The 2023 Kaminsky Classic boys basketball tournament will begin on Thursday at Joplin High School.
The annual event, sponsored by Freeman Sports Medicine and the Joplin Sports Authority, features four local schools competing against four teams from across the state.
In Thursday’s opening-round games, Joplin meets William Chrisman at 2 p.m., Neosho takes on Francis Howell at 3:30, Webb City plays Jefferson City at 5 and Carl Junction squares off against Poplar Bluff at 6:30.
The consolation semifinals are scheduled for 4:30 and 6 on Friday, with semifinal matchups slated for 7:30 and 9.
The tourney concludes on Saturday. The seventh-place game is scheduled for 11 a.m., with the fifth-place game at 12:30. The third-place game is slated for 2, with the tourney’s title game to follow around 3:30.
Joplin defeated Webb City 55-52 in last year’s championship game.
The championship game of the 2022 Kaminsky Classic proved the old saying is true — it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Terrance Gibson’s steal and breakaway layup gave Joplin its first lead of the night with 52 seconds remaining, and two late free throws from Always Wright sealed the deal as the Eagles earned a 55-52 come-from-behind victory over Webb City on Saturday at Joplin High School.
Webb City led for more than 30 minutes of the rivalry clash, with Joplin holding the lead for just 52 seconds.
But for the hosts, the final score was all that mattered.
“We didn’t start well, but we played three good quarters of basketball,” Eagles coach Bronson Schaake said. “It wasn’t a pretty win. With the rivalry, we knew it was going to be a dogfight. We had to find the right chemistry to fire them up and that’s what we did. This atmosphere was really good tonight. And I know it’s been a while since Joplin has won this tournament, so this is something special.”
It’s Joplin’s first Kaminsky Classic championship since 2001.
After watching the Cardinals celebrate a tourney championship in 2021, the Eagles flipped the script this year.
“This feels great,” Gibson said. “We’ve worked hard in practice and we came out and did something today that a lot of people didn’t think we could do.”
It’s Joplin’s second tournament championship of the season, as the Eagles also won the Carthage Invitational.
FINAL FRAME
Joplin’s Always Wright looks to get past Webb City’s Cohl Vaden during the championship game of the Kaminsky Classic on Saturday at Joplin High School. Photo by Israel Perez.
The fourth quarter began with Webb City clinging to a 44-38 lead, and the game went down to the wire.
Bruce Wilbert and Gibson both had buckets early in the final frame for the Eagles, but the Cardinals responded with hoops from Dante Washington and Kaden Turner.
The game’s first tie came at 50-all after Always Wright’s jumper and Quin Renfro’s free throw.
Renfro was at the charity stripe in place of Gibson, who left the game after absorbing a hard foul on a layup attempt.
Washington hit a pull-up jumper just outside of the lane to give the Cardinals a two-point lead with 1:28 remaining, but it would be Webb City’s final points of the night.
All Wright went 1-for-2 at the foul line with 1:07 left to pull the hosts within one.
Next came the play of the game — one that swung the momentum in Joplin’s favor for good.
Webb City turned the ball over on an out of bounds play, as Gibson jumped into the passing lane, picked off the pass, streaked down the court and made a go-ahead layup with 52 seconds left on the clock.
“After I got hurt with that elbow to the head, I didn’t know if I could return,” Gibson said. “It really hurt. But my coach put me in because he had faith in me. They’d ran that play before and I knew it was an important play, so I went for it.”
Schaake noted Gibson came up big when crunch time arrived.
“He made a great read on the ball and then went down and finished it,” Schaake said. “That was the turning point. He really gave us some energy plays.”
Webb City’s Kaden Turner scores inside during the championship game of the Kaminsky Classic. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Cardinals did not get a shot up on their next possession, as the visitors turned it over with 20 seconds remaining after Turner came down with a lob on the out of bounds line under the hoop.
After a foul, Always Wright made two free throws to make it 55-52.
Webb City’s Max Higginbotham attempted a contested last-second 3-pointer, but it fell short.
After the first quarter, Joplin outscored Webb City 47-33. And the Eagles won the crucial fourth quarter 17-8.
“Our energy went up as the game went on,” Schaake said. “At the start of the game, I think we were looking around at the stands. This is the first time some of these guys have been part of this. We started chipping away in the second quarter. Webb City’s a really good team. They’ve got some good players, so you have to find a way to create some things…turnovers, deflections and rebounding. We did that.”
Webb City had seven turnovers and just four field goals in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we were in control of the game the whole time, but we lost our minds a little bit at the end,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “We had some bad turnovers and they were able to capitalize. Joplin has two really good players who are hard to stop. On Tuesday we have to do a better job of closing things out. I think we’ll be a lot better on Tuesday.”
EARLIER ACTION
Joplin’s All Wright handles the ball against Webb City’s Cohl Vaden on Saturday at Joplin High School.
Looking to repeat as tourney champions, Webb City built an 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter, as Higginbotham’s drive through the lane gave the Cardinals a 19-8 advantage.
The Eagles began the second period on a 7-2 run, as Renfro contributed a hoop before Always Wright connected on a pair of jumpers.
A pair of hoops from Turner and Cohl Vaden’s hoop in transition gave the Cardinals a 27-17 advantage with 2:45 left in the first half, but the Eagles finished the second period on a 7-1 surge, trimming their deficit to four at the break.
A back-and-forth third period ended with Webb City clinging to a six-point lead.
“We had our chances to stretch the lead in the first half, but we didn’t capitalize on those opportunities,” Horn said. “I thought we had chances to stretch out the lead in the second half, too, but we just didn’t capitalize.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Now receiving votes in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 6 poll, Joplin hiked its record to 10-1.
The Wright brothers combined for 41 of Joplin’s 55 points.
A senior guard, Always Wright scored a game-high 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He also had four steals.
A sophomore, All Wright contributed 18 points after making 7-of-22 field goal attempts.
Gibson had a team-high seven rebounds to go along with six points, none bigger than his final two.
“The Wrights did what they do,” Schaake said. “I thought Terrance made some big plays. I thought Quin Renfro and Bruce Wilbert made some big plays.”
The Eagles made 19-of-43 field goal attempts (44 percent). Joplin scored 19 points off Webb City’s 17 turnovers.
Ranked eighth in Class 5, Webb City fell to 8-3.
The Cardinals made 21-of-36 shots (58 percent), but went 1-for-7 on 3-pointers.
Turner led Webb City with 15 points and eight rebounds. Turner made 7 of 12 shots. Trey Roets contributed 13 points, while Washington added 11 points. Vaden had seven points and four assists. Webb City had 38 points in the paint to Joplin’s 20.
REMATCH IS TUESDAY
The Eagles will host the Cardinals at 7:30 on Tuesday night in the Central Ozark Conference opener inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
Kaminsky Classic All Tournament Team
Always Wright—Joplin
All Wright—Joplin
Kevion Pendleton—Jefferson City
Gabe James—Francis Howell
Kaden Turner—Webb City
Cohl Vaden—Webb City
Darian Webb—Poplar Bluff
Dayne Herl—William Chrisman
Joplin’s Always Wright makes a layup against Webb City on Saturday in the championship game of the Kaminsky Classic. All photos by Israel Perez/SoMo Sports.
Webb City’s Cohl