THOMAS JEFFERSON BOYS 79, BRONAUGH 46
LIBERAL, Mo. — Jay Ball poured in a school record 45 points, leading the Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers to a dominant 79-46 win over the Bronaugh Wildcats on Tuesday in the opening round of the Tony Dubray Classic at Liberal High School.
“Obviously, Jay had a big night,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “Breaking the school record for points in a game is a big deal. The guys did a great job of getting him the basketball.”
A 6-foot-7 senior post player, Ball also had 12 rebounds and three blocks. Coach Myers noted Ball broke the school record in the first minute of the fourth quarter before yielding minutes to the team’s younger players. The previous record was 42 points, set by both Casey Meek (vs. Jasper in 2000) and Alex Oserowsky (vs. Sarcoxie in 2010).
Also for the Cavaliers, Tyler Brouhard scored 12 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, handed out five assists and blocked two shots. Levi Triplett contributed nine points and four assists, while Tony Touma and Kohl Thurman added five points apiece. Ethan Renger had four assists.
Tucker Duncan scored 21 points for Bronaugh.
Thomas Jefferson took control with a 26-12 second quarter before a 34-point third period blew the game open.
“After a slow start, the boys settled in and had a big second and third quarter,” Myers said. “They did a great job of executing the offense and it led to some quality looks around the bucket.”
Thomas Jefferson improved to 10-3 on the season.
The second-seeded Cavaliers will take on third-seeded St. Mary’s Colgan at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the tourney semifinals.
SENECA BOYS 54, NEVADA 46
NEVADA, Mo. — Seneca earned its first win against Nevada since January of 2014, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Tigers.
Three players scored in double figures for Seneca, as Cooper Long had 13 points, while Ethan Altic and Blake Hurn added 12 points apiece.
The Indians improved to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in the Big 8.
Riddick Shook scored 12 points on four 3-pointers for Nevada (6-9, 2-1 Big 8).
CARTHAGE GIRLS 46, MCDONALD COUNTY 27
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage built a 20-point lead by intermission in Tuesday’s convincing non-conference win over the Mustangs.
Carthage led 18-8 at the end of the first quarter and the Tigers were up 33-13 at the break.
“We came out and played one of our best halves of the season to start the game,” Tigers coach Scott Moore said. “The girls played great defense, holding McDonald County to just 13 points. We coupled that with aggressive offense to secure a 20-point lead at halftime.”
The hosts managed just 13 points in the second half, but their lead was never in jeopardy.
“Our shots didn’t fall as well in the second half and McDonald County kept up their intensity for the full 32 minutes,” Moore said. “We are still looking to put together four great quarters. The girls know that and are still looking to play their best game yet.”
Kianna Yates led Carthage with 22 points.
“Kianna Yates was the offensive catalyst tonight,” Moore said. “She scored an easy 22 points in probably only 22 minutes of action. We need more players to consistently produce this weekend when we travel to the Pittsburg Tournament and face quality opponents in all three rounds.”
Carthage’s Lauren Choate scored six, Maggie Boyd had five and Landry Cochran added four.
Carlie Martin scored 10 points for the Mustangs. Carlee Cooper added five points for Mac County and Megan Elwood contributed four.
NEVADA GIRLS 60, SENECA 24
NEVADA, Mo. — A one-sided first half propelled Nevada’s girls to a lopsided Big 8 West win over Seneca.
The Tigers dominated the first half, leading 21-0 at the end of the opening period before taking a comfortable 41-4 lead into halftime.
Nevada is now 13-3 overall and 4-0 in Big 8 West play.
Maddy Majors scored 16 points to lead Nevada, while Abbey Heathman and Kara Phillips added 12 points apiece for the Tigers.
Also for the Tigers, Lakyn Applegate scored six points, Clara Swearingen had five and Caylee Holcomb contributed four points.
Olivia Haase scored 11 points to lead Seneca.
NEOSHO GIRLS 66, SMITH-COTTON 14
BOLIVAR, Mo. — The Neosho girls basketball team bounced back nicely from Monday’s loss to Parkview by recording a lopsided win over Smith-Cotton on Tuesday in the consolation semifinals of the Gary Keeling Lady Liberator Memorial Tournament at Bolivar High School.
The Wildcats built a 15-4 lead by the end of the first quarter and Neosho held a comfortable 29-6 lead at halftime.
The Wildcats took a commanding 57-14 advantage into the fourth period.
Neosho will conclude tourney play in the fifth-place game against Camdenton at 5:30 on Thursday.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS GIRLS 41, SOUTHEAST 29
CHEROKEE, Kan. — The College Heights Christian girls basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Lancer Classic with Tuesday’s win over the tourney hosts.
“We played really good halfcourt defense tonight,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “We lost a lot of quickness with the injuries to two of our senior guards, Lauren Ukena and Addie Lawrence. It’s impacted our ability to extend our full-court press for extended periods of time. We are really hoping Lauren gets released tomorrow. With that said, I’m really proud of how our younger kids are filling in during this time. They are doing a great job.”
CHC’s Libby Fanning recorded a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Jayli Johnson scored six points and had five steals.
College Heights (9-6) meets Parsons in the semifinals on Friday night.
