CARTHAGE, Mo. — Clinging to a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the highly-motivated Webb City boys basketball team was the squad that made more winning plays down the stretch.
Webb City rode a strong finish to a hard-fought 58-50 victory over longtime rival Carthage on Tuesday night in front of a large crowd inside the Carthage High School gymnasium.
“Our kids did a great job of executing late in the game,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “We saw a lot of growth tonight from a young team. If you go back and look at last year’s game against Carthage, none of these guys were on the floor. They’re getting their first taste of the COC now. It was just a great job by our guys all the way around.”
After leading by as much as 10, the Cardinals saw their advantage trimmed down to one with just over six minutes to play. But Webb City was the team that got it done when crunch time arrived, as the Cardinals closed the game on a 13-6 burst to knock off the Tigers.
“Our guys responded late in the game,” Horn said. “They weren’t taking ‘my turn’ shots. They were valuing the ball and cutting. We did a good job of playing inside-out. I can’t say enough about how we rebounded, especially in key spots.”
The Cardinals entered this one with plenty of extra motivation, as Carthage blew out Webb City 70-48 in December at the Carthage Invitational.
“Our kids were very motivated,” Horn said. “You tip your hat to Carthage the first time we played them here. They executed at a high level and they were definitely the better team that night. Our guys just had two great days of preparation. They were very focused in practice. They knew their assignments defensively, and we put in a few new wrinkles offensively.”
The Tigers had their chances on their home floor, but the hosts simply had too many empty possessions in the fourth quarter. Carthage did not make a field goal in the final four minutes of the contest.
“We had a lot of careless turnovers and we failed to execute late in the game,” Tigers coach Nathan Morris said. “Give Webb City credit. They got the ball where they wanted it and they executed. Unfortunately, we looked like a team that hasn’t been in the gym for three days.”
Webb City senior Alex Martin scores inside against Carthage on Tuesday night. Photo by Derek Livingston.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Webb City hiked its record to 15-4 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
Webb City had three players score in double figures. Sophomore guard Holton Keith scored 18 points, making all seven of his field goal attempts.
Junior guard Barron Duda added 16 points and senior forward Alex Martin had 12 points before fouling out.
Also for the Cardinals, Eli Pace had eight rebounds and five points, while Omari Jackson had five steals to go with four points.
The Cardinals made 22-of-48 field goal attempts (46 percent) but went just 4-for-14 on 3-pointers.
Carthage slipped to 11-8 and 1-2 in the COC.
Carthage shot 35 percent for the game (14-of-40), including 5-for-21 from long distance.
Senior guard Max Templeman scored 26 points, making 6-of-13 field goal attempts and all 13 of his free throws. The 5-9 Templeman also led the Tigers in rebounds with eight.
Junior guard Justin Ray added 10 points for the Tigers, while senior forward Clay Kinder had six.
The Tigers turned the ball over 18 times to the Cardinals’ 11.
GAME RECAP
On the last night of January, the Cardinals held an 18-12 lead at the end of the back and forth first quarter.
After hoops from Duda and Martin, Webb City took a 10-point lead early in the second quarter at 22-12.
But the Tigers responded with a 12-2 run to tie the game at 24, with Templeman scoring 10 of the 12 points during the surge.
Webb City answered with five of the final seven points of the first half for a 29-26 halftime advantage.
In the third quarter, the Cardinals led by eight after a trey from Keith and a basket inside by Duda.
However, the Tigers scored five straight to end the period, a 3-pointer from Kinder and a pair of free throws from Templeman. That made it 45-42 in favor of the Cardinals heading into the fourth quarter.
After two hoops from Keith, the Cardinals were up 51-46 in the final frame.
Webb City’s Eli Pace looks for an opening against Carthage’s Justin Ray.
With three minutes left, Webb City’s Jackson converted a steal into a layup, giving the visitors a needed boost.
Carthage managed just four free throws in the final four minutes of the game.
The Tigers were plagued by empty possessions and several turnovers late in the game that were too much to overcome.
Keith scored two hoops in transition and made a free throw for an eight-point cushion, all but sealing the win.
“Our kids are tough and they play hard,” Morris said. “We made some plays to get back into the game, but when it truly mattered, we didn’t execute very well. Webb City made winning plays off of our turnovers.”
“Carthage has a number of kids who can make shots and that makes it difficult on you,” Horn said. “Templeman is a really good player…Ray’s a good player, Kinder’s a good player. Those guys can make shots, so we knew it wouldn’t be easy tonight.
“Omari came up huge on defense, I think he had three steals late and they were huge,” Horn added. “I have to give credit to Holton Keith. He was running the floor well and finishing plays.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Both squads have conference road games on Friday, as Webb City is at Ozark and Carthage is at Republic.
Webb City’s Omari Jackson converts a steal into a layup against Carthage on Tuesday night. Photos by Derek Livingston.
Webb City’s Barron Duda goes up for a shot in the lane against Carthage’s Trent Yates on Tuesday night. Webb City earned a 58-50 win over Carthage in COC action. Photos by Derek Livingston.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The College Heights Christian Cougars turned a 6-4 lead in the first quarter into a 30-8 lead halfway through the second behind a 24-4 stretch and College Heights never trailed during a 53-26 win Saturday afternoon against Liberal in the opening game of the 4-States Challenge at the Cardinal Dome.
“We made some adjustments,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson over the background sounds of Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life” between games. “We got some steals off our press, and we got some layups. I don’t think we hit a three all night, but we didn’t have to with the ball on the inside. We came out second half and had a good third quarter.
“They played back-to-back too. They played Lamar last night. You’ve got to learn now because maybe at districts later on, you’ll have back-to-backs. We came out with a lot of energy at both ends.”
College Heights, after Saturday’s impressive win and Friday’s 61-48 win over Diamond, improved to 7-2 overall this season and the Cougars do not return to action until Jan. 3 on the road against Bronaugh.
Six-foot-five senior Curtis Davenport and 6-4 junior Caleb Quade have been a formidable duo on the inside for the Cougars all season, and Saturday proved to be no different.
Davenport and Quade combined for nine points during the Cougars’ decisive 17-0 run that saw the score go from 13-8 to 30-8 in nearly four minutes.
