CARTHAGE, Mo. — A strong defensive effort coupled with a relentless offensive attack propelled Joplin to a 64-36 win over West Plains in the first round of the 74th Carthage Invitational.
Holding a one-point lead after the first quarter, Joplin’s defense limited West Plains to 13 points combined in the second and third quarters. During that time, the Eagle offense extended the lead to 24 points to start the fourth, building an advantage too large for any sort of a comeback.
“I felt really good about the defense starting in the second quarter,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “We didn’t start with as much energy as we wanted. … In the half court, we just started making it hard for them to make passes, forcing them to become dribblers. West Plains is a big, strong team. So, if you let them be deliberate and run their offense, they’re going to find what they want.”
Never going unnoticed, Joplin (3-0) had a tremendous day from the perimeter, finishing the win out with 11 3-pointers as a team. The Eagles were led in scoring by junior Always Wright, who finished with a game-high 29 points, including a team-high five 3-balls.
“He is a dynamic player,” Hafer said. “If you allow him to get into a rhythm and start shooting it, it’s really hard (for other team’s to defend). We got him into pick-and-roll situations, and we made the extra pass. Guys did a really good job of finding him. … They know what Always is capable of when he gets into rhythm.”
Freshman All Wright finished with 13 points, while senior Dominick Simmons hit three 3-pointers on the way to nine points. Sophomore Dante Washington added eight in the win.
Joplin advances to the play COC-rival Nixa in the second round with a 8:30 matchup on Friday.
“It is similar to last year,” Hafer said. “We both won on the first night and played each other on the second night. We were able to win that one, and then they got us later in the year. … They are a good team. We get an idea of what we need to do tomorrow night to really compete and have a chance to be a part of a COC championship again. These kids need that, a high level of competition so we know the errors we really need to hone in on as the year continues.”
Joplin took a 13-12 lead into the second quarter before a solid defensive effort led to several transition baskets by the Eagles to push the advantage to 31-18 by the intermission.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Simmons and Always Wright to open the second gave Joplin a 19-12 advantage. Following four free throws from the Zizzers’ Bristol Wood, the Eagles closed the first half on a 12-2 run to head into the break with all of the momentum. Always Wright had seven points in the run, while Joe Jasper added a layup on the break before Simmons added another 3-ball.
The defensive effort didn’t slow down out of the break, with Joplin limiting West Plains (2-1) to six total points in the period, allowing the offense to create a 50-26 lead to start the final eight minutes of play.
“They came out a little flatter (in the second half) offensively,” Hafer said. “We kind of got the game at the speed we wanted. We were able to force some turnovers, get out and run and when we ran, a lot of those became getting to the paint, kicking out to walk-up 3s for Always that he was able to knock down. Everything we do will be predicated on our ability to defend and rebound.”
With a 33-22 lead, the Eagles scored 10 unanswered points to make the score push the lead to more than 20 for the first time, 43-22. Dante Washington started the run with a fast-break score before LT Atherton earned a steal that led to a Simmons 3-pointer on the other end. All Wright scored on a baseline drive and Always Wright finished the run with a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:50 to play in the third.
Joplin closed out the third with baskets from both Wright brothers to take a 50-26 cushion into the fourth, where the Eagles pushed the lead to 30 on the way to the opening-round win.
