NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho’s last-second 3-pointer was off the mark, and the Webb City Cardinals let out a collective sigh of relief.
In a clash with conference and postseason implications on the line, Webb City held on late for a hard-fought 74-71 win over Neosho on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference thriller.
“Neosho is really good and K’dyn Waters is a really good player,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “Offensively, they were on fire in the first half. I thought we did a good job defensively of slowing them down in the second half. Our intensity rose up in the second half and we guarded a little better. And getting Waters in foul trouble definitely helped us.”
The Cardinals, who trailed by seven in the first half, rode a strong second half to pick up a key road win in a hostile environment. After allowing 45 points in the first half, the Cardinals limited the Wildcats to 26 after the break.
“I’m just proud of how we bounced back in the second half,” Horn said. “We rebounded the ball better and we converted points at the foul line and, for the most part, we valued the basketball. Cohl Vaden played a big part in that. We survived foul trouble, and that was huge.”
In a nail-biter that saw both teams lose key performers due to fouls, Webb City was clinging to a one-point lead with a minute to play.
After an empty possession by the Wildcats, Webb City’s Vaden calmly sank two free throws with 30 seconds left.
The Wildcats misfired on a 3-pointer but got the ball back with 12 seconds left. The hosts turned it over, but the Cardinals returned the favor just seconds later.
Neosho’s Brock Franklin hoisted a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was off the mark.
“That’s the kind of game you’d expect when you have two state-ranked Class 5 teams from the COC going blow for blow,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “We had a chance to tie it with a minute to go, so it doesn’t get much more even or competitive than that. We had our chances at the end. I was very proud of all the boys. It felt like a playoff game with the atmosphere and intensity.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Ranked eighth in Class 5, Webb City hiked its record to 16-7 overall and 4-2 in the COC.
Junior post player Trey Roets led Webb City with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Junior guard Dante Washington and senior guard Max Higginbotham contributed 16 points apiece for the Cardinals.
Higginbotham made five crucial 3-pointers off the bench.
“He shot the ball with confidence,” Horn said. “When teams zone us, that’s what he’s going to have to do. We have some guys who can stretch the floor. Max is the guy we want to go to in those situations. He was a big factor down the stretch.”
Webb City made 23-of-45 shots from the floor (51 percent), including 8-of-19 from long distance. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Wildcats 29-18.
Ranked 10th in Class 5, Neosho slipped to 16-7 and 3-3 in conference action with the Senior Night loss.
Neosho’s lone senior recognized before the game, K’dyn Waters scored 24 points in just over 20 minutes of game time. Waters made 7-of-10 field goal attempts and went 8-for-8 from the foul line before fouling out with 1:34 remaining.
Isaiah Green added 15 points for the Wildcats, while Franklin had 13.
“Brock and Isaiah really stepped up and hit shots,” Culp said. “And I don’t think Carter Fenske came out the entire game, so I was pleased with his play, too.”
Neosho made 23-of-48 field goal attempts (48 percent), including 7-of-20 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats went 18-for-24 at the charity stripe.
Neosho turned it over just nine times to Webb City’s 13 turnovers.
GAME RECAP
The high-scoring first quarter featured eight lead changes. Neosho put together a 9-0 run late in the opening frame, as Franklin hit a trey before Waters and Fenske both converted old-fashioned three-point plays.
Webb City’s Roets hit a jump hook in the paint just before the buzzer, trimming Neosho’s lead to 28-23.
Both teams finished the first half with key performers on the bench with three fouls apiece, as Webb City’s Kaden Turner and Vaden and Neosho’s Waters and Kael Smith all battled foul trouble.
Neosho’s Franklin and Webb City’s Higginbotham traded 3-pointers late in the first half, and Neosho was up 45-43 at intermission.
Webb City finished the third period on an 11-2 run to take a 56-53 advantage into the final frame.
While the Wildcats kept coming, the Cardinals never relinquished their lead in the fourth quarter.
Webb City’s Turner fouled out with 3:29 left, but Higginbotham buried three treys in the fourth quarter, his last giving the Cards a 70-63 lead with 2:15 to play.
Waters scored 10 points in the fourth period before fouling out with 1:34 to play.
Webb City’s Vaden and Neosho’s Smith and Green all made free throws, and the Cardinals held a 72-71 cushion with a minute to play.
The hosts had their chances in the final minute, but simply couldn’t get a jumper to fall.
“It’s tough having to finish the game without Waters, but it was probably even tougher going long stretches of the second and third quarters without him,” Culp said.
Culp noted his team can take away positives from the setback.
“Our boys don’t lack confidence, but this game shows them that we can compete with the rest of the teams on our schedule,” Culp said.
Horn noted his squad was definitely pleased to leave Neosho with a win.
“It was a great environment tonight,” Horn said. “Any of the games against the schools on the West side of the COC are always tough. There are great rivalries with all of us.”
These two teams could see each other in the postseason, as both are in District 6.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Both teams have conference road games on Friday, as Webb City is at Republic and Neosho travels to league-leading Nixa.
FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