Davenport finished with a game-high 17 points and his seven points in the third helped College Heights enter the fourth with a 48-18 lead.
Quade scored all 12 of his points in the first half with seven of them in the first quarter.
Nine players entered the scoring column Saturday for College Heights — Bo Sitton added eight points, Steven Calandro scored all five of his points in the fourth, Liam Nelson contributed four points and his pressure defense helped produce multiple easy scoring opportunities, the trio of Jayce Walker, Logan Decker and Ben Thomas each added two points, and Noah Hipple netted a free throw for his lone point.
Cort Hardy is the new man in charge of the Seneca High School boys basketball program.
A former assistant at Webb City, Hardy takes over a Seneca program that returns each and every member of last year’s roster.
With that, there’s excitement in the air in Seneca.
“The guys are very excited for this upcoming season,” Hardy told SoMo Sports. “We had a good first summer together and won some games, so I think that kind of enhanced that excitement. They enjoy the style that I want us to play so the buy in has been great to start practice. Both the coaching staff and players have high expectations for this year.”
Returning seniors are forwards Cooper Long and Conner Ackerson and guard Hayden Gaines. All three started last season. Long earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season after averaging 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.
The team’s returning juniors are guards Gavyn Hoover, Ethan Altic and Jace Wilson and forwards Blake Hurn and Morgan Vaughn. All five players are expected to play key roles this winter. Sophomore guard Zane Grotjohn also returns with prior varsity experience.
Top newcomers are juniors Ayden Corcoran (F) and Cedar Starchman (G) and sophomore guard Jace Schulte.
Strengths of the Indians will be speed, guard play and overall team depth.
“This will be a very deep and quick team,” Hardy said. “We do not have a ton of size, but we are very athletic, and we plan to use that to our advantage. We’ll get after people defensively and try to push the pace in transition when the opportunities arise.”
The Indians will look to improve upon last year’s 9-18 record, and the keys to doing that aren’t complicated to Hardy.
“The keys for us to be successful are to rebound the ball well, create turnovers defensively and play unselfish basketball on the offensive side of the ball,” Hardy said. “We have multiple guys that can score the ball well, so it will come down to getting the best shot we can get and try to get layups in transition off a made or missed basket.”
Of course, many of Seneca’s basketball players are still playing football. The Indians are in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.
“With this being my first year here it will take some time for the players to adjust to a new system,” Hardy noted. “We have multiple key players that are also stars on the football team, so with them making a deep run in the playoffs it will be a challenge to start the year installing everything and knocking off some rust.”
Hardy noted he has the expectations set high.
“We expect to be competing for conference and district titles,” Hardy said. “We return everyone from a team that really started to put it together late in the year for Coach (Will) King last year. They got a taste of winning a district and conference championship in football and I think they are eager for more.”
Seneca is scheduled to begin the season at the Dennis Cornish Classic in Lockwood on Nov. 28. The Indians will host their annual invite from Dec. 8-10.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — For the first time in program history, a boys basketball team from College Heights Christian is in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.
College Heights never trailed on the way to a 54-43 victory over Blue Eye on Wednesday night in a Class 2 sectional at Carthage High School.
“We made history and hopefully we’ll keep making history,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said. “The team played well. We had some spurts in the third quarter. We knew they were a good team, and we knew they’d hit some shots. Our kids played well. Getting up early on them helped. They had to play catch-up.”
Fifth-ranked College Heights (24-4) will meet top-ranked Norwood (28-1) at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday in the state quarterfinals at Republic High School.
The Cougars lost in the sectional round last year in their first-ever trip to the state tourney. This time around, the Cougars were more than ready for the experience.
“Last year’s game helped us big time,” Johnson said. “We came here last year and didn’t know what to expect. They might have been intimidated. This year, we knew what it’s like.”
College Heights Christian senior forward Hagen Beck scores in the lane against Blue Eye on Wednesday night at Carthage High School. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Now, the Cougars are heading into uncharted territory—one win away from the Final Four.
“This is the first time in school history winning sectionals, so this feels great and I’m so proud of my teammates,” College Heights senior guard Miller Long said. “This feels awesome. But no one on our team is satisfied yet. We’re ready to go all the way.”
Long said he and his teammates were determined to go further in the postseason this year.
“All of us put in the work over the summer,” Long said. “We’re more confident. We know we’re better this year. We play like it too.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
The Cougars have now won six straight and 12 of their last 13.
The 6-foot-3 Long paced College Heights with 23 points. He hit three 3-pointers, five 2-pointers and four free throws.
Junior forward Curtis Davenport scored 10 points for CHC, while senior forward Hagen Beck added eight. Senior point guard Ethan Adel and 6-7 senior forward Ethan Meeks contributed six points apiece.
Blue Eye ends the season at 23-5.
Lance Clark scored 17 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Isaiah Mitchell added 10 and Logan Isbell had nine.
GAME RECAP
College Heights Christian senior Ethan Meeks puts up a short jumper against Blue Eye’s Isaiah Mitchell on Wednesday at Carthage High School. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
A trey from Long gave College Heights an 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Cougars took a 10-point lead at 24-14 after two treys from Long, a free throw from Caleb Quade, a putback by Long and two hoops inside by the 6-4 Beck.
College Heights’ halftime advantage was 24-16.
The Cougars were clinging to a six-point cushion in the third period when they finished the frame on a 7-2 run for a 35-24 lead.
College Heights separated further by starting the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run. During the game-changing surge, Long scored seven points, while Adel and Davenport added hoops.
Long’s final hoop of the night, a strong drive through the lane, gave College Heights a commanding 20-point lead at 46-26 with just over four minutes to play.
The Bulldogs showed some fight down the stretch. Blue Eye used a 12-4 run to pull within 12 at 50-38.
The Bulldogs cut their deficit down to nine late in the game, but the Cougars received two free throws from both Davenport and Long that all but sealed the win.
“We just had to keep reminding our kids to play good defense and contain their shooters,” Johnson said. “And if you want to win big games, you have to make free throws and rebound. We’ll celebrate tonight, but then we’ll get back to work and prepare for Saturday.”
