FOURTH-QUARTER SURGE SENDS CHC BOYS PAST TJ; JOHNSON EARNS WIN 650
After a seesaw battle through the first three quarters, College Heights used a 15-0 scoring run in the fourth period on the way to a 64-53 non-conference win over Thomas Jefferson on Friday in the semifinals of the 39th annual Mercy/Warrior Classic.
Neither team held a lead greater than five points through the first half. Thomas Jefferson (14-5) held a seven-point advantage with three minutes left in the third before College Heights (17-3) rallied, with both teams exchanging the lead four times to head into the fourth with a one-point game. The Cougars took advantage in the final eight minutes, using a 15-0 scoring run over five minutes to steal the momentum for good in the win.
“I know Thomas Jefferson had three days off, but it looked like we had six days off,” said College Heights coach Eric Johnson, who notched his 650th career win as a head coach on Friday. “We missed a lot of easy shots in the first half, and (Thomas Jefferson) plays hard and they play well. Our press hurt them in the fourth quarter and we were able to get some turnovers and score. It was a struggle and I don’t think we played very well, but (Thomas Jefferson) is always tough and so well-coached that they always make it difficult for the other team.”
“We battled, and for the most part, we executed the game plan until the fourth quarter,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “I told the guys after that you can’t execute a game plan against a good basketball team for three or three and a half quarters. It has to be a full game if you want to beat good teams. We talked about learning from that and putting it all together.”
College Heights advances to face Providence in the boys championship game, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Thomas Jefferson takes on Sarcoxie in the third-place game set for 4:30.
SCORING LEADERS
Ethan Meeks finished with 18 points to lead the way for College Heights, while Curtis Davenport finished with 17 points in the win. Miller Long closed the game with 12 points.
Caden Myers and Luke Miller led Thomas Jefferson with 12 points each, while Jake Jarrett also finished in double figures with 10. Drew Goodhope scored nine points in the loss.
GAME ACTION
Back to back 3-pointers from Myers and Goodhope gave Thomas Jefferson its first seven-point advantage of the second half with 4:48 on the clock in the third quarter, which was the largest lead of the game by either team to that point.
Trailing 37-30 shortly after, College Heights rallied with eight straight points to take the lead back, 38-37, with two minutes to play. Hagen Beck started the run with an inside score before Davenport and Long converted three-point plays to take the lead.
Jarrett scored inside to give the Cavaliers the lead before Ethan Adel answered with a 3-pointer for the Cougars on the other end to get his team back in front 41-39. Myers and Davenport exchanged buckets to keep CHC in front before Myers closed out the third period by banking in a half-court shot at the buzzer to send the Cavs into the fourth on top 44-43.
“You have the (Ozark 7) Conference rivalry side of it, but you also have the private school rivalry, or the Newman Road rivalry is what some people call it,” Myers added about how fun it is when CHC and TJ match up. “It is always fun to coach against Coach Johnson. He has been doing it a long time. It’s fun to see his teams execute, and they always do a great job of it.”
Jarrett splashed a 3-pointer to kick off the fourth to put TJ in front 47-43, but College Heights took over from there. The Cougars rattled off 15 unanswered points to take the lead back and build a nine-point cushion in the process.
“Putting the press on them forced them into some turnovers and forced shots,” Johnson said when asked what the catalyst for the fourth-quarter surge was. “We picked up the pace on defense and that was the key to it.”
Long knocked down a corner 3-pointer before grabbing his own miss for a baseline floater on the next trip to put College Heights on top 48-47. Meeks added back to back scores inside before Adel answered with two straight buckets, the second coming off a steal in the backout. Meeks closed the run with two free throws at the 2:56 mark to put CHC up 58-47.
The Cougars held that pace through the final horn.
MCAULEY GIRLS FALL TO LAMAR IN SEMIFINALS
Lamar went to the early press, forcing McAuley into several turnovers as the Tigers built a double-digit lead on the way to a 55-40 win in the Mercy/Warrior Classic girls semifinals.
Lamar used an 11-0 run early and eventually held a 16-point lead in the first quarter. McAuley was able to trim the lead to single digits early in the fourth quarter, but Lamar responded with a quick spurt to put the game out of reach.
“The first quarter was not good for us,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said. “It’s partially their fault, but I will take part of the blame, too. I don’t think I prepared them enough for the pressure Lamar put on us. Our girls have to learn to handle that pressure. We’ve played in a few games this year where teams have been more physical than us and in those games, we struggle. Anytime you turn the ball over 28 times, you are not going to win.”
