THOMAS JEFFERSON PULLS AWAY FROM MCAULEY DOWN THE STRETCH
Thomas Jefferson and McAuley were in a back-and-forth battle through the first 12 minutes of game action before the Cavaliers closed the first half with the momentum and capitalized on it in the third quarter on the way to a 61-36 win over the Warriors to close the first round of the 39th annual Mercy/Warrior Classic on Tuesday.
“We knew coming in that whatever situation was, (McAuley) wasn’t going to quit—case in point, right there at the beginning,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We had a 10-point lead early and then all of a sudden you are down one. (Coach Tony Witt’s) kids always play hard, so tip of the cap to them.
“I was proud of our kids’ response to that. They beared down and had a good second quarter and held them to two field goals the entire period and was able to get a little bit of a lead going into the half. We executed fairly well in the second half to make sure we didn’t give them a chance to get back in the game.”
SCORING LEADERS
Jay Ball led Thomas Jefferson in scoring with 20 points, 10 coming in the first quarter, while Drew Goodhope knocked down four 3-pointers on the way to 16 points. Caden Myers, who is working his way back from a knee injury, closed the game with 10 points in limited minutes.
Noah Black had 10 points to lead McAuley, while Michael Parrigon and Rocco Bazzano-Joseph each finished with seven points in the loss.
GAME ACTION
Thomas Jefferson held all of the momentum early after jumping out to a 12-2 lead over the first three and a half minutes of game action. Goodhope knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, while Ball accounted for six points in the paint.
Refusing to go away without a fight, McAuley answered the opening scoring run with an offensive surge of its own. The Warriors closed out the first quarter on a 15-4 spurt to take a one-point lead by the start of the second quarter, 17-16.
“In the 15 years I have been a coach, this is the hardest working group I have ever had,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “Obviously, this one didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but they never gave up. … That was all them. Earlier in the season, we don’t make that adjustment. We don’t make that run at them when they opened with that run at us. That is a sign of growth, which is what you want to see at this point in the season.”
Parrigon and Black each had five points in the run. Bazzano-Joseph knocked down a 3-pointer and Bradley Wagner scored inside.
The remainder of the first half was a seesaw battle until Thomas Jefferson closed the second quarter on a 12-0 run to take a 34-21 lead into the intermission. Caden Myers ignited the run with the first eight points, including two 3-balls, before Ball and Kip Atteberry added buckets to close the period with the double-digit lead intact.
“Caden is a game changer as far as his intensity level, competitiveness and ability to score the basketball,” Coach Myers said. “But really, our defense is what sparked us there and gave us life. All of a sudden we were in the passing lanes and causing turnovers. Any coach will tell you their best offense is a good defense. We are very proud of the guys for turning it up. I really thought the defense sent the tone there.”
After gaining a footing on the lead to end the first half, the Cavaliers put some distance between themselves and the Warriors after outscoring McAuley 14-5 in the third quarter to take a 23-point advantage into the final eight minutes of play.
“We already let them have a little bit of life there in the first quarter, and we wanted to make sure we didn’t let them do that in the third,” Coach Myers said. “The kids responded well and did what they had to do. They kept the defensive intensity and executed well on offense.”
Bazzano-Joseph knocked down a 3-pointer to open the second half and trim the TJ lead to 34-24, but the Cavaliers answered by closing the third quarter on a 15-2 run to take a 49-26 lead into the fourth quarter. Ball had two buckets to lead the surge, while Goodhope added five points, including a 3-pointer.
“You can’t go through those dry spells offensively,” Witt added. “Four points in the second quarter, a huge dry spell leading into the third quarter, and that’s what blew the game open. … We had good looks and only turned the ball over five times in the first half. The ball just did not go in. … We needed to get to the free-throw line a little more and knock down our open shots.”
UP NEXT
Thomas Jefferson is scheduled to take on College Heights with a 7 p.m. matchup in the semifinals on Thursday, weather permitting.
McAuley takes on Carl Junction JV at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
FAST START PROPELS COLLEGE HEIGHTS GIRLS PAST THOMAS JEFFERSON
College Heights girls basketball scored the game’s first 14 points and never looked back on the way to a 55-41 win over Thomas Jefferson to kick off the final day of the opening round in the 39th annual Mercy/Warrior Classic.
