NEOSHO, Mo. — If senior guard K’dyn Waters had a dream scenario for the start of his Neosho career, Thursday night’s performance in the Wildcats’ 70-63 win over district rival McDonald County in the Black bracket championship game of the 67th rendition of the Neosho Holiday Classic was certainly a part of it.
“All championship games are fun,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “Championship games on your home court are fun and championship games on your home court against your rival are really, really fun when you pull it out.
“K’dyn Waters has been a great movie-in, and not just as a player but as a person. Talk about putting your team on your back, and he does it in such an unassuming way. … He just wants to win, and that is a special breed of kid … He didn’t grow up in Neosho with all of these kids, but he wants to win anyways. It’s like he has been here all along, and we are just happy he is here.”
Waters, a Florida transfer, poured in a game and career-high 38 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 shooting from the perimeter. He added a team-high 12 rebounds, four assists and a steal to finish with a double-double—a performance that earned him MVP honors for the Neosho Holiday Classic.
“It means a lot to me,” Waters said about winning the NHC title and MVP honors. “This is (Neosho’s) first time winning this tournament in almost 20 years and this is my first year here. Being a part of that and being able to perform on that stage, it is a big deal to me.”
The win for Neosho in the Black bracket championship is the first Neosho Holiday Classic title for the Wildcats since the 2003 season.
“It is really special for the program,” Culp said of the Neosho Holiday Classic title win. “For me personally, it is a little more special because I grew up in Neosho and have been coming to this tournament since I can remember, watching my heroes like Tyler Chaney, Trent Barratt, Michael Daugherty and Jon Branscum and having them up in the stands watching us. I am the lucky guy who gets to represent us while we win it for the first time since them. It is just really special for me, and it is special for the town, too. That was a great moment for basketball, and hopefully we are back on track to get (the program) where it was then.”
GAME ACTION
Neosho fell into a 20-9 hole after the first quarter after making just 3-of-14 shots from the field. McDonald County shot 53 percent in the opening eight minutes of play, including three team 3-pointers and eight additional points from senior 6-6 forward Eli McClain, who finished with a team-high 27 points and was named to the Neosho Holiday Classic all-tournament team.
“The energy, the effort and the hustle was all there,” McDonald County coach Brandon Joines said. “I’ll also say Eli McClain played an outstanding, phenomenal game. He hit big shots and made big plays all game. I think he left everything out there.”
Waters heated up in the second period, scoring the first Wildcats’ first 11 points of the period— which included two three-point plays and a 3-pointer—to cut the double-digit margin down to two possessions, 25-20, with 5:08 to play. Waters added consecutive scores on the break coming off Mustang turnovers late in the half to cut the lead to 34-31 before McDonald County junior guard Cross Dowd drilled a 3-ball from the top of the key in the closing minutes to send the Mustangs into the intermission on top 37-31.
The momentum shifted into Neosho’s favor out of the locker room, as the Wildcats scored the first 11 points of the third quarter and took their first lead of the game in the process.
“That was really big,” Culp said of the early surge in the third period. “We told them at halftime that we weren’t taking bad shots, we just weren’t making them. Go out there and make them and play a little better defense and we’ll be in a better spot. That happened right away and it gives you confidence going forward that you’ll be just fine.”
Junior guard Carter Fenske opened the run with a 3-pointer from the wing before Waters added a triple from the top of the key to tie the game at 37-all with 6:43 to play. Junior guard Brock Franklin drilled a third straight make from the perimeter for the Wildcats to give his team a 40-37 lead. Fenske closed out the run with a score on the break to push the lead to five.
“It was tremendous,” Waters said of the opening run in the third period. “It was the breaking point in that game because we knew we had to get stops. If we could not get stops, then we lose. We were able to get stops and hold them to low scoring in that half.”
McDonald County regained the lead late in the third quarter when junior guard Sterling Woods knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing with a minute to play to give the Mustangs a 49-47 advantage.
Neosho ultimately took a 54-51 lead into the last eight minutes of action after Fenske converted from the perimeter at the final horn of the third period.
The Mustangs took the lead back after starting the fourth quarter with the first two buckets, including a deep 3-pointer from Dowd with 6:26 on the clock to give MCHS a 56-54 advantage.
Like he did several times previously in the game, Waters took over to put the Wildcats back in the driver’s seat. After tying the game at 56-all on a second-chance drive to the hoop, Waters pulled up from the tip of the nose on the Wildcat logo at midcourt and buried the shot to lift the crowd from its feet while giving Neosho a 59-56 lead with 5:30 to play.
“I was taught to shoot those,” Waters said with a laugh. “If no one picks me up by the volleyball line, you shoot it.”
McClain threw down a dunk off the break to cut the lead to one before Waters answered back with another 3-pointer to make the score 62-58. Following a mid-range make from Mustang senior guard Cole Martin, Waters responded once more with a make from the perimeter to push the lead to five, 65-60, in the closing minutes.
McClain buried a 3-ball with 30 seconds left to cut the deficit to one possession, 66-63, but Neosho converted four straight makes from the charity stripe to seal the championship win.
“It’s a rivalry, it’s a tough game and it’s always a tough environment,” Joines said about the atmosphere. “But, it’s exciting because the stands are full and everybody is into it. There isn’t a neutral fan here. Everybody is cheering for one of these two teams pretty much in that crowd. Congrats to Neosho and hopefully we will get them back when we play them in the regular season.”
STATISTICS
Along with Waters’ 38, Neosho had two other players finish in double figures. Fenske finished with 14 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Franklin had three 3-pointers on the way to 12 points, four assists and two boards. Junior guard Isaiah Green had 10 rebounds, five assists, four points and two steals.
McClain’s 27 led McDonald County, while Martin added 13 points and Dowd 12. Martin had six rebounds and six assists, while Dowd pulled down five rebounds.
