMES & NUMBERS
In arguably his best performance of the season, 6-foot-3 junior forward Kaden Turner led the Cardinals with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Turner made 7-of-12 shots.
“He’s really good and he’s going to be a problem for anybody we play the rest of the way,” Horn said of Turner. “He’s going to be a big problem for everybody next year. He’s talented. He’s long and athletic and can shoot the ball really well. He’s put a lot of time in. We missed him when he was out, and we’re glad he’s back. He can help us go a long way.”
Senior guard Mekhi Garrard had 16 points and seven boards, while junior guard Cohl Vaden added 15 points with three treys.
Senior point guard Nickhai Howard scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and four steals and handed out three assists.
Webb City shot 43 percent (33-of-77) and out-rebounded Neosho 52-26.
Senior guards Chase Flynn and Landon Austin and sophomore guard Isaiah Green scored 12 points apiece for the Wildcats, who made 39 percent of their field goal attempts (22-of-57).
GAME RECAP
Neosho got off to a great start. Three different Wildcats — Flynn, Brock Franklin and Carter Fenske — hit treys in the first period and the visitors held a 17-9 lead.
“We started hitting shots and some of the best things Webb City does is off transition and making you turn it over,” Culp said. “If you can put the ball in the hole, and give yourself a fighting chance on defense, you set yourself up for success. Our start was nice to see, but then they went on that big run in the second quarter. We couldn’t quite recover from it.”
A 3-pointer from Vaden and a hoop from Howard trimmed Webb City’s deficit to three, 17-14, at the end of the opening frame.
“You have to give credit to Neosho, they were the better team in the first quarter,” Horn said. “They were the team getting the loose balls and the rebounds. I thought we matched their energy in the second and third and fourth quarters.”
Trailing 23-19, the Cardinals put together an 11-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 30-23 lead.
Four different players scored during the game-changing spurt, as Turner had two putbacks and Garrard had one of his own, while Vaden hit a 3-pointer and Trenton Hayes scored on a turnaround in the lane.
By the break, Webb City’s lead was 33-26.
The Cardinals started the second half on a 9-2 run, with Garrard’s hoop after an offensive rebound giving the hosts a 42-29 advantage.
Led by Turner’s 11 points in the frame, Webb City outscored Neosho 30-18 in the third quarter to take a comfortable 63-44 advantage into the fourth period.
Howard’s steal and layup made it 74-54 with 3:25 remaining.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Wildcats conclude the regular season at Branson on Friday.
Second-seeded Neosho meets third-seeded Monett at 7 on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 11 tournament.
“We have beat Monett twice, but it’s hard to beat a team three times,” Culp said. “They’ve struggled in some games and they’ve played well in some games, so we’ll have to play well on short rest.”
Webb City is taking plenty of momentum into the postseason after winning a second straight game in convincing fashion to end the regular season.
Top-seeded Webb City hosts fourth-seeded Carl Junction at 7 on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 12 tournament.
“We’re excited that we’ll be back at home against a rival,” Horn said. “It’s always a good atmosphere when Carl Junction comes over here. Coach (Justin) Pock is doing a good job with them. We’ll have to be ready.”