College Heights junior Curtis Davenport scores inside against Blue Eye during the Class 2 sectional game on Wednesday night at Carthage High School. College Heights won the game 54-43 to advance to the quarterfinals. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
College Heights point guard Ethan Adel handles the ball against pressure from Blue Eyes Lance Clark on Wednesday night inside Carthage High School. College Heights won the game 54-43 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
WILLARD, Mo. — Webb City and Neosho both suffered season-ending setbacks to higher seeds on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 6 boys basketball tournament at Willard High School.
Second-seeded Parkview upended third-seeded Webb City 75-54, while top-seeded Bolivar knocked off fourth-seeded Neosho 61-22.
Parkview (19-8) will take on Bolivar (24-3) at 7:30 on Friday night in the district title game.
All four semifinalists entered the night state-ranked. Bolivar is ranked third, with Webb City sixth, Parkview eighth and Neosho ninth.
PARKVIEW 75, WEBB CITY 54
The Vikings used a spirited 20-1 run in the first half to take control.
The Cardinals led 9-8 after hoops from Dupree Jackson, Dante Washington and Trey Roets, but the Vikings closed the first quarter on a 15-1 run to take a 23-10 lead.
Parkview then scored the first five points of the second quarter to go up by 18.
Treys from Jackson and Max Higginbotham kept the Cardinals within striking distance, but the Vikings answered with 3-pointers from Kevin Parker and Elijah Whitley.
Hoops in the paint from Tomas Hill and Marcus Price gave Parkview a 42-20 lead.
The Vikings held a 45-22 advantage at intermission. Parkview made seven 3-pointers in the first half.
Kaden Turner scored seven points in the third period for the Cardinals, but Webb City’s deficit was 64-36 entering the fourth quarter.
Parkview was up 69-39 early in the final frame en route to the lopsided win.
Whitley scored a game-high 25 points for Parkview, while Price added 17.
A junior forward, Roets led the Cardinals with 15 points. Turner added 12 points, while Jackson had eight.
The Cardinals, who were looking to advance to a district title game for the seventh straight season, end the season with a record of 18-9.
Webb City’s seniors are Cohl Vaden, Isaiah Brisco, Baylor Dickinson, Turner, Higginbotham and Jackson.
BOLIVAR 61, NEOSHO 22
Last year’s Class 5 runner-up, Bolivar built a 17-point lead by intermission and then blew the game open in the third period en route to victory.
The Liberators led 14-5 at the end of the first quarter after scoring nine unanswered points during the opening frame.
Bolivar went up 25-9 after Cooper Cribbs drilled his third 3-pointer of the second quarter.
The Liberators led 28-11 at halftime.
Bolivar extended its lead to 47-17 after two treys from Cribbs, a 3-pointer from Kaden Griswold and a hoop inside by Lukas Gabani.
The Liberators outscored the Wildcats 24-6 in the third quarter for a comfortable 52-17 lead.
Gabani led the Liberators with 17 points, while Kyle Pock and Cribbs scored 15 points apiece.
K’dyn Waters scored nine points to lead Neosho, while Kael Smith added seven points.
Waters is Neosho’s lone senior, so the Wildcats will return a solid core next winter.
The Wildcats end the season with a record of 17-11. It was the program’s winningest season since 2005.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Ignited by its pressure defense, the Webb City Cardinals rode a strong third quarter to a 68-53 non-conference victory over East Newton on Tuesday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
Playing at home for the first time in 2021-22, the Cardinals found themselves tied with the Patriots at halftime.
But Webb City owned the third quarter by outscoring the visitors 21-11. During the game-changing period, the Cardinals picked up the defensive intensity, sped up the game and converted turnovers into hoops in transition.
“Our intensity picked up in the third quarter,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “I thought we matched the intensity they had in the first half. I thought East Newton played much harder than we did in the first half. I think we were kind of just going through the motions and they brought the fight to us. We picked up our intensity in the second half. We were much more aggressive. We were flying around to the ball, closing off passing lanes and we were able to get out in transition. When we do that, we’re hard to stop.”
The Cardinals improved to 4-1 on the season.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Junior guard Dante Washington led Webb City with 23 points on 11 of 18 shooting.
“He’s hard to stay in front of and he was getting into the paint,” Horn said. “And he has a really nice midrange game.”
Senior guard Cohl Vaden played his first game of the season for the Cardinals after missing four games due to an ankle injury he suffered in the state championship football game.
Vaden definitely made his presence felt. The four-year varsity performer scored 14 points, hit two 3-pointers, handed out eight assists and grabbed two steals.
“Cohl was big for us,” Horn said. “He makes it harder for teams to zone us because of his ability to shoot the ball. There’s a comfort factor with him out there. He does a good job of setting the table and he’s patient with the basketball. We’re a totally different team with him on the floor.”
Senior forward Kaden Turner made 6 of 15 shot attempts for 12 points, while senior guard Dupree Jackson had three steals. Webb City made 30 of 56 field goal attempts (54 percent).
Senior forward Gabe Bergen scored 23 points, making 11 of 18 field goal attempts, to lead the Patriots (2-3). Senior guard Easton Schrader also reached double figures with 11 points. The Patriots connected on 23 of 43 shots, but the visitors had 23 turnovers to Webb City’s 13.
GAME RECAP
The game was deadlocked at 19 at the end of the opening frame and was tied at 30 at the half.
After the break, Webb City put together a game-defining 13-1 spurt in the third period. The run was fueled by a pressure defense that forced the Patriots into several miscues.
At the end of the run, Turner, Trey Roets and Washington all converted East Newton turnovers into hoops before Vaden scored five straight for a comfortable 48-35 lead.
“We were able to get the tempo picked up,” Horn said. “Our guys at the top of the press did a good job of locking the traps up and forcing them to get the ball in the air. And our group is unselfish. They move the ball around and don’t care who scores. That’s a credit to their attitude and to what’s important to them…winning games.”
The Patriots rattled off six straight points, but Webb City’s Max Higginbotham nailed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Cardinals a 51-41 lead heading into the final frame.
An 8-2 surge, capped by a bucket in the lane by Landon Johnson, extended Webb City’s lead to 59-45. The Cardinals led by as much as 17 points late in the game.
