BOLIVAR, Mo. — Shaun Gray wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his stellar senior class.
But on Friday night, the head coach of the Nevada Tigers had to give his final postgame speech of the season.
Nevada was unable to overcome its size disadvantage, as Bolivar rode its superior height inside to a 60-47 victory over the Tigers in a quarterfinal contest of the Missouri Class 5 state boys basketball tournament inside a packed Bolivar High School gymnasium.
“The main message was to keep their heads up because they have nothing to hang their heads about,” Gray said of his postgame speech to the team in the locker room. “Disappointment is natural. Everybody is disappointed. But no one should have their head down. This should be a celebration of this group and this season. We should keep our heads up. These guys will have a special place in my heart forever.”
The Tigers, who had a 15-game win streak snapped and were seeking the program’s first Final Four berth since 1991, end the season with a record of 22-6.
Playing their final game in a Nevada uniform were seniors Logan Applegate, Logan McNeley, Lane McNeley and Ben Hines.
“It’s going to be so weird going to practice without Logan Applegate, Logan and Lane McNeley and Ben Hines…even though he was only with us this year,” Gray said. “But we’ve got kids in second and third grade who have watched every game those guys have played. And someday when they’re in high school, and we talk about how those guys played, those kids will know who we’re talking about. Our seniors have left a true legacy in our program. They’re right up there with the ’91 team as the most-special group we’ve ever had at Nevada.”
“I’ve got two young sons and if I want to show them film of how to play together and how to play hard, this will be the team that I show them as they grow up,” Gray added.
Bolivar had a clear size advantage, with 6-foot-7 Luke Gabani, 6-6 Kyle Pock, 6-5 Josh Bowes and 6-5 Chase Kirby. Nevada’s tallest player is the 6-4 Hines.
Up two at the break, the hosts pounded the ball inside and made 11 field goals in the second half, and none of them were from long range. When the Liberators weren’t scoring from in close, they were getting to the foul line. Bolivar made 16-of-21 free throws in the second half.
“You can’t simulate that physicality and you can’t simulate that size, especially for four quarters,” Gray said. “Hats off to Bolivar. If you’re a second late rotating or a second late getting around (their post players), they make you pay for it. We forced them into some turnovers in the first half. They adjusted in the second half. They started throwing a skip pass over the top and then hit us inside on the back side and we were late rotating.”
The Liberators (15-12) advanced to the semifinals, where they’ll face Lutheran South (16-11) at 1 on March 18 at JQH Arena in Springfield.
NAMES & NUMBERS
In his final outing for the Tigers, Applegate scored a game-high 27 points. He made three 3-pointers.
“He played as hard as he could for all 32 minutes,” Gray said. “He left it all on the floor and we’d expect nothing else from him.”
Hines added 10 points, while the McNeley twins chipped in five points apiece.
The Tigers had an off-shooting night overall, as the visitors made just five treys and also missed a number of shots in the lane.
“We didn’t have the shooting night that we’re accustomed to having…for all of our guys,” Gray said. “We did not shoot it as well as we are accustomed to. And we didn’t get some trips to the free throw line that we thought we should get, but you expect that when you go on the road. There’s a reason why Final Fours are so hard to get to.”
Bolivar’s bigs had their way in the paint.
A junior, Bowes scored 18 points, while sophomore Pock added 17 points. A junior, Gabani also reached double figures with 12 points, while classmate Kirby added nine.
GAME RECAP
The Liberators led 14-8 when Applegate’s trey cut Nevada’s deficit to three at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers trailed by two when the visitors received hoops from Logan McNeley, Applegate and Hines to go up 20-16.
Bolivar closed out the first half with six straight on Pock’s hoop and free throw and Kirby’s 3-pointer. Those points gave the Liberators a 22-20 halftime advantage.
Applegate had 14 of Nevada’s 20 first-half points, while Pock had 11 of Bolivar’s 22.
Bolivar’s Bowes scored 14 points in the third period, all in the paint, to give the Liberators a 38-31 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Tigers managed just four field goals in the third period.
Bolivar continued to pound the ball inside in the fourth quarter, and the hosts were up 43-35 after a pair of buckets in the paint by Gabani.
Applegate was fouled making a 3-pointer, and his free throw trimmed Nevada’s deficit to four with just over five minutes to play.
“We felt like we were right there when that happened,” Gray said.
Bolivar’s lead was six with just over two minutes to play. The Tigers had a number of empty possessions and then had to begin fouling.
The Liberators made 14-of-19 foul shots in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
“We were able to bother them with pressure in the second quarter,” Gray said. “But they did a great job in the second half when we extended pressure. They were stronger with the ball. We couldn’t turn them over and we had to start fouling. They made their free throws. Hats off to them. They earned it.”
