NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho rattled off 20 unanswered points during a first-half surge en route to a commanding 45-15 victory over the Huntsville (Ark.) junior varsity squad on Tuesday night in an opening-round girls division contest of the 2021 Neosho Holiday Classic.
Up 27-9 at halftime, the Wildcats continued to extend their advantage throughout the second half, eventually forcing a running clock.
“We played pretty well,” Neosho coach Ryan Madison said. “Obviously, we were playing a JV squad, so you just hope you play well and get a win. I thought we executed pretty well and I thought we did some good things. Overall, I’m pretty happy.”
The Wildcats were originally scheduled to play Arkadelphia in the opening round, but the Badgers pulled out of the tournament for undisclosed reasons. With that, the Huntsville JV team took Arkadelphia’s spot in the bracket.
In a game played at Neosho Junior High, the Eagles led 8-7 early, but the Wildcats scored the final eight points of the first quarter, as free throws from Taigen Mitchell, a bucket from Maelynn Garrett and two hoops inside from Reagan McInturff gave Neosho a 15-8 lead.
The Wildcats outscored the Eagles 12-1 in the second quarter, with five different players recording points. Huntsville’s lone free throw came in the final second of the first half after Neosho began the period on a 12-0 spurt that capped 20 unanswered points overall.
“We weren’t great defensively in the first quarter,” Madison said. “But in the second quarter we only gave them one point there at the end. That was good to see.”
The Wildcats were up 27-9 at the break. Neosho’s lead went to 32-12 after an old-fashioned 3-point play from Raine Harris.
Overall, the Wildcats outscored the Eagles 18-6 in the second half.
Neosho (5-5) relied on a balanced attack, as eight different players scored.
“If we can keep doing that, it makes us hard to guard,” Madison noted.
A junior, McInturff scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds, while classmate Karlee Ellick compiled nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Also for the Wildcats, Harris scored seven points and Mitchell had six. Maelynn Garrett and Carleigh Kinnaird added four points apiece.
Neosho made 19 of 40 field goal attempts, but converted just 7 of 20 free throws.
Throughout the contest, the Wildcats were able to pick apart Huntsville’s halfcourt defense to get high-percentage shots.
“I thought we ran our offense well,” Madison said. “We were more patient than we’ve been. I felt like we did some good things and got some quick hitters early in our offense. And I thought Taigen Mitchell was really good for us. She played with great energy and attacked the rim. And Jayden Adams came off the bench and ran the point well. Both of those girls got us in our sets.”
Mena Thomas scored nine of Huntsville’s 15 points. The Eagles from Arkansas made just 4 of 47 shots from the field.
The Wildcats will meet North Kansas City at 6:30 on Wednesday night in the semifinals. North Kansas City knocked off East Newton 29-22.
PLAYING WITH HEAVY HEARTS
The Wildcats are playing with heavy hearts after one of their teammates passed away earlier this month in a tragic car accident.
Samantha Hilgenberg passed away on the evening of Dec. 17 after her vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree and caught fire. A junior, Hilgenberg was 17 years old.
“Sami was a fantastic young lady,” Coach Madison said. “She loved being part of the team and just loved being at practice. She was a great, great girl. She’ll always be part of this program. It’s been a tough situation, but I think this has brought us closer together as a team.”
In addition to being on the basketball team, Hilgenberg was active in FFA and debate and was a member of the track and field squad.
SAMI HILGENBERG OBIT: https://www.clarkfuneralhomes.com/obituary/samantha-hilgenberg