A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE
East Newton lost a solid core from last year’s team that advanced to the Class 4 quarterfinals. With that, the Patriots have several newcomers in big roles this winter.
East Newton coach Kyle Fields said Tuesday’s clash with the Cardinals was a good learning experience for his team.
“I thought there were a lot of good things to take away from tonight,” Fields said. “I thought we attacked their pressure pretty well early in the game and I thought we played at a high pace early. They sped us in the third quarter and got us out of sorts. Their length and athleticism is phenomenal. But I’m really proud of our team. We’re still trying to find our identity. But I thought tonight was a good step in the right direction. And it’s fun to play here and it’s fun to play against a team with a lot of good athletes.”
4-STATES CHALLENGE IS SATURDAY
Webb City High School is hosting the 4-States Challenge on Saturday. There are six games on the schedule.
Webb City takes on Parsons (Kan.) in the event’s finale at approximately 6:30 p.m.
“We’re really excited about hosting this event for the sixth year,” Horn said. “We’ve got a lot of good teams coming in. There should be a lot of good basketball and we hope a lot of people can make it out. We’re looking forward to playing Parsons. Hopefully we can match the intensity we had in the second half tonight.”
ANDERSON, Mo. — In Bronson Schaake’s debut as the program’s new head coach, the Joplin High School boys basketball team held on late for a 62-58 win over McDonald County on Tuesday night in a non-conference clash.
It was the season opener for both teams.
Led by the play of the Wright brothers, Always and All, the Eagles built a 16-point lead by the early stages of the fourth quarter before the Mustangs rallied late to make things interesting. In the end, Joplin did more than enough to secure the win.
The Mustangs led 12-9 at the end of a back and forth first quarter, but the Eagles finished the first half on a 17-7 run for a 26-22 halftime lead. During the second-quarter surge, All Wright hit back to back 3-pointers and also hit two free throws.
The Eagles scored the first seven points of the third period to pull away by double figures.
Late in the third quarter, the Wright brothers both hit 3-pointers to give Joplin a 41-26 cushion. By the end of the third period, Joplin’s lead was 45-30.
The Eagles held a 16-point lead at 53-37, but the Mustangs kept coming.
The hosts, who hit five 3-pointers in the final frame, cut their deficit all the way down to three with five seconds left after two treys from Cole Martin and another from Pierce Harmon. After a foul, Always Wright hit one late free throw for the final margin.
A sophomore guard, All Wright led the Eagles with 23 points. A senior guard, Always Wright had 19 points. Terrance Gibson contributed 12 points for the Eagles.
Harmon scored 18 points to lead the Mustangs, while Martin, Cross Dowd and Teddy Reedybacon all had nine points apiece.
Joplin (1-0) returns to action on Dec. 3 with a road game at Pittsburg.
McDonald County (0-1) will compete at the Battle at the Ridge tournament in Arkansas from Dec. 9-11.
THOMAS JEFFERSON BOYS 54, BRONAUGH 16
With a second win in as many nights, the Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers improved to 2-0 with a lopsided 54-16 victory over Bronaugh.
The Cavaliers led 23-4 by the end of the opening frame and were up 35-11 at intermission.
“We got off a great start tonight,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We forced some early turnovers and turned them into transition baskets. From there we really did a much better job tonight of being disciplined and executing our half-court offense. We must continue to develop as a team in both our transition game and our half-court game in order to achieve our goals. I’m very happy with the way our team played tonight, and how much we grew in a 24-hour time frame.”
Caden Myers compiled 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead Thomas Jefferson, while Drew Goodhope added 10 points and six boards.
Also for the Cavaliers, Tyler Brouhard compiled eight points, four rebounds and three assists, while Jay Ball contributed six points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
Thomas Jefferson will be the No. 1 seed for next week’s Gem City Classic.
LIBERAL BOYS 68, MCAULEY 33
LIBERAL, Mo. — Liberal jumped out to a big lead and never looked back in the win over McAuley Catholic on Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs outscored the Warriors 21-7 in the first period and pushed the lead to 39-17 by the intermission. Liberal continued to build the lead in the second half on the way to the win.
“Hats off to Liberal, they have a scrappy bunch of guys that are very unselfish,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “They did a good job of turning us over all night with their pressure. We have got to do a better job of handling pressure offensively as well as defending and limiting teams to one shot.”
Noah Block led the Warriors with 11 points.
Payton Morrow had 18 points for Liberal, while Matt Boehne finished with 14 and Chas Ray 13.
McAuley takes part in the Gem City Classic with a matchup against Lighthouse Christian at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Diamond, Missouri.
NEOSHO GIRLS 29, CLINTON 27, OT
NEOSHO, Mo. — Beclynn Garrett and Jayden Adams hit late-game free throws in overtime to lift the Neosho Wildcats to a 29-27 non-conference girls basketball victory over Clinton on Tuesday afternoon.
In a game that began at 1 p.m., Neosho led 10-4 at the end of the first quarter and 18-13 at intermission.
The Cardinals outscored the Wildcats 8-1 in the third quarter to take a 21-19 lead.
Maelynn Garrett and Beclynn Garrett both hit key 3-pointers for the Wildcats in the fourth quarter, and the game was deadlocked at 27 at the end of regulation.
Neither team made a field goal in the extra session, as Neosho’s two free throws were the only points of overtime.
Beclynn Garrett made the second of two free throw attempts with 59 seconds left to give Neosho a one-point lead.
After a Clinton miss and a foul, Adams sank one charity with 20 seconds remaining before the Cardinals missed a last-second field goal attempt.
Beclynn Garrett and Raine Harris scored eight points apiece for the Wildcats (2-1). Briley Wishard scored eight points for Clinton (0-1).
Neosho will compete at next week’s CJ Classic. The Wildcats take on the host Bulldogs at 8:30 on Monday night.
NEVADA GIRLS 43, MOUNT VERNON 29
NEVADA, Mo. — Nevada took control early and never looked back in a 43-29 win over Mount Vernon on Tuesday.
The Tigers led 17-9 at the end of the first quarter and extended their advantage to 29-15 by halftime.
Clara Swearingen scored 15 points to lead Nevada, while Maddy Majors added 12.
Cameryn Cassity scored 16 points to lead Mount Vernon, while Jolie Prescott added seven points.
