WEBB CITY, Mo. — Ignited by its pressure defense, the Webb City Cardinals rode a strong third quarter to a 68-53 non-conference victory over East Newton on Tuesday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
Playing at home for the first time in 2021-22, the Cardinals found themselves tied with the Patriots at halftime.
But Webb City owned the third quarter by outscoring the visitors 21-11. During the game-changing period, the Cardinals picked up the defensive intensity, sped up the game and converted turnovers into hoops in transition.
“Our intensity picked up in the third quarter,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “I thought we matched the intensity they had in the first half. I thought East Newton played much harder than we did in the first half. I think we were kind of just going through the motions and they brought the fight to us. We picked up our intensity in the second half. We were much more aggressive. We were flying around to the ball, closing off passing lanes and we were able to get out in transition. When we do that, we’re hard to stop.”
The Cardinals improved to 4-1 on the season.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Junior guard Dante Washington led Webb City with 23 points on 11 of 18 shooting.
“He’s hard to stay in front of and he was getting into the paint,” Horn said. “And he has a really nice midrange game.”
Senior guard Cohl Vaden played his first game of the season for the Cardinals after missing four games due to an ankle injury he suffered in the state championship football game.
Vaden definitely made his presence felt. The four-year varsity performer scored 14 points, hit two 3-pointers, handed out eight assists and grabbed two steals.
“Cohl was big for us,” Horn said. “He makes it harder for teams to zone us because of his ability to shoot the ball. There’s a comfort factor with him out there. He does a good job of setting the table and he’s patient with the basketball. We’re a totally different team with him on the floor.”
Senior forward Kaden Turner made 6 of 15 shot attempts for 12 points, while senior guard Dupree Jackson had three steals. Webb City made 30 of 56 field goal attempts (54 percent).
Senior forward Gabe Bergen scored 23 points, making 11 of 18 field goal attempts, to lead the Patriots (2-3). Senior guard Easton Schrader also reached double figures with 11 points. The Patriots connected on 23 of 43 shots, but the visitors had 23 turnovers to Webb City’s 13.
GAME RECAP
The game was deadlocked at 19 at the end of the opening frame and was tied at 30 at the half.
After the break, Webb City put together a game-defining 13-1 spurt in the third period. The run was fueled by a pressure defense that forced the Patriots into several miscues.
At the end of the run, Turner, Trey Roets and Washington all converted East Newton turnovers into hoops before Vaden scored five straight for a comfortable 48-35 lead.
“We were able to get the tempo picked up,” Horn said. “Our guys at the top of the press did a good job of locking the traps up and forcing them to get the ball in the air. And our group is unselfish. They move the ball around and don’t care who scores. That’s a credit to their attitude and to what’s important to them…winning games.”
The Patriots rattled off six straight points, but Webb City’s Max Higginbotham nailed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Cardinals a 51-41 lead heading into the final frame.
An 8-2 surge, capped by a bucket in the lane by Landon Johnson, extended Webb City’s lead to 59-45. The Cardinals led by as much as 17 points late in the game.
A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE
East Newton lost a solid core from last year’s team that advanced to the Class 4 quarterfinals. With that, the Patriots have several newcomers in big roles this winter.
East Newton coach Kyle Fields said Tuesday’s clash with the Cardinals was a good learning experience for his team.
“I thought there were a lot of good things to take away from tonight,” Fields said. “I thought we attacked their pressure pretty well early in the game and I thought we played at a high pace early. They sped us in the third quarter and got us out of sorts. Their length and athleticism is phenomenal. But I’m really proud of our team. We’re still trying to find our identity. But I thought tonight was a good step in the right direction. And it’s fun to play here and it’s fun to play against a team with a lot of good athletes.”
4-STATES CHALLENGE IS SATURDAY
Webb City High School is hosting the 4-States Challenge on Saturday. There are six games on the schedule.
Webb City takes on Parsons (Kan.) in the event’s finale at approximately 6:30 p.m.
“We’re really excited about hosting this event for the sixth year,” Horn said. “We’ve got a lot of good teams coming in. There should be a lot of good basketball and we hope a lot of people can make it out. We’re looking forward to playing Parsons. Hopefully we can match the intensity we had in the second half tonight.”
4-STATES CHALLENGE
Saturday’s schedule
11—College Heights vs. Galena (Kan.)
12:30—Mount Vernon vs. East Newton
2—Nevada vs. Heritage (Ark.)
3:30—Rogers (Ark.) vs. Carthage
5—Joplin vs. Sunrise Christian (Kan.)
6:30—Webb City vs. Parsons (Kan.)
WEBB CITY VS. EAST NEWTON FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
