CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Joplin High School girls basketball team took the court on Monday with the goal of starting the 2021-22 season with three straight wins.
The Nevada Tigers didn’t cooperate.
The 1-2 punch of Maddy Majors and Clara Swearingen combined for 43 points and led Nevada to a 50-41 victory over Joplin in an opening round contest of the 45th annual CJ Classic on Monday at Carl Junction High School.
It was Joplin’s first setback of the winter campaign after a pair of victories.
“We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but the disappointing part is having to coach effort,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “If we’re ever going to change what we are as a program, we’ve got to come with effort. Defensively, it’s too easy to stand and watch. This is our third game and it’s the third game where we were out-rebounded by a smaller team. The girls have to make the decision of what kind of team we want to be. We’re going to have to change our bad habits if we hope to become the team we want to be.”
Backcourt mates Majors and Swearingen proved to be a dynamic duo for the Tigers, who improved to 2-0.
A 5-foot-6 junior guard, Majors scored 23 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead Nevada. A 5-8 sophomore guard, Swearingen added 20 points and knocked down three treys.
“Clara got into foul trouble early, so we had to lean on Maddy,” Nevada coach Blake Howarth said. “She finished with 23 points and that’s what she’s capable of. But it was a complete team effort. To play defense like we did, it’s a huge hats off to all of the girls. It’s a sloppy win and we have some things we can improve on.”
Senior guard Brooke Nice scored 15 points and hit a trio of 3-pointers to lead Joplin. Senior forwards Emma Floyd and Ella Hafer added nine and eight points, respectively, for the Eagles, while junior guard Brynn Driver contributed seven points.
Facing a 1-3-1 defense, the Tigers caught fire from beyond the arc in the second quarter, as two 3-pointers from Swearingen and a trey from Majors gave Nevada a 26-15 advantage with 3:38 remaining in the first half.
“Nevada did a great job of establishing the tempo early,” Coach Floyd said. “They had great ball movement and were able to get open looks for their shooters, who knocked down shots all game. I was disappointed in our effort. We were very slow on the defensive end and never really adjusted. Nevada simply out-worked us all game long.”
However, the Eagles finished the first half on a 7-2 run, as Emma Floyd and Hafer recorded field goals before Nice knocked down a 3-pointer.
Nevada was up 28-22 at halftime, but the Eagles outscored the Tigers 11-8 in the third period. With that, the Tigers were clinging to a 36-33 lead after three quarters.
Joplin pulled within two early in the final frame after a charity from Emma Floyd, but the Tigers finished strong.
Nevada outscored Joplin 17-8 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
“We had a lot of single-digit losses last year and we returned a lot of experience this year,” Howarth said. “That experience showed tonight. We bent, but didn’t break. I’m just super proud of our girls.”
The Eagles (2-1) had their chances and were within striking distance all game, but they were unable to get over the hump.
“We battled back and we moved the ball pretty well,” Coach Floyd said. “But we missed too many free throws and way too many layups. And we can’t dig ourselves a hole before we decide to play.”
Nevada meets Parkview in the semifinals at 7 on Tuesday night, while Joplin meets McDonald County at 4 in the consolation semifinals.
PARKVIEW 62, MCDONALD COUNTY 49
Parkview took control early and never looked back.
Brooklynn Masten poured in 25 points to lead the Vikings, while Tara Masten added 12.
Adasyn Leach led the Mustangs with 16 points, while Carlee Cooper added 10 and Reagan Myrick chipped in eight.
The Vikings led 15-8 at the end of the first quarter. Treys from Olivia Sutterfield and Tara Masten gave the Vikings a comfortable 27-11 advantage with just under four minutes to play in the first half.
Parkview held a 33-19 lead at intermission and a comfy 50-27 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
The Mustangs won the fourth quarter 22-12, but it was too little, too late.
The Vikings improved to 2-0, while the Mustangs slipped to 0-2.
The CJ Classic is sponsored by Freeman Sports Medicine.
