CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats achieved their most overall wins in a season since 2003 with 18 and their most ever wins in Central Ozark Conference play with five, by coming into hostile territory and spoiling the Senior Night festivities with a 64-47 victory over the host Carl Junction Bulldogs on Tuesday night.
Neosho trailed just once when Carl Junction senior Ayden Bard opened the scoring early on and the Wildcats already built a 16-4 lead late in the first from a pair of 8-0 scoring runs.
The Wildcats led 16-7 after one, 32-19 at halftime, and 52-32 after three quarters.
Neosho senior Kael Smith alone proved responsible for all eight points in the first 8-0 spurt and finished with all 14 of his points in the first half.
Fellow senior Isaiah Green scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half and his last point Tuesday extended Neosho’s lead to 62-38 with nearly four minutes remaining in regulation.
“Kael played great,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “He just put us on his back and took care of business that whole first quarter. Isaiah just does what he does. We know that he’s going to reach that 16-point mark every night, whether it’s free throws or whatever it is he has to do, he just does it.
“We’re playing so well right now. We feel like we were the favorite in this game and just took care of business. That’s always fun.”
Carter Baslee added 10 points, Jared Siler seven, Carter Fenske six, Michael Day three, Tyrone Harris two, and Brock Franklin one point for the Wildcats (18-5 overall, 5-1 COC).
The Wildcats are 8-1 overall, including their 5-1 start in conference play, since their 44-38 comeback win over Carl Junction in the Kaminsky Classic in early January.
“We’ve had only one loss since then and that was a hard-fought one (77-69) against Joplin,” Culp said. “It was the turning point in our season. We played Francis Howell and didn’t play well at all, lost to William Chrisman in overtime, and we realized those are the teams that we want to be competing against. We dug in and have taken care of business since then.”
Neosho returns to action Friday on the road against Republic, one of two 20-win teams faces during the last three games of the regular season.
Bard led Carl Junction (8-16, 1-6) with 13 points, while Xavier Perkins added seven, Jett Hocut and Ky Warren six each, Cooper Vediz five, Braxton Dodds four, and Wyatt McAfee, Brody Pant, and Shea Perkins had two points each for the Bulldogs, who are back on the court Thursday on the road against Ozark.
Bulldog seniors Bard, Dodds, Luke Jones, Xavier Perkins, Lucas Vanlanduit, and Warren were honored before the game Tuesday.
CARL JUNCTION GIRLS 74, NEOSHO 31
The Carl Junction Bulldogs improved to 23-1 overall and 7-0 in the Central Ozark Conference after their commanding win over the visiting Neosho Wildcats on Tuesday night.
Carl Junction’s girls, winners of 18 straight games overall and ranked first in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, trailed just once early on at 4-2 and the Bulldogs never looked back as they outscored Neosho 16-2 the rest of the first quarter on their way to a 18-6 lead after one.
The Bulldogs then ended the first half on an 11-0 run and entered the lockers with a 39-12 halftime lead, then they continued their scoring run in the second half with eight more unanswered points for a 47-12 lead.
Carl Junction entered the fourth ahead 65-24, behind a 47-18 advantage in the second and third quarters.
“I thought our kids did a solid job defensively pressuring the basketball and making looks inside tough for them,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “You hate to see kids injured like they’ve got multiple injuries that have forced them into setbacks. I’m proud of our kids. We moved the ball well tonight. We got some good flow and rhythm offensively. Just proud of them and our effort.”
Destiny Buerge finished with a game-high 24 points to pace the Bulldogs, who surpassed 70 points for the fourth straight game, all conference games.
Kylie Scott added 15 points, Dezi Williams 14, and Klohe Burk had 11 points to complete the quartet in double figures, while Jadyn Howard scored four points, Hali Shorter three, Anna Burch two, and DeShaye Buerge one.
Carl Junction seniors Destiny Buerge, Burk, Shorter, and Allie Wrestler were honored between the girls and boys varsity games.
“I don’t know how many wins these seniors have been a part of, but it’s a lot,” Coach Shorter said. “They started as freshmen and we were 28-0, Destiny was a huge part of that and some of those others got a little bit of time. Wins aside, they’re great kids, they’ve grown up to be great young ladies, and they’re going to be successful at whatever they choose to do, whether it’s on the basketball court or in college or trade. We’re going to miss them.
“It’s been a treat to coach Hal. She’s been my water girl since she could sit on the bench. That makes it tough to lose her because she’s such an intelligent player and she’s not some prolific scorer or some outstanding athlete, but she gets the job done and she does a lot of the little things … a lot of it is coaching on the floor and she’s a great teammate, one of the most unselfish, most selfless individuals I know. She’s terrific and I’m going to miss her.
“Destiny is a scoring machine. She has matured so much over the four years, and she’s become more of a great team player that we can utilize when needed. She’s always willing to take on a challenge.
“Klohe has been a fabulous addition. Just shoots it, her defense is unbelievable, and she can put teams at a disadvantage immediately with her speed and quickness.
“Allie didn’t come out last year and we talked her into coming back out this year. Just a great kid and can give us quality minutes off the bench. That’s big for us moving forward.
“Hopefully, we can continue playing and get a few more games out of them.”
The Bulldogs are 92-18 overall so far during the past four seasons.
Carl Junction returns to the court Thursday on the road against Ozark.
Karlee Ellick paced Neosho on Tuesday with 10 points and the trio of Meredith Baldwin, Avyn Blair, and Jazmyn Washington each produced four points for the Wildcats (10-12 overall, 1-4 COC), who are back on the road on Thursday against Republic.
