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CJ CLASSIC: Joplin beats McDonald County; Neosho falls to Springdale

By:
Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Joplin shook off a slow start and pulled away in the second half to a 53-33 win over McDonald County, while Neosho fell in an early hole against Springdale and never recovered in a 42-27 loss in the consolation semifinals of the CJ Classic on Tuesday.

 

JOPLIN 53, MCDONALD COUNTY 33

After a slow-moving first half, Joplin gained some cushion in the third period before building an insurmountable lead in the final quarter on the way to the win over McDonald County in the CJ Classic consolation semifinals on Tuesday.

“In the first half, I thought we looked very timid and played a lot like we did last night,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “We just didn’t trust what we were supposed to do. In the second half, we simplified things and just went out and did our jobs. We couldn’t even get lined up where we needed to be in our sets in the first half. Once we were able to do that in the second half, we were able to get some easy looks offensively. It also opened things up outside. Defensively, I thought we really clamped down and limited their looks.”

Free throws also played a major role for Joplin’s struggles and success on offense. In the first half, the Eagles were 6-of-16 shooting from the charity stripe. Joplin made 11-of-14 attempts from the line in the second half.

“We really challenged them at halftime,” Coach Floyd said. “We are too good of a shooting team to be 6-of-16 from the line, and we let them know it. We also turned the ball over way too much in the first half. To the girls’ credit, they really stepped up and made an adjustment.”

Joplin trailed 7-6 after the first quarter before taking a 21-20 lead into halftime. It was in the third quarter where the Eagles gained some separation from the Mustangs.

Brooke Nice opened the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 6-1 Joplin run, giving the Eagles a 27-21 advantage. 

“Brooke is such a good shooter,” Coach Floyd said. “She made a couple off the inbounds. They were really worried about that pass back inside to Emma or Ella, which opened her up outside. Once her shot goes in, she is going to end up hitting three or four.”

Joplin carried that momentum in the fourth quarter, sporting a 33-28 lead after McDonald County’s Reagan Myrick earned a steal for a fast-break score with two seconds left to end the third.

Riley Kelly sparked Joplin out of the break, converting inside to get the scoring started in the fourth before she knocked down a 3-pointer off the assists from Ella Hafer to push the lead to 10 for the first time, 38-28.

“I can’t say enough about Riley coming in off the bench as a freshman,” Coach Floyd said. “We just told her, ‘Welcome to big girl basketball’. She came in and played her tail off, doing some good things for us.”
Joplin put the game away moments later when the Eagles hit their stride on both ends of the floor with a 13-0 run. 

“We went to our press and mixed up a little bit of what we were showing to force some turnovers and get some easy looks,” Coach Floyd said. “Even in the halfcourt, we were playing with a lot more energy. Coming out of last night, that was the biggest focus tonight—playing with energy and effort. I told them last night that I wasn’t coaching effort anymore. I felt like I didn’t have to do that at all tonight. The girls really stepped up, especially in the third and fourth quarter.”

Brynn Driver started the run with an old-fashioned three-point play before Emma Floyd grabbed an offensive rebound, was fouled on the way back up and knocked down the two ensuing free throws. Hafer added two makes at the stripe before she added a fast-break score off a McDonald County turnover to make the score 47-30. Floyd added two more free throws and added a score inside to push the lead to more than 20 points for the first time, 51-30, with time dwindling.

SCORING LEADERS

Nice led Joplin with 15 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Kelly scored 11 and Hafer 10. Floyd finished with eight points, and Driver added seven in the win.

Nevaeh Dodson and Addy Leach each scored seven points to lead the Mustangs. Samara Smith finished with six and Jacie Frencken had five.

UP NEXT

Joplin takes on Springdale in the consolation finals with a 5:30 p.m. tip on Thursday.

 

SPRINGDALE 42, NEOSHO 27

Springdale started fast to build a double-digit lead by halftime before pulling away down the stretch for a win over Neosho in the consolation semifinals.

Springdale took control of the contest in the first quarter after outscoring Neosho 15-7. The Bulldogs took an 11-point, 21-10, lead into the intermission before holding serve in the second half.

Springdale was led in scoring Aubriana Wilson and Adriana Hernandez, who each had 10 points in the win. Carolinda Hudson added nine points.

Beclynn Garrett led Neosho with nine points, while Karlee Ellick finished with eight points. Reagan McInturff added five points.

Neosho plays McDonald County at 4 p.m. on Thursday in the seventh-place game.

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