MCAULEY GIRLS 48, LIBERAL 27
LIBERAL, Mo. — Kayleigh Teeter scored 20 points and Kennedy Deruy added 12, as the McAuley Catholic girls basketball team earned a convincing 48-27 win over Liberal.
The Warriors led 14-2 at the end of the first period and 32-7 at halftime.
Lily Black added eight points for McAuley, while Ellaina LaNear scored nine points for Liberal.
The Warriors (1-0) play Lockwood at 7 p.m. on Monday at the Gem City Classic at Diamond High School.
BRONAUGH GIRLS 48, THOMAS JEFFERSON 32
Nicole Hagerman poured in 28 points to lead Bronaugh past Thomas Jefferson.
The Cavaliers trailed 12-2 at the end of the first period. Thomas Jefferson erupted for 15 points in the second quarter, but the hosts trailed 22-17 at the break.
Bronaugh outscored TJ 18-3 in the third period.
Gabbi Hiebert scored 12 points to lead Thomas Jefferson, while Presley Long added seven points. Sarah Mueller and Nico Carlson added four points apiece for TJ.
In addition to Hagerman’s 28 points, Bronaugh received 11 points from Gretchen Banes.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — With the score deadlocked and with just over two minutes remaining in a win-or-go-home situation, Nevada senior guard Logan Applegate delivered a game-changing play.
Like a defensive back with his eyes on the quarterback, Applegate anticipated where the ball would be thrown and his gut instinct was correct.
Applegate’s late-game steal and breakaway dunk sparked second-seeded Nevada to a hard-fought 52-49 win over top-seeded Webb City in the championship game of the Class 5 District 12 tournament on Friday night inside a packed Cardinal Dome.
It’s Nevada’s first district championship since 1998.
“This means everything,” Applegate said. “I’m so happy. I love this team so much. We’ve had some really good teams, but we’ve been stuck in a tough district. It feels good to finally win one.”
Nevada had come close to capturing a district crown before, but this year, the Tigers finally got over the hump.
“It makes it that much sweeter,” Nevada coach Shaun Gray said. “These guys have been a part of some really good teams. We weren’t able to break through before. So this is a program win. It’s been 23 years. Our entire community is excited about this. And the Nevada faithful showed up tonight. Both sides had this place absolutely rocking.”
The score was tied at 44 when Applegate jumped in the passing lane, stole the ball and streaked down the court en route to a two-handed dunk.
The momentum-swinging play ignited the Tigers, and the visitors would never relinquish their lead.
“I saw him looking and he threw it without even looking and I just read it,” said Applegate, who finished with a game-high 29 points. “I’m up high on defense and I noticed they were starting to get lazy with some passes. I knew it was coming.”
“Logan Applegate, you can’t say enough about the type of player he is,” Gray said. “For him to come up with that steal when the game was tied…that was the absolute tipping point of the game.”
With the win, Nevada (21-5) will host Logan-Rogersville (20-5) in the sectional round of the state tournament at 6 on Tuesday night. The Big 8 Conference foes did not meet during the regular season.
Webb City (18-9) was looking to capture its third straight district championship and fifth in six years. It wasn’t meant to be.
“Logan Applegate played well, their team played well and executed well,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “The big difference was they were able to get to the free throw line and make their free throws. We got to the line late and had our chances to take the lead, but we just didn’t follow through and make shots.”
Playing their final game for the Cardinals were seniors Mekhi Garrard, Trenton Hayes, Nickhai Howard and Luke Brumit.
“I’ve been here five years and I’ve seen them grow,” Horn said. “I’m proud of the work they’ve put in. Some of those guys are classic examples of guys sticking it out and working hard for your turn. Hayes and Brumit really brought it. Nickhai proved he was one of the better players in the area. Garrard is just a tremendous athlete and a great defender. They were a good class. They’ve been in this game for four years, so that says a lot about them.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Hayes led Webb City with 18 points. He made seven field goals, including four 3-pointers.
“He’s a great shooter, a hard-worker and an intelligent kid,” Horn said of Hayes. “We’ve coached him hard all year, and he rose up and played big in a big game. He kept us in the game.”
Junior guard Cohl Vaden added nine points, while Garrard, Brumit and junior Kaden Turner chipped in six points apiece. Howard rounded out Webb City’s scoring with four points.
Howard had 10 rebounds, while Turner had eight boards.
Webb City made 19-of-55 field goal attempts (35 percent). The Cardinals went 5-of-10 at the charity stripe.
Leading the Tigers with 29, Applegate made 7-of-14 field goal attempts, including two treys, and went 13-for-16 at the foul line.
Senior forward Ben Hines added 14 points for Nevada, while Logan McNeley had eight rebounds and three steals.
The Tigers shot 44 percent from the field (14-of-32) and connected on 21-of-33 free throw attempts.
Webb City committed 24 fouls to Nevada’s 15. Applegate and Hines finished the game with four fouls, while Webb City’s Garrard, Turner and Vaden all fouled out.
“We had to do a better job of keeping our hands off,” Horn said of the fouls. “We were fouling. If you give them free points, they’re going to make you pay.”
Nevada’s Logan Applegate puts up a shot in the lane during Friday’s district championship game against Webb City. Photo by Israel Perez.
GAME RECAP
The Cardinals and Tigers split two regular season meetings, and the rubber match was a thriller.
Webb City led 11-5 after a pair of 3-pointers from Hayes, but Nevada’s Case Sanderson hit a trey of his own. Turner’s hoop gave Webb City a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“Webb City came out early and played like you expect a team on their home floor to play,” Gray said. “We were ice cold from the perimeter, but our guys showed grit and stayed together. That’s what it takes to win a district championship.”
The hosts took a seven-point lead early in the second quarter after baskets from Brumit and Hayes, but Nevada put together a game-changing 17-2 run.
Applegate scored 13 of the 17 points during the surge, with Hines putting in the other four.
With his team down eight, Hayes scored on a drive down the lane just before the end of first half, trimming his team’s halftime deficit to 27-21.
Webb City had three key performers pick up two fouls apiece in the first half.
A back-and-forth third period ended with Nevada clinging to a 39-36 lead.
