After making just enough winning plays down the stretch, the Webb City Cardinals now have a chance to repeat as Kaminsky Classic champions.
In a clash between state-ranked squads, Webb City scored the game’s final three points for a 57-55 victory over William Chrisman in the semifinals of Joplin High School’s annual tourney on Friday night.
“We made winning plays against a good team,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “When we needed to make plays, we showed poise. We got stops when we needed to. You have to give a lot of credit to William Chrisman. They’re big, they’re physical and they’re athletic. They’re ranked in our class for a reason. It was an opportunity to get a marquee win and our kids took advantage of that opportunity.”
After leading for most of the night, the Cardinals found themselves down one with 40 seconds left.
Webb City went ahead for good when Cohl Vaden scored from in close with 17 seconds left after a nice feed from Dante Washington.
“We run a high post offense and make reads off of that,” Horn said. “Vaden was able to slip his screen. He made a great read. Dante was poised and had a great find. Cohl made a play with some big dudes inside around the basket. Fortunately, he was able to finish that off. He did a great job.”
The Bears turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and then committed a foul.
Washington, who had the steal on the other end, sank the first of two free throws with 10 seconds on the clock to make it a three-point game.
“Dante played well,” Horn said. “Shots weren’t falling for him, but he played with great effort.”
William Chrisman’s Jessie Minter took a last-second 3-point attempt from the corner, but the shot was off the mark.
After winning the tourney in 2021, Webb City will meet Joplin at 3:30 on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s title game.
Horn noted his squad would love to repeat as tourney champions.
“We’re just happy to be back in the championship game,” Horn said. “We’re pleased we’re getting a chance to defend the tourney championship.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Ranked eighth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Webb City improved to 8-2 on the season.
The Cardinals made 20 of 54 field goal attempts (37 percent), including 4 of 17 from long distance.
Four players scored in double figures for Webb City. Washington and Max Higginbotham scored 14 points apiece, while Kaden Turner added 12 points and Trey Roets had 10.
Turner grabbed nine rebounds and Roets had eight boards. Vaden contributed seven assists and seven points.
Webb City had 20 points off William Chrisman’s 16 turnovers and also had 32 points in the paint.
Ranked ninth in Class 5, William Chrisman fell to 8-4. The Bears, who out-rebounded the Cardinals 43-29, made 22 of 56 shots from the floor (39 percent), going 6 of 16 on 3-pointers.
Minter scored 12 points and Cam Dickerson added 10 for the Bears.
GAME RECAP
Higginbotham came off the bench and scored 11 points in the first half for the Cardinals, who led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter and 23-18 at halftime.
A senior guard, Higginbotham made four 3-pointers in the game, three in the first half.
“Max played great,” Horn said. “He did things tonight we thought he could do all along. He went out, hit shots and made plays. We’re happy for him.”
In the third quarter, four points from Roets and a trey from Higginbotham gave Webb City its biggest lead at 33-24, but the Bears responded with a 7-0 run.
The Cardinals were clinging to a 37-34 advantage at the end of the third period.
Capped by a putback inside by Minter, the Bears used a 7-2 run to take a 45-43 advantage with five minutes left, their first since the first period.
The two teams traded the lead for the next several minutes.
A corner trey from Dickerson gave William Chrisman a 53-52 lead with 1:38 remaining, but the Cardinals went back in front on Turner’s strong drive through the lane after an offensive rebound.
“KT rebounded the ball well and finished several big plays inside,” Horn noted. “He had those two dunks that were momentum swingers and just did a great job tonight.”
Chrisman’s Minter knocked down a pull-up jumper near the foul line with 40 seconds left, giving the Bears a 55-54 lead.
Webb City scored the final three points of the game before recording one last defensive stop.
Although the Cardinals led for all but three minutes, the game featured 13 lead changes and three ties.
POPLAR BLUFF 69, CARL JUNCTION 40
Poplar Bluff took control early, as the Mules doubled up the Bulldogs in the first quarter, 18-9.
Poplar Bluff extended its lead to 34-20 by intermission.
Carl Junction’s deficit was 23 entering the fourth quarter.
Poplar Bluff shot 42 percent for the game (27 of 65). In a game they never trailed, the Mules out-rebounded the Bulldogs 48-31.
The Mules had 44 points in the paint to Carl Junction’s 14, and Poplar Bluff scored 30 points off CJ’s 18 turnovers. The fast-break points were 17-0 in Poplar Bluff’s favor.
Darian Webb scored 18 points on 6 of 15 shooting for Poplar Bluff (9-3), while Torrence Williams recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Gate Rivers handed out six assists.
Carl Junction made 13 of 44 field goal attempts (30 percent), including 5 of 22 from long range.
Ayden Bard and Josh Cory scored seven points apiece for Carl Junction (3-9), while Ky Warren and Xavier Perkins added six points apiece.
Cory also contributed seven rebounds and three steals.
Carl Junction meets Nevada for seventh place at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The annual event is sponsored by Freeman Sports Medicine and the Joplin Sports Authority.