Lamar takes on Providence in the girls championship game at 6 p.m. on Saturday. McAuley battles College Heights in the third-place game at 3 p.m.
GAME ACTION
Zavrie Wiss scored the first two buckets of the early spurt for Lamar before Ella Harris and Josey Adams added baskets inside to push the Tigers’ lead to 10-1. Wiss knocked down a 3-pointer to close the run.
After a 3-ball from McAuley’s Kennedy DeRuy, Ashlyn Stettler and Wiss scored in the paint before Adams sank a perimeter shot to push the lead to 20-4 with 1:08 on the clock.
Avery Eminger and Kloee Williamson added buckets for the Warriors to close out the first period.
“We just couldn’t break their press,” Howard said. “We didn’t do a good job of getting open. Our girls didn’t go to the ball or set screens and made it difficult on the inbounder. As far as offensively, they were putting a lot of pressure on our guards. Anytime they do that, we like to spread the floor out for our guards. … I feel like we made the adjustment after the first quarter and were able to play with them for the rest of the game.”
Lamar played with the lead for the rest of the first half, going into the intermission with a 28-17 advantage, with the margin moving to 13 points to start the fourth quarter.
The Warriors made a run at the lead to open the final eight minutes of play. McAuley scored the first six points of the period on a drive by Williamson, two charities by Lily Black and an inside bucker from Eminger to trim the deficit to 41-32, but nine points would be as close to the lead as the Warriors would get.
The Tigers used a 7-2 response to push the lead back to 14 points and ultimately put the game out of reach.
SCORING LEADERS
Josey Adams led Lamar with 12 points, while Wiss finished with 11 points. Harris and Marcy Miller each finished with 10 points for the Tigers.
Williamson led McAuley with 17 points, while Eminger closed with 10. DeRuy finished with seven.
“She has a lot of fight in her and she has a lot of heart,” Howard said of Williamson’s performance. “Anytime she feels like she is being pressured a lot, she wants to be aggressive and attack it. She is very fast and can use her speed to get around defenders. I was very proud of her for being aggressive, taking the lead and creating some things that weren’t there. She put the team on her back a little bit there as far as scoring goes in the second half of the game.”
PROVIDENCE GIRLS PULLS AWAY FROM COLLEGE HEIGHTS DOWN THE STRETCH
Providence built a double-digit lead in the second period and never surrendered it on the way to a 60-29 win over College Heights Christian in the Mercy/Warrior Classic semifinals.
The Cougars (9-8) trailed by six heading into the second period when an 11-0 surge by the Patriots led to a double-digit lead by the intermission. Providence pushed the lead to 20 in the third quarter and never wavered down the stretch.
“We played hard and we played well in spurts,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “It’s hard to measure yourself against a team like that. They are very athletic and they are well coached. … We just couldn’t get back in the game. We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we normally do, but some of that is a credit to their defense.”
Providence matches up with Lamar in the girls championship at 6 p.m. on Saturday. College Heights takes on McAuley Catholic in the third-place game at 3 p.m.
SCORING LEADERS
Julieth Rivera led Providence with 13 points, while Lydia Shaddox closed the game with 12 points. Abigail Russell added 10.
Jayli Johnson led College Heights in scoring with nine points, while Addie Lawrence had six. Lauren Ukena and Molly Long each finished with four points.
GAME ACTION
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with Providence holding a 16-10 advantage after closing the period on a 6-1 run.
The Patriots distanced themselves from the Cougars thanks to an 11-0 run to open the second period of play, building a 27-10 lead in the process. Rivera highlighted the run with six points, while Elise Snow added a 3-pointer.
“They are a very athletic and very quick team,” Blankenship said. “They jumped out into the lanes in our pick-and-roll offense. They got a few steals and some easy baskets that way.”
College Heights cut the deficit to 30-18 to close the first half after Long scored on the break and added a make from the foul line.
Like they did in the second quarter, the Patriots started the second half as the aggressor, using a 10-2 spurt to build a 20-point lead. Shaddox and Russell put the closing touches on the run with inside scores to make the score 40-20 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter.
“I am proud of my girls,” Blankenship added. “We really did play hard. We didn’t play poorly, they’re just that good of a team, so give Providence a lot of credit.”
Providence went into the fourth quarter leading 42-24 with the lead hovering around 20 points down the stretch.
