WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a rematch of last weekend’s Kaminsky Classic title game, Webb City and Joplin put on a show for all those in attendance inside a packed Cardinal Dome.
In a nail-biter between close rivals, Webb City was the team that made more key plays down the stretch.
With a strong finish, Webb City pulled out a hard-fought 80-74 victory over Joplin on Tuesday night in the Central Ozark Conference boys basketball opener for both squads.
“Joplin played well,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “I thought our guard play was much better in the second half. We had some turnovers in the first half. We valued the ball better in the second half and we were cleaner offensively. Part of that is our seniors…they’re good leaders. Joplin was hungry to get that win. Our guys’ level of play had to rise up.”
“We played really hard, we competed and we gave ourselves a chance against a good team on the road,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “The difference down the stretch was that they executed offensively and defensively. They executed their offensive sets. They have five seniors that are battle-tested. We’re still growing.”
Webb City won this past Saturday’s contest 66-55 inside Kaminsky Gymnasium. The Cardinals held an 18-point lead in the second half of that one. The rematch was much closer.
“We learned we’re not who we were on Saturday,” Hafer said. “We responded well. I’m really proud of my team. We can definitely build on this.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Now ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, Webb City hiked its record to 9-1 after an eighth straight win.
Five players scored in double figures for the Cardinals. Senior point guard Nickhai Howard scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Senior Mekhi Garrard scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while classmate Luke Brumit had 14 points. Junior Cohl Vaden contributed 13 points and senior Trenton Hayes added 11.
“To be a good team you have to have multiple guys who can score,” Horn noted.
Junior Kaden Turner just missed double figures with nine points.
Webb City made 28-of-59 shots (48 percent), but went just 3-for-17 on 3-pointers. The Cardinals made 21-of-27 free throws.
Freshman guard All Wright led Joplin (7-4) with 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Wright made 6-of-10 free throws and also grabbed six rebounds.
“All’s good,” Hafer said. “He’s a competitor. He’s not afraid of the moment and everybody saw that. He scored the ball really well. He needs to keep improving on the defensive end.”
Three others reached double figures for the Eagles, as senior Dominick Simmons and junior LT Atherton scored 11 points apiece and sophomore Dante Washington had 10. Malik Williams had a team-high eight rebounds.
Joplin made 25-of-57 field goal attempts (44 percent), including 7-of-24 from 3-point range. The Eagles went 17-of-26 at the charity stripe.
“In a game like that, the free throw line makes a big difference,” Hafer said.
Both teams had 17 turnovers apiece.
GAME RECAP
The Eagles hung tough early, as a trey from Fielding Campbell cut the Cardinals’ lead to 16-15.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Garrard gave the Cardinals a four-point cushion late in the first quarter, but Joplin’s Washington banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, trimming Webb City’s advantage to 19-18 at the end of a back and forth and entertaining first period.
Joplin put together a 9-0 run in the second quarter to take a 27-22 lead, as Washington and Carson Wampler both hit 3-pointers during the surge.
Webb City used a 9-2 spurt to take back the lead, but the Eagles recorded the final four points of the first half, as Terrance Gibson scored on a putback inside and Simmons converted a steal into a go-ahead layup, giving the Eagles a 38-37 halftime advantage.
Horn gave the Eagles credit.
“Their execution in the first half was really good,” Horn said. “Some of their role guys stepped up and made big shots. Good teams do that, so you have to give them credit. I thought No. 12 (Simmons) made some big plays for them. I thought they were a little sharper than we were in the first half. They were a little quicker to loose balls.”
Joplin took a 46-39 lead in the third period, forcing a Webb City timeout. But a few minutes later the game was tied at 58.
All Wright’s free throws gave the Eagles a 60-58 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals finished strong, however, outscoring the Eagles 22-14 in the fourth quarter.
The game was deadlocked at 64 when Webb City put together a 7-2 run to go up 71-66. Also, Joplin’s Always Wright fouled out with four minutes to play.
Down three after a Brumit putback, the Eagles pulled within one at 73-72 with 1:30 remaining on an All Wright jumper. But the Cardinals answered when Howard scored on a nifty drive through the lane with 1:12 left, giving the hosts a 3-point cushion.
Next, Joplin had two empty possessions down three and had to foul. Howard made 1-of-2 at the line with 29 seconds left, extending Webb City’s lead to four.
The Eagles received a hoop from All Wright with three seconds remaining, but Webb City’s Garrard calmly sank two clutch free throws with 2.3 seconds left.
On the final possession, Joplin’s inbound pass was picked off by Vaden, who made a layup at the buzzer for the final margin.
Horn noted his team’s experienced performers stepped up in crunch time.
“Luke Brumit was a big presence in the second half,” Horn said. “He altered some shots, got some big rebounds and made some big plays around the basket. Nickhai does a little bit of everything. He’s a big time player and he makes plays. Shots weren’t easy to come by. But we kept getting putbacks and we had guys step up.”
It was Senior Night for the Cardinals, as Howard, Garrard, Brumit, Hayes and Shane Noel were recognized before the game.
GREAT ATMOSPHERE
Both head coaches noted they were pleased to see such a great atmosphere for the game, as both student sections were into the game from the tip. Like Saturday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium, Tuesday’s game at Webb City High School was well-attended by local fans.
“The atmosphere was great,” Hafer said. “We had a great atmosphere Saturday and tonight. And that’s the way this game should be. That’s a fun basketball game to watch if you don’t have to sit on the sidelines as a coach. There were quality players on the floor really playing hard. That was a high-level basketball game.”
“It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere,” Horn added. “Both student sections were great. This is what high school sports are about. It was a lot of fun. I know these kids will look back in a few years and appreciate this moment.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Both teams have COC road games on Friday, as Webb City is at Ozark and Joplin travels to Branson.
FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