The Cardinals missed four free throws early in the final frame, but Howard hit one at the line to tie the game at 44.
The hosts had several chances to take the lead, but shots simply wouldn’t fall.
Applegate’s key steal and dunk came with 2:19 remaining.
Webb City missed a trey on the other end and then fouled. Hines made 1-of-2 for a 47-44 cushion.
Once again, the Cardinals misfired from the field and then fouled.
Sanderson’s foul shot pushed the Tigers’ lead to four with a minute left to play.
Webb City’s Nickhai Howard looks to score against Nevada’s Ben Hines. Photo by Israel Perez.
After both teams had empty possessions, Brumit scored in the paint to cut Webb City’s deficit to two with 26.5 seconds remaining.
Applegate drew a foul and sank both free throws before Garrard drilled a 3-pointer with eight seconds left that cut Nevada’s lead to 50-49.
After a timeout, the Cardinals were unable to force a turnover and had to foul. Applegate came up big again, making both attempts for a three-point advantage with 7.5 seconds showing on the clock.
Howard’s last-second 3-pointer was off the mark.
In the second half, the Tigers didn’t allow the Cardinals to speed up the game.
To Gray, that was the goal.
“Webb City doesn’t lose very often when the score is in the mid-60s or 70s,” Gray said. “We have a lot of success when we hold our opponent in the 40s. It’s no secret that’s what we wanted to do.”
“These guys showed a lot of heart when the going got tough and waters were choppy,” Gray said. “We didn’t falter. We stayed together. There were times when Webb City was beating us up on the glass where it would have been easy to tuck our tails and run. We just kept coming.”
Once the final buzzer sounded, the celebration began for the Tigers.
“It’s Webb City at Webb City,” Applegate said. “We knew it was going to be packed. We were ready for it. It was the most fun game all year. It was so loud. We fed off that.”
Webb City’s Luke Brumit goes up for a putback against Nevada on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Cohl Vaden makes a layup against Nevada on Friday night. Photo by Israel Perez.
Miller Long couldn’t miss in the opening frame and third-seeded College Heights Christian had a 20-point cushion early on its way to a convincing 70-42 victory over sixth-seeded Greenfield on Saturday in a quarterfinal contest of the Class 2 District 12 boys basketball tournament at Ozark Christian College.
With the win, the Cougars advance to the district semifinals, where they’ll play at second-seeded Wheaton at 6 on Tuesday night.
Lighting it up from the start, Long scored College Heights’ first 20 points on eight field goals, four treys and four 2-pointers, as the Cougars built a 22-2 lead.
“He’s capable of doing that,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said of Long, a 6-foot-3 junior guard who has scored more than 1,000 points in his prep career. “It was one of those nights for him. We need that kind of play from him in a close game, too, so hopefully that will continue.”
For the game, Long poured in 28 points to lead the Cougars (15-9). He made 11 field goals, including five 3-pointers, and one free throw.
Sophomore Curtis Davenport added 11 points for College Heights, while junior Hagen Beck had nine and classmate Ethan Meeks scored eight. The Cougars were able to pick apart Greenfield’s defense with good ball movement.
“After Miller scored our first 20, we got everyone involved and that’s a key to moving on in our next game,” Johnson said. “Teams can shut down one player, so we need everyone involved.”
Connor Lewandowski scored 11 points for Greenfield (4-17).
In a blistering start to the win or go home contest, Long made six of his first seven shot attempts. College Heights raced out to a 22-5 lead at the end of the opening frame.
Davenport’s trey and Caleb Quade’s layup gave College Heights a 31-11 advantage with four minutes remaining in the second quarter. Long didn’t score in the second period, but by the break, the Cougars were up comfortably at 37-15.
Hoops from Davenport and Beck, along with Long’s trey, pushed CHC’s cushion to 46-17. College Heights was up 55-30 at the end of the third period, and the final outcome was never in doubt in the final frame.
Johnson got all of his subs plenty of minutes in the fourth period.
“We jumped out to that big lead, and at this time of the year you want to keep the intensity going the whole time,” Johnson said, noting his team may have taken its foot off the gas pedal after the break. “We did let up some and we got a little lackadaisical. But it is what it is. The main thing is advancing on. And we got to play all 12 kids tonight, so that was a plus.”
DISTRICT SEMIFINALS
Wheaton (12-10) defeated College Heights 58-54 on Jan. 29. The rematch in the district semifinals will determine who marches on in the postseason.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Johnson said. “It’s at Wheaton and that’s a tough place to play. They beat us at our place. We didn’t play bad, but they just out-played us. We’re going to have to find a way to stop their shooters. They’ve got four or five kids who can shoot. We just need to play our best game of the year. Hopefully that will happen.”
The district’s other semifinal will feature No. 1 seed Liberal hosting fifth-seeded Jasper. The Eagles beat No. 4 Verona 51-46 on Saturday.
The district championship game is scheduled for 5:30 on Feb. 26 at Webb City High School.
NIXA, Mo. — Webb City suffered a 77-56 setback to the host Eagles in a first-round game of the Nixa Invitational Tournament on Wednesday night.
Webb City fell to 12-4, while Nixa improved to 14-2.
Alex Martin scored 11 points to lead the Cardinals, while Nickhai Howard and Mekhi Garrard added 10 points apiece. Howard also had seven assists and seven rebounds.
Trenton Hayes contributed nine points for the Cardinals, while Cohl Vaden had seven.
Webb City made 23-of-56 shots (41 percent), including 6-for-20 on 3-pointers.
Nixa made 26-of-54 field goal attempts (48 percent).
Jaret Nelson scored 16 for the Eagles, while Kael Combs had 15. Jason Jones added 14 points, while Colton Berry had 13.
Nixa jumped out to a 12-4 lead, but the Cardinals closed the opening period on an 11-5 run to trim their deficit to two at the end of the first quarter at 17-15.
Webb City briefly went ahead in the second quarter after a 3-pointer from Vaden, but the Eagles re-took the lead for good moments later.
A trey from Hayes trimmed Nixa’s lead to 31-29, but the Eagles finished the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 40-29 lead at intermission.
Nixa continued to extend its lead in the third period, and the Eagles were up 58-41 entering the fourth quarter.