“It’s always good to get off to a good start in a tournament with an opening-round win,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “We got off to a great start and shot the ball really well. We played good defense, and our rotations were really good. … We were able to force some turnovers on defense and that allowed us to get out in transition and get some easy baskets that way.”
SCORING LEADERS
Libby Fanning finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds to record a double-double for College Heights. Maddy Colin also finished in double figures with 13 points, while Jayli Johnson and Addie Lawrence closed with nine points each in the win.
Gabbie Hiebert led the way in scoring for Thomas Jefferson with a game-high 23 points. Sarah Mueller added eight points and Alivia Beard finished with five points.
GAME ACTION
The momentum was all in favor of the Cougars (9-7) to open the game, as College Heights made the first six field goals of the game to jump out to a 14-0 lead through the first three and a half minutes of action.
“Our defense is usually solid,” Blankenship said. “We just never know if we are going to knock down shots or not. Tonight, we shot the ball really well and it got us into a rhythm and gave us a little bounce on the defensive end as well.”
Johnson and Lawrence highlighted the run with five points each. Johnson had a three-point play, while Lawrence knocked down a 3-pointer. Lauren Ukena and Fanning also had baskets.
Fanning closed the first quarter with two more inside scores to establish an inside presence for CHC early, giving the Cougars an 18-1 lead heading into the second period.
“Libby played a great game,” Blankenship said. “She has had several double-doubles this year and had one tonight. She finished shots really well around the basket tonight, which is good because that opens up shots on the perimeter for Addie and Jayli.”
Like the first quarter, College Heights opened the second period as the aggressor, scoring the first eight points to push the lead to 26-4. Colin, Molly Long and Fanning each had baskets in the run.
Thomas Jefferson found its rhythm to close out the first half, outscoring the Cougars 8-6 over the last two minutes of play. Tannah Grigg and Hiebert had paint buckets, while Mueller knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to trim the Cavaliers deficit to 32-9 by the intermission.
Colin led the way for CHC in the third quarter, scoring eight of the team’s 17 points while helping push the lead to 28 points to start the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers roared back in the fourth quarter, outscoring College Heights 20-6 to trim the lead down to 14 by the final horn. Hiebert led the way for Thomas Jefferson down the stretch with 13 points in the period.
“The quit is never there,” first-year Thomas Jefferson coach Traci Walker said. “One thing I tell them is we have to show up and we have to want it. … We have a lot of fight in us and prove it every game no matter how far down we are. Our shots were not falling early, which is something we are working on.
“I am very pleased with the way they finished. … I think with the turnovers we created (in the fourth quarter), we capitalized off of those. We moved our point guard to a different spot and I think that helped. Once our shots started falling, you could see the confidence grow.”
UP NEXT
College Heights is scheduled to take on Providence at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the semifinals.
Thomas Jefferson takes on Carl Junction JV at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
PROVIDENCE GIRLS 67, CARL JUNCTION JV 29
Providence put the pedal to the floor early on the way to an opening-round win over Carl Junction junior varsity on Tuesday.
The Patriots built a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter and ballooned the cushion to 42-11 by the intermission and did not let up in the second half.
Hannah Weichman knocked down five 3-pointers on the way to 15 points for Providence. Lydia Shaddox finished with 13 points, while Anna Imbo had 11.
Anna Burch and DeShaye Buerge finished with seven points each to lead the Bulldogs.
College Heights takes on Providence at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the semifinals.
Thomas Jefferson takes on Carl Junction JV at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
PROVIDENCE BOYS 88, BLUEJACKET 19
Providence held a 23-6 lead after the first quarter and was in front by 37 and halftime on the way to the opening-round win on Tuesday.
Preston Green led Providence in scoring with 17 points, while Corban Mora finished 16 points in the win. Sam McAlister and Carter Keene each finished with 10 points.
Kolten Hicks led the Chieftains with six points in the loss.
Providence plays Sarcoxie at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday in the semifinals, while Bluejacket takes on Joplin JV with a 4 p.m matchup on Thursday.
