For the third straight year, the Webb City Cardinals will play for a Kaminsky Classic championship.
Webb City torched the nets in the first half and never trailed on the way to a convincing 75-47 victory over Poplar Bluff on Friday night in the semifinals of the annual event at Joplin High School.
Winners of seven straight games, the Cardinals (9-2) will meet Francis Howell (7-3) in the tourney title game at 3:30 on Saturday.
“I’m excited about playing for the championship again,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “This group has worked really hard and they want to continue the legacy we’ve built with our basketball program. It’s their turn. They want to carry on our tradition at Webb City, and I know they’re excited. We’re going to give our best effort tomorrow.”
Joplin edged Webb City in last year’s title game after the Cardinals beat the Eagles for the championship in ’21.
On Friday night, the Cardinals shot 65 percent from the field in the first half and held a comfortable 42-17 halftime advantage on their way to the lopsided win.
“The start to the game was phenomenal,” Horn said. “We shot the ball extremely well. A lot of it had to do with playing inside-out.”
Webb City came out firing from long distance, as the Cardinals hit four early 3-pointers, two apiece by Barron Duda and Holton Keith, taking a 13-2 lead.
The Cardinals led by 12 late in the first quarter before a trey from Gavin Rivers cut Webb City’s advantage to 22-13 entering the second period.
The Cardinals dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Mules 20-4 to take a commanding 25-point halftime cushion.
Four different Cardinals scored during the surge—Eli Pace, Alex Martin, Omari Jackson and Joe Adams, who knocked down a last-second trey that put a final exclamation point on the one-sided first half.
Webb City made 15 of 23 shot attempts in the opening half (65 percent), including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. On the other hand, Poplar Bluff connected on just 7 of 22 field goal attempts (32 percent).
The Mules outscored the Cardinals 17-13 in the third period, but Webb City still held a 55-34 lead heading into the final frame.
“I thought we had a little bit of a letdown as far as focus in the second half,” Horn said. “It wasn’t in our favor to make it a track meet. But we were able to slow it down and we were able to execute.”
The Cardinals finished strong with a 20-point fourth quarter, as several of the team’s reserves got into the scoring column late in the contest.
A sophomore guard, Keith led Webb City with 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting. The 6-5 Martin scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Duda scored 13 points and made four 3-pointers, while Jackson contributed 11 points and three steals. Pace, a sophomore point guard, dished out six assists. A senior guard, Adams compiled four points, four assists and three steals.
Horn noted he was proud of his team’s overall effort.
“Alex Martin was solid again tonight,” Horn said. “I thought our guard play was really good tonight. Eli Pace handled their pressure well and he set the tone for us. Holton Keith shot the ball extremely well and he got us going. They gave Barron some daylight and he made them pay. We want to have the ball in his hands a lot.”
For the game, Webb City made 28 of 51 field goal attempts (55 percent), including 9 of 17 from 3-point range. The Cardinals also took advantage of 21 Poplar Bluff turnovers.
The Mules made 18 of 51 shots (35 percent), including 5 of 18 from beyond the arc. Rivers led the Mules with 14 points and Darius Graham added 13.
Poplar Bluff will play Joplin for third place at 2 p.m.
2023 Kaminsky Classic
Friday’s results
William Chrisman 63, Neosho 60
Jefferson City 76, Carl Junction 54
Francis Howell 57, Joplin 49
Webb City 75, Poplar Bluff 47
Saturday’s schedule
7th place: Neosho vs. Carl Junction, 11 a.m.
5th place: Jefferson City vs. William Chrisman, 12:30
3rd place: Joplin vs. Poplar Bluff, 2
Title game: Francis Howell vs. Webb City, 3:30