Nixa’s lead was never in jeopardy the rest of the way.
Webb City plays Parkview at 6 on Thursday night at the event.
FRONTENAC, Kan. — With his team trailing by two, and with little time left on the clock, Logan Applegate had planned on creating off the dribble.
Instead, and with the game’s outcome hanging in the balance, the Nevada senior guard pulled up from long range.
For Applegate and the Tigers, that split-second decision proved to be a good one.
Applegate buried a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to lift Nevada to a thrilling 51-50 come-from-behind victory over Webb City on Saturday in the championship game of the Freeman Sports Medicine Mid-Season Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.
“This is a huge win for us,” Applegate said. “This is the one we wanted. We had Webb City circled on our calendar, so this is definitely a big win and we’re super happy.”
The game was deadlocked at 48 when Webb City senior guard Nickhai Howard hit a mid-range jumper near the foul line with 7.8 seconds remaining to give the Cardinals a two-point cushion.
After a timeout, the Tigers pushed the ball up the floor and Applegate found the ball in his hands near halfcourt with time running out.
The closely-guarded Applegate took a couple of dribbles and then rose up from beyond the arc on the right wing—and his shot went in.
“The plan was for me to get the ball on the move and then for me to create, like a fastbreak,” Applegate said. “Their defense played back, so thank God for some space and my teammates got me the ball. I always try to elevate on my shots so there’s not a hand in my face as much. The shot felt good.”
“They swarmed him, but he just rose up and hit it,” Nevada coach Shaun Gray said. “He made a heck of a shot and he made several big shots in the fourth quarter. Logan put us on his shoulders. That was clutch by him. Our guys executed at the end.”
Webb City coach Jason Horn gave the Tigers and their sharp-shooter credit after what was a disappointing setback for his Cardinals.
“Good players make plays,” Horn said, noting Applegate’s shot was well-guarded. “He made a play. He’s really talented. He showed he’s one of the better guards in the area.”
After Applegate’s trey splashed home, and following a timeout, Webb City attempted a full-court pass, but it was intercepted by Nevada’s Ben Hines and time expired.
Applegate’s shot capped a nice comeback for the Tigers.
The Cardinals held a 12-point lead with two minutes left in the third period, but Nevada outscored Webb City 19-9 in the final frame.
“We weren’t very good offensively today,” Horn said. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well. We gave them chances and they hung around. You have to give Nevada credit. Their kids stayed mentally tough. We had our chances to stretch the lead several times and we didn’t do it. You can’t let a good team hang around like that.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Applegate scored a game-high 25 points, hitting 9-of-17 shots, including four treys. Applegate has offers from Texas State and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and may attend a prep school next year before making his college decision, Gray noted.
Senior guard Logan McNeley added 11 points and six rebounds for the Tigers, who made 19-of-34 field goal attempts (56 percent).
Webb City wasn’t able to overcome a poor shooting night, as the Cardinals shot 30 percent from the floor (16-of-53), including 3-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Nickhai Howard had a double-double for the Cardinals with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow senior Mekhi Garrard added 13 points and seven boards, while classmate Trenton Hayes had nine points.
The Cardinals out-rebounded the Tigers 31-20.
GAME RECAP
Garrard nailed his second trey of the opening period and Alex Martin scored inside, giving Webb City an 11-7 lead.
But Applegate buried a 3-pointer, cutting his team’s deficit to one at the end of the first quarter at 11-10.
The Cardinals went up five when Cohl Vaden and Hayes both scored on putbacks inside, but the Tigers stayed within striking distance for the rest of the second quarter. Two hoops from Evan Rea and a layup from Logan McNeley trimmed Webb City’s lead to one.
Howard hit a pull-up jumper at the conclusion of the first half, giving the Cardinals a 26-23 advantage at the break.
Webb City went up 12 with two minutes remaining in the third period after a putback from Hayes.
The Tigers answered with five straight points, but Howard drained a fall away jumper at the buzzer to give Webb a 41-32 lead heading into the fourth period.
Nevada scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter and the game was close the rest of the way.
Before his game-winner, Applegate drained two other treys in the fourth period.
Webb City’s Garrard and Hayes and Nevada’s Hines all hit clutch free throws late in the game, tying the score at 48.
That’s when the versatile Howard gave the Cardinals the lead, only to see Applegate connect on his cold-blooded trey moments later.
“This win is huge for these guys,” Gray said. “We wanted them to get a signature win and a tournament championship. Our seniors have poured their heart and soul into the program. The twins (Logan and Lane McNeley) grew up with their dad (John) as the high school’s basketball coach. For our seniors, their high school basketball program means a lot to them. I’m just really proud of the effort all these guys gave today.”
GAME NOTES
Nevada improved to 11-5, while Webb City dropped to 11-3. The Cardinals, who are ranked fourth in Class 5, had beaten the Tigers 65-55 at the Kaminsky Classic on Jan. 7.
The Cardinals and Tigers are district opponents, so there’s a chance they’ll meet again when the postseason arrives. It’s Nevada’s third straight Frontenac tourney championship. Nevada hosts Carthage next Friday.
A BUSY WEEK FOR WEBB CITY
Webb City has a busy week ahead. The Cardinals travel to Harrisonville on Tuesday before beginning play at the Nixa Tournament on Wednesday.
“We have four games next week,” Horn said. “We have to get on to the next one. We’ll work on some things in practice on Monday and hopefully we’ll keep getting better.”
The Nevada Tigers pose after winning the Freeman Sports Medicine Mid-Season Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.
FRONTENAC, Kan. — A second-quarter surge led Webb City to a 78-60 win over Frontenac on Friday night at the Freeman Sports Medicine Mid-Season Shoot-Out at Frontenac High School.
Webb City (11-2) will meet Nevada (10-5) at 2:30 on Saturday in the tourney’s championship game.
The Raiders led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter, but the Cardinals put together a 17-0 run to begin the second period.
Webb City never trailed again. The Cardinals were up 38-27 at halftime.
Treys late in the third quarter by Nickhai Howard and Max Higginbotham, along with four points from Cohl Vaden, gave Webb City a 54-36 lead.
