GOLDEN CITY, Mo. — The top-seeded Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers earned their third district championship in a row with a 57-47 win against host and second-seed Golden City in the Class 1 District 7 title game on Friday night.
Thomas Jefferson and Golden City exchanged scoring runs in the second and third quarters before the Cavaliers went on a decisive 16-0 run in the third that gave them a 36-19 lead.
The Cavaliers would stretch their lead to 39-21 later in the third before Golden City trimmed it down to 10 early in the fourth with eight straight points.
Golden City then narrowed it to seven twice late in the fourth, but time simply ran out for the Eagles and the veteran Cavaliers also made enough free throws and defensive stops down the stretch to keep the Eagles at bay.
“We got on a run in the first half and got it to nine (18-9),” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “Then we got away from what was working and let them get back into it a little bit. We came out early in the third and had some of those same issues, then came up with a couple stops and settled in offensively. We were able to stretch it out and get a little bit of a lead and did a good job to maintain it.”
The Cavaliers did their best defensively against Golden City’s outstanding senior Josh Reeves, who finished with a game-high 37 points, including 21 of Golden City’s 23 points in the final quarter.
“We challenged him all night and he rose to the challenge,” Myers said. “He’s a phenomenal player, a great kid. Those shots he was hitting were unbelievable, but I was proud of our kids. They made it hard for him. They did what they had to do as far as limiting everybody else, getting tough rebounds and hitting enough free throws down the stretch.”
Golden City freshman Spencer Parrill scored eight points and senior Ty Force added two.
Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson’s dynamic senior duo of Jay Ball and Tyler Brouhard once again proved that two great players are better than one.
Ball and Brouhard combined for 43 points and 24 rebounds—Ball recorded a double-double with 25 points and 17 rebounds, while Brouhard finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Ball and Brouhard scored 13 of the Cavaliers’ 16 points during that pivotal scoring run. Brouhard had nine with two of his three 3-point baskets.
Levi Triplett started that 16-0 run with a trifecta and finished with five points, while Kohl Thurman, Kip Atteberry and Tony Touma each produced three points.
“It’s a team game and they were trying to take the two (Ball, Brouhard) away, but we stayed patient in our offense and kept moving until we could get the matchups that we wanted,” Myers said. “Of course, Jay and Tyler, we feed off them quite a bit.
“Levi hit a big corner 3, and Kip and Tony do a lot of things that don’t show up in the stat book. They’re out there playing … Kip played 32 minutes tonight, that’s big … he’s out there chasing around, playing defense, and getting the ball into those scorers’ hands. That stuff doesn’t show, and they don’t get a lot of credit for it, but they’re a big part of who we are.”
Thomas Jefferson improved to 20-6 overall and the three-time defending district champions are back in action Monday with a Class 1 sectional contest against District 8 champion Rich Hill (21-7) at Willard High School. The game is slated to start at 7:45 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson defeated Rich Hill 55-35 in the sectional round last season in Webb City and 76-51 in the Class 1 District 7 tournament two seasons ago at the TJ Fieldhouse.
The Cavaliers have advanced to the state quarterfinals the past two seasons.
The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers captured a third straight district title on Friday night.
