Ignited by an unrelenting pressure defense, Webb City overwhelmed Clever from the start en route to a convincing 75-42 win on Wednesday night in the opener of the 2021 Kaminsky Classic at Joplin High School.
In what was the first-ever meeting between the schools in boys basketball, Webb City took control from the start, leading 10-2 before using a 15-0 surge to blow the game open.
By the break, Webb City was up 41-17. For the Cardinals, who are ranked eighth in Class 5, it was a fine debut to a new year.
“I thought we played well,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “Defensively, our rotations were good. We did a good job of handling their ball screens and their off the ball screens. Our help-side defense was really good. We limited their driving lanes. I was really pleased.
“I thought we did a good job of rebounding the ball and that helped us get out and run,” Horn added. “Overall, we did a good job of sharing the ball offensively. And we got some easy looks around the basket.”
Senior guard Mekhi Garrard scored 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead the Cardinals, who improved to 6-1.
The 6-foot-1 Garrard also compiled eight rebounds, five steals and four assists. Garrard scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the first half.
“He’s aggressive and he’s a guy that’s really tough to stay in front of,” Horn said. “He also showed that he can step out and shoot the basketball. I thought he was really locked in. The rust is off. He’s had days to practice. His effort was the main thing. His effort was at a really high level tonight.”
Senior floor general Nickhai Howard scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with six assists and three steals for the Cardinals, while Luke Brumit, Trey Roets and Cohl Vaden scored six points apiece. In all, 10 different Webb City players scored in the lopsided win.
The Cardinals made 29-of-55 shot attempts (53 percent), including 8-of-19 from 3-point range. Webb City out-rebounded Clever 44-22.
The Blue Jays were led by Bryce Gelle’s 24 points. Clever (3-6) shot 29 percent for the game (15-of-51).
Showing no signs of rust after being off since December 22, Webb City scored the first seven points of the game, highlighted by a dunk from Kaden Turner.
Up 17-9 at the end of the first quarter, Webb City began the second period on a 15-0 run, with Garrard scoring the first three hoops before Turner, Garrard and Vaden all buried 3-pointers, giving the Cardinals a comfy 32-9 advantage.
A pair of hoops in transition by Howard pushed Webb City’s lead to 41-14. By the break, Webb City was up by 24 points.
“It goes back to our defense,” Horn said. “We were in the passing lanes. We handled their screens and didn’t give them clean looks.”
The Cardinals shot a blistering 71 percent from the field in the first half (17-of-24), while the Blue Jays made just 6-of-22 shots (27 percent).
It was more of the same in the third quarter, and Webb City led 55-30 entering the fourth quarter. The final outcome was never in doubt in the final frame.
Webb City meets Nevada at 4:30 on Thursday in another pool play contest. Nevada is ranked 10th in Class 5.
The annual event is sponsored by the Joplin Sports Authority and Freeman Sports.
CLEVER (42) — Jake Twigg 2 2-4 7, Grant Pellham 0 0-2 0, Kadeon Broome 1 2-6 4, Bryce Gelle 9 3-3 24, Cole Langley 0 0-0 0, Kendon Pate 0 0-0 0, Kolton Adkins 1 0-0 2, Brayden Verch 0 0-0 0, Corbin Allie 1 0-0 2, Aaron Rice 0 0-0 0, Jacob Brown 1 0-0 3, Lane Mendenhall 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 7-15 42.
WEBB CITY (75) — Mekhi Garrard 10 0-0 22, Trenton Hayes 1 0-0 3, Nickhai Howard 7 1-2 16, Kaden Turner 2 0-0 5, Luke Brumit 2 2-2 6, Alex Martin 1 2-2 4, Dupree Jackson 2 0-0 4, Isaiah Brisco 0 0-0 0, Shane Noel 1 0-0 3, Trey Roets 1 4-4 6, Cohl Vaden 2 0-0 6, Max Higginbotham 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 9-10 75.
Clever 9 8 13 12 — 42
Webb City 17 24 14 20 — 75
3-point goals—Twigg, Gelle 3, Brown, Garrard 2, Hayes, Howard, Turner, Noel, Vaden 2. Total fouls—Clever 8, Webb City 13. Fouled out—None.