The Cardinals went up 20 early in the fourth quarter on a pair of free throws from Higginbotham.
A two-handed dunk by Luke Brumit extended Webb City’s advantage to 62-43 with five minutes to play.
Alex Martin and Howard scored 15 points apiece to lead the Cardinals, while Vaden added 10 points. Brumit had 10 rebounds and eight points.
Mekhi Garrard and Trenton Hayes added eight points apiece. Nine different players scored for the Cardinals, who shot 43 percent from the floor (26-for-60).
The Raiders were led by 6-foot-8 junior post player Jordan Fudge’s 22 points. Frontenac shot 43 percent (20-of-47). The Raiders had 26 turnovers, while the Cardinals had 19.
There were 49 fouls called, 27 on the Raiders and 22 on the Cardinals.
NEVADA 58, FORT SCOTT 30
Also in Frontenac, Nevada came out on top in the clash between Tigers, improving to 2-0 in the tourney.
Nevada led 13-9 at the end of the opening frame and 29-23 at halftime.
With a 17-5 third quarter, Nevada extended its lead to 18 at 46-28 entering the fourth quarter.
Shaun Gray’s Tigers pushed the lead to 20 right away in the fourth quarter.
Nevada outscored Fort Scott 29-7 in the second half.
Logan McNeley led Nevada with 22 points with four 3-pointers, while Logan Applegate added 13 points.
CARTHAGE 79, COFFEYVILLE 30
CHANUTE, Kan. — A strong first half led Carthage’s boys to a 79-30 win over Coffeyville on Friday afternoon at the Ralph Miller Classic at Chanute High School.
Up 25-13 at the end of the first quarter, Carthage extended its lead to 39-19 by halftime.
The Tigers outscored the Golden Tornado 30-6 in the third period to take a comfortable 69-25 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Max Templeman poured in 21 points to lead Carthage, while Joel Pugh added 18 points with five 3-pointers.
Also for the Tigers, Silas Templeman scored 12 points and Justin Ray had 10 with two treys.
Carthage plays Life Prep at 2:30 on Saturday to finish out tourney play.
NEOSHO 79, FORSYTH 58
NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho earned a convincing 79-58 non-conference win over Forsyth.
Landon Austin led the Wildcats with 27 points and Isaiah Green added a career-high 20 points.
Austin scored 17 points in the second half and also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Wildcats coach Zane Culp noted it was Austin’s second straight double-double.
Chase Flynn added 15 points for Neosho, while Dalton Brodie had eight. Brock Franklin and Kael Smith chipped in seven points apiece.
The Wildcats led 35-33 at the break, but the hosts erupted for 44 points in the second half, including 26 in the fourth quarter.
Boys basketball teams from Webb City, Carthage and Carl Junction suffered COC losses on Friday night, while Neosho’s games were postponed. In other action, East Newton topped Nevada in a key Big 8 clash.
OZARK 72, WEBB CITY 66
OZARK, Mo. — Ozark outscored Webb City 21-12 in a game-changing third period en route to a 72-66 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night in a Central Ozark Conference boys basketball clash.
Webb City fell to 9-2 overall and 1-1 in the COC.
Nickhai Howard led Webb City with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Also for the Cardinals, Trenton Hayes scored 14, Cohl Vaden had 12 and Luke Brumit added 11 points.
Ozark improved to 10-4 and 2-0 in the COC.
Blaine Cline and Kyle Flavin scored 17 points apiece for Ozark, while Ethan Whatley added 16.
The Tigers were up 18-17 at the end of the first quarter, but the Cardinals led 33-28 at the break.
After outscoring the Cardinals by nine in the third period, Ozark took a 49-45 lead into the final frame.
The fourth quarter was nearly even, but the Tigers made more than enough free throws late in the game to seal the win. In fact, Ozark made 18-of-20 foul shots in the second half.
There were seven ties and six lead changes.
Webb City begins play at the Kansas Army National Guard Tournament in Frontenac on Thursday.
NIXA 66, CARTHAGE 28
NIXA, Mo. — Nixa took the lead early and never relinquished it in a 66-28 Central Ozark Conference boys basketball win over visiting Carthage.
The hosts led 21-9 by the end of the first quarter.
Up 41-22 at the half, Nixa outscored Carthage 21-2 in the third quarter to blow the game open.
Silas Templeman’s six points led Carthage, while Joel Pugh and Justin Ray scored five points apiece.
Colin Ruffin scored 13 points for Nixa and Jaret Nelson added 11.
Carthage will compete at the Ralph Miller Classic in Chanute, Kansas, beginning on Jan. 21.
REPUBLIC 64, CARL JUNCTION 31
REPUBLIC, Mo. — The Bulldogs hung tough early, but the Tigers took control with a big second quarter en route to a 64-31 win.
Republic improved to 13-1 and 2-0 in the COC, while Carl Junction slipped to 2-11 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Ahlante Askew scored 24 points to lead Republic, while Drew McMillin added 16.
Joshua Cory scored 10 points to lead Carl Junction, while Sincere Williams had six and Alex Baker added five.
Republic led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 15-3 in the second period for a comfortable 30-13 halftime advantage.
Republic was up 58-23 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Carl Junction hosts Hillcrest on Monday night.
NEOSHO GAMES POSTPONED
Neosho’s basketball squads were scheduled to compete at Willard on Friday night. The COC contests were postponed due to the weather.
No make-up date has been announced.
EAST NEWTON 74, NEVADA 62
In a key Big 8 West clash, East Newton jumped out to a 29-13 lead and never looked back.
The Patriots were up 38-25 at the break and 56-32 entering the fourth quarter.
East Newton improved to 13-1, while Nevada fell to 7-5.
Kyson Lehman led East Newton with 22 points, while Connor Killion added 18 points. Lucas Kimbrough had 12 points and Gabe Bergen chipped in 10.
Logan Applegate scored 30 points for the Tigers and Ben Hines added 14.
Treys from Jackson and Max Higginbotham kept the Cardinals within striking distance, but the Vikings answered with 3-pointers from Kevin Parker and Elijah Whitley.
Bolivar extended its lead to 47-17 after two treys from Cribbs, a 3-pointer from Kaden Griswold and a hoop inside by Lukas Gabani. 
