FRONTENAC, Kan. — After a disappointing setback last Friday, it’s safe to say the Webb City Cardinals were more than ready to get back on the court by the time Thursday night arrived.
That extra incentive definitely showed.
Ignited by a fast start, Webb City took control early and never trailed in a convincing 75-60 win over Fort Scott at the Freeman Sports Medicine Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.
Webb City bounced back nicely from last week’s road loss at Ozark, a setback that snapped the Cardinals’ eight-game winning streak.
“Our guys were frustrated with that loss at Ozark, so it was good to get that taste out of our mouths,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We had a lot of energy at the start of the game and we were sharing the ball well.”
Ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Webb City improved to 10-2.
The Cardinals led 16-2 right away and 36-14 in the second quarter en route to a commanding victory.
“We had a great start,” Horn said. “I thought we were really good defensively. We were moving our feet and challenging shots. We were able to do some good things offensively in the halfcourt. It was really a great start to the game.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Webb City had a balanced attack, as four players scored in double figures.
Senior guards Nickhai Howard and Mekhi Garrard scored 17 points apiece. Howard also had 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals, while Gararrd grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four assists.
Junior guard Cohl Vaden added 16, hitting four 3-pointers, while senior forward Luke Brumit contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.
Webb City made 30-of-63 field goal attempts (48 percent), including eight treys.
Gavin Pytlowany led Fort Scott (5-4) with 17 points. The Tigers shot 49 percent (20-of-41) for the game. Fort Scott turned the ball over 16 times.
GAME RECAP
Utilizing full court pressure, the Cardinals were able to convert Fort Scott turnovers into points the other way.
When they didn’t get turnovers, the Cardinals were able to pick apart Fort Scott’s 2-3 zone defense.
A mid-range jumper from Howard capped an early 10-0 run. After five straight points from Max Higginbotham, Webb City led 21-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Vaden’s third trey of the second period and a hoop in transition from Garrard gave Webb City a 36-14 advantage with four minutes left in the first half.
Fort Scott closed the half on a 12-2 run, with all but two of those points coming at the charity stripe. By the break, Webb City led 38-26.
“I think we may have gotten a little lackadaisical late in the first half, so we have to play cleaner,” Horn said. “When you have a team down, you really have to close them out. We had some different guys in there, so our seniors have to lead us through those stretches and keep us focused in those situations.”
Horn gave the Tigers credit for making a run.
“Fort Scott has a nice team,” Horn added. “Their point guard (Pytlowany) is a nice player. He’s hard to stay in front of and he challenged our guards.”
The Tigers trimmed their deficit to eight early in the third period, but the Cardinals responded nicely to take a 55-41 cushion into the fourth quarter.
Brumit scored seven points early in the fourth period before hoops from Vaden and Howard extended Webb City’s lead to 69-54 with 3:30 remaining.
“We kept our confidence high, we kept shooting and we kept pursuing rebounds,” Horn said of his team’s play in the second half. “We were getting good looks. And if you give us a second chance, we’re generally going to make good on it.”
THIS ‘N THAT
Webb City takes on Frontenac at 7 on Friday night before concluding the event at 2:30 on Saturday against Nevada.
The event, previously known as the Kansas Army National Guard Invitational, is a four-team round-robin tourney this year due to COVID, with Nevada and Webb City joining Kansas squads Frontenac and Fort Scott.
NEVADA BOYS TOP HOSTS
In Thursday’s nightcap, Nevada defeated Frontenac 66-48.
The Tigers led 31-19 at intermission and 46-35 after three periods of play.
Logan Applegate scored 24 points to lead the Tigers, while Logan McNeley had 15 and Lane McNeley chipped in 10. Jordan Fudge led the Raiders with 23 points.
Nevada meets Fort Scott at 4 on Friday.
In Thursday’s girls games, Frontenac defeated Nevada 63-36 and Chanute beat Fort Scott 42-37.
