The McAuley Catholic Warriors endured a major scoring drought Monday night and still nearly came out with a win against the Jasper Eagles despite a stretch not scoring that lasted almost half the game.
Rocco Bazzano-Joseph’s corner 3-point shot rimmed out, the ball went out of bounds to Jasper with 0.3 seconds remaining in regulation, and Jasper held on tight for a 35-33 win.
Bazzano-Joseph made two free throws late in the first quarter for a 13-10 McAuley lead.
The Warriors then went the rest of the first, the entire second quarter, and the first 4:43 of the third without a point, as Jasper built a 24-13 lead before Bradley Wagner’s old-fashioned three-point play snapped the Warriors from their woes.
McAuley coach Tony Witt would not hear of the fact the Warriors just about came away with the win Monday night.
“I don’t know, I don’t have a whole lot of positives to say about my team right now,” Witt said. “We have got to have more consistent play. We can’t go out and shoot and play the way we did one night (58-31 win on Friday against Sarcoxie), then just not show up the next night. That’s not what good teams do. It can’t happen. I don’t have much to say.”
Jasper entered the night without a win and the Eagles’ five losses were all double digits with their closest loss 11 points their previous time out against Lockwood.
Wyatt Cawyer scored 12 of his game-high 14 points in the first half, Wyatt Durman added eight in the first half on the way to 11 points, and Treyton Richart and Mitchel Avalos rounded out Jasper’s scoring with six and four points, respectively, all scored in the second half.
Bazzano-Joseph and Wagner each led with McAuley with nine points, while Michael Parrigon added six. Noah Black added five points, while Jack Jones and Kable Reichardt scored two points apiece.
McAuley dropped to 2-5 overall and the Warriors return home Tuesday for a contest against an Exeter team that has also struggled early this season.
Jasper girls 50, McAuley Catholic 22
The Warriors remained without a win, as the visiting Eagles never trailed and opened up a 14-point lead in the first quarter with a 14-0 run after McAuley earned a 2-all score.
Jasper led 16-4 after one quarter, 32-11 at halftime, and 40-13 after three quarters on the way to improving to 7-2 overall this season.
The Eagles relied heavily on a trio for their points, while the Warriors received most of their production from a duo.
Senior center Mercadez Scott led Jasper with 15 points, sophomore Crystal Smith added 14 despite foul trouble after halftime, and fellow sophomore Emersyn Bass put in five points each half for her 10 total.
Freshman guard Brooke Righter led McAuley with nine and junior Kloee Williamson finished with eight.
McAuley, now 0-7 on the season, returns home Tuesday against Exeter.
