THOMAS JEFFERSON RALLIES FOR WIN LATE
DIAMOND, Mo. — With Thomas Jefferson trailing the entire game, senior Caden Myers tied the game with a reverse layup with 12 seconds left before earning a steal and turning it into a go-ahead basket with 1.5 ticks remaining to send the Cavaliers (4-0) to a 48-46 win over Diamond in the Gem City Classic semifinals on Thursday.
“The kids really did a nice job of handling the early adversity,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said to SoMo Sports. “They really kept their composure and executed down the stretch to get key stops on the defensive end and key buckets on the offensive end. I’m super proud of our team’s effort tonight, top to bottom, our kids fought for each other and found a way.”
Myers led TJ with 19 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Jay Ball finished with 15 points and 11 boards for a double-double. Drew Goodhope added six and Tyler Brouhard finished with five in the win.
Thomas Jefferson will play Lighthouse Christian in the Gem City Classic championship game at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS BOYS TOP CRANE
Miller Long scored 25 points and Curtis Davenport added 16 as the College Heights Christian boys basketball team defeated Crane 65-52 in the semifinals of the Pierce City Tournament.
The Cougars (2-1) play East Newton at 7:30 on Saturday in the championship game.
East Newton defeated Marshfield 31-25 in the other semifinal.
GALENA BOYS 46, MCAULEY CATHOLIC 20
The Warriors got down early and never recovered. Galena led 26-11 en route to victory.
“Clearly, I did not have my team ready to play tonight,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “We have a quick turnaround playing Sarcoxie tomorrow. Unfortunately, we do not have time to work on our mistakes, so we are going to have to compensate by playing harder than they do and being tougher than they are to give ourselves a chance.”
Michael Parrigon, Noah Black and Jeffery Horinek scored four points apiece for the Warriors (0-3).
Ethan Bailey scored 15 points for Galena, while Garrett Lewallen added 14.
McAuley takes on Sarcoxie at 7:30 on Friday at the Gem City Classic.
CARL JUNCTION BOYS DROP OPENER
Hollister defeated Carl Junction 76-58 on Tuesday night at the Forsyth Tournament.
“We did some really good things,” Carl Junction assistant coach Paden Bennett said. “We played with really good pace and we handled pressure pretty well. Hollister is a good team and showed us a few things that we need to work on. We’re looking forward to our next opportunity on Friday.”
Josh Cory scored 22 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Ky Warren had 16 points. Also for CJ, Ayden Bard scored 13 points and Kyler Perry added seven.
Josh Barlow scored 32 points for Hollister.
Hollister led 27-20 at the end of the first quarter and 41-32 at halftime. The Bulldogs trailed 56-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
Carl Junction plays Forsyth at 7:30 on Friday before concluding the tourney on Saturday.
MOUNTAIN HOME GIRLS 27, MOUNT VERNON 22
BRANSON, Mo. — Mountain Home built a nine-point lead by halftime and held on for a 27-22 win over Mount Vernon on Thursday in the Branson Tournament.
Cameryn Cassity led Mount Vernon with seven points, while Harley Daniels finished six points and Cheyenne Bieber with five points.
