Joplin kicked off it’s quest to repeat as tourney champions after establishing a lead in the first quarter and never gave it up on the way to a 53-45 win over William Chrisman to open the 2023 Kaminsky Classic on Thursday.
With the stands inside Kaminsky Gymnasium packed full of students, staff and faculty, parents and fans, the Eagles (6-3) held a two-possession lead after the first quarter and carried that advantage through the intermission. Joplin used an early run in the second half to push the lead to double-digits by the start of the fourth quarter before holding off the Bears (5-5) down the stretch for the win.
“Just to have the whole school here was awesome,” Joplin coach Bronson Schaake said after the win. “I was anticipating it being high energy, and I didn’t know what that would mean as far as mistakes go. But, I thought the kids locked in well enough to start the first quarter.”
STAT LEADERS
All Wright led Joplin, which shot 42 percent in the win, with 20 points on, four assists and two rebounds. Terrance Gibson finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Whit Hafer closed with eight rebounds and four blocks. Quin Renfro led Joplin with six assists to go along with six points.
“I think Whit had four blocked shots and altered a lot of shots everywhere,” Schaake said of Hafer’s effort in the win. “He rebounded well and took quality shots. He is such a presence and is learning to control his body and not foul, which is what we needed from him.”
Trey Taylor led William Chrisman, which shot 31 percent as a team (19-for-61) in the loss, with 19 points and four rebounds, while Say’V’on Lankford scored 10 and had eight rebounds. Fernando Gracia closed with nine points and seven rebounds.
GAME ACTION
Joplin shot 43 percent from the field in the first quarter and got seven points from Wright and five from Gibson to hold a 16-12 lead over William Chrisman, which shot 36 percent in the opening quarter, after the first eight minutes of action.
“When Terrance and Whit get going, we are just a different team,” Schaake said. “I think (Terrance) finished with 15 (points) and nine (rebounds), and I told him I want more than that. His base should be 12 and 10 easily. When he goes, it makes us look like a different team. We are going to need that tomorrow.”
“It was really big,” Wright added about Gibson’s start. “I love seeing my guy succeed. When they are throwing double teams and different defenses at me, I have to learn to get my teammates more involved, and they did a really good job. They kind of put me on their backs a little tonight and opened me up in the second half.”
The Bears cut the lead to one near the midway mark of the second period when Gracia drove for a bucket and followed with an inside score to trim the Eagles’ cushion to 21-20.
Joplin’s Fred Taylor knocked down a 3-ball from the corner and Gibson followed with a dunk off the assist from Wright for a 26-20 advantage with 45 seconds left in the half.
William Chrisman closed the second quarter with a putback bucker from Leo Gayman to trim the Bears’ deficit to 26-22 by the intermission.
Coming out of the locker room, the Eagles put on the game’s first run after knocking down the first three baskets of the third quarter to push the lead to double digits for the first time. Gibson scored inside before he added a reverse layup on the next trip down the floor. Joplin’s Cooper Williams finished the run with a baseline jumper at the six-minute mark for a 32-22 advantage.
“I think we were plus-six that quarter,” Schaake said. “I always tell my guys that the first two minutes of the third quarter can make or break what you want your game to be. I thought they came out and did what we asked. They moved the ball and got stops. It just builds momentum and that’s what we need to keep doing.”
Each time the Bears cut the lead to single digits down the stretch of the third quarter, the Eagles answered in the form of Wright, who knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing to push the lead back to 10 near the four-minute mark and sank another 3-ball with three minutes left to push the lead to 11 points. Wright added a jumper from mid-range before Gibson earned a steal for a breakaway dunk at the other end for a game-high 13-point lead, 43-30. Joplin ultimately took a 43-33 advantage into the final eight minutes of action.
“It was really big,” Wright said of Gibson and Hafer’s performance inside during the win. “
William Chrisman cut the lead to 46-39 with 4:31 to play off a 3-pointer from Trey Taylor. Moments later after an empty Bears’ possession, the William Chrisman bench was called for a technical foul after a common foul call. Wright sank one-of-two shots from the stripe before adding another charity make on the ensuing offensive possession to give Joplin a 48-39 lead. Gibson grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback score to give Joplin a 50-39 lead.
Back-to-back buckets from William Chrisman, including a mid-range jumper from Trey Taylor, to cut the Joplin advantage down to seven, 50-43, with 1:49 left. After an Eagle free throw from Fred Taylor, the Bears cut the lead to six with 1:05 to play after a scoop layup from Trey Taylor. That would be as close to the lead as the Bears would get before Joplin, which shot 6-of-13 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, finished off the victory.
“We’ve let three games slip away from us in the fourth quarter this year,” Wright said. “Our guys care a lot. We want to get better as a team. I feel like we showed that tonight. I think we played great, but there is definitely a lot of improvement we can make, but that comes with every game. It’s just one win at a time and we are ready.”
UP NEXT
Joplin’s next step is the Kaminsky Classic semifinals with a matchup against Francis Howell.
