Francis Howell limited Neosho to one field goal in the first quarter while building a double-digit cushion it didn’t relinquish in a 57-23 win in the opening round of the Kaminsky Classic on Thursday.
“Our guys didn’t come out ready and that starts with me,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “We weren’t ready and they jumped all over us. I wouldn’t even say they shot the lights out. It was kind of a slow death. It starts at the top and we just have to do a better job. Hopefully, that starts tomorrow.
The Wildcats (9-3), which shot just 19 percent from the field in the loss, fell behind 13-2 in the first quarter after shooting just 1-for-12 from the floor. Neosho found its rhythm offensively in the second period but still trailed by 15 heading into the second half. Francis Howell (6-3) outscored the Wildcats 20-7 in the third quarter to build an insurmountable cushion in the final eight minutes.
“Defensively, we only allowed 50-something points, so it wasn’t that bad,” Culp said. “Our offense was just so stagnant, and our first two or three possessions were shots at the rim without anybody guarding us. It was probably the best team we’ve played, so maybe it was a little shellshock after not playing teams of that caliber, size and athleticism. We didn’t respond very well.”
Rebounding played a big role in the win for the Vikings as well. Francis Howell outrebounded Neosho 39-22 and had a 16-2 advantage on second-chance points.
“That was one of our big keys coming into the game—to box out and grab rebounds,” Culp said. “Obviously, I didn’t have them ready to do that. It felt like for every shot we had, they had four.”
Dwight Lomax led Francis Howell in scoring with 12 points, while Donovan Sparks added 10 points. Ben Toebben finished with eight points and 14 rebounds.
Neosho was led in scoring by Collier Hendricks, who finished with 13 points. Isaiah Green added four.
UP NEXT
Neosho will play William Chrisman at 4:30 p.m. on Friday in the consolation semifinals.
