DIAMOND, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers saw their 35-25 lead early in the third quarter turn into a 48-41 deficit entering the fourth on Saturday night against El Dorado Springs in the championship game of the Gem City Classic.
Thomas Jefferson narrowed it down to 52-50, but the Bulldogs had enough free throws and defensive stops late to earn a 58-53 win and the Gem City championship.
“We knew they were going to come out strong in the third quarter,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We talked about it at halftime, and we talked about it before we came back out. I thought we weathered the storm and calmed back down and made it a game again. We just couldn’t get any shots to fall there late, which made us come up a little short.”
El Dorado Springs junior guard and tournament MVP Landon Murry heated up in the second half, especially during that third quarter in which the Bulldogs put a 23-8 bite on the Cavaliers, with 16 of his team-high 19 points.
Sophomore guard Joe Gordon scored all nine of his points after halftime, as the Bulldogs’ perimeter attack took control of the contest.
Thomas Jefferson’s senior duo of all-tournament selections Jay Ball and Tyler Brouhard carried the Cavaliers to their 33-25 halftime lead with a combined 26 points (Ball 16, Brouhard 10) in the first 16 minutes.
Thomas Jefferson turned a 13-8 deficit in the first quarter into a 27-17 lead in the second with a 19-4 stretch.
Ultimately, though, it was El Dorado Springs who made the game’s largest run, at one point scoring 15 straight points in the third.
Saturday night’s title tilt more than lived up to the expectations of the top two seeds doing battle in the last game of the Gem City Classic.
“That’s a Class 3 school that won a district championship last year,” Myers said. “They returned a lot or all of their players from last year. They’re big, they’re physical, and playing games like this as a Class 1 school will only make us stronger down the road.”
All-tournament selection Kuliath Kephart added 14 points for the Bulldogs, while senior guard Levi Triplett scored eight for the Cavaliers.
Ball and Brouhard finished with 23 and 17 points, respectively. Ball also had 13 rebounds.
Thomas Jefferson went 2-1 in the tournament, defeating Galena 63-51 in the semifinals Wednesday and conference and district rival McAuley Catholic 45-40 in the quarters Monday.
“It was a great tournament,” Myers said. “It was stacked. There were a lot of great teams in the tournament. There was no off night or however you want to say it. Every team was a good team and had a chance to win. These early-season games really help prepare you for conference and district games down the road.
“McAuley is a very scrappy team. Coach (Tony) Witt does a great job coaching them. We knew they weren’t the seventh seed coming into the tournament. It’s so early you never know. The seeding in early tournaments really doesn’t mean anything. Everybody’s out trying to prove something. We knew that McAuley would be out to prove something, just like every team at this time of the year.”
Thomas Jefferson, 4-1 overall and seventh-ranked in Class 1 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, returns to action on Tuesday on the road against Everton.
Gem City Classic
Title game: El Dorado Springs 58, Thomas Jefferson 53
Third place: Mount Vernon 61, Galena 53
Fifth place: Carthage JV 58, McAuley Catholic 28
Seventh place: Sarcoxie 62, Diamond 51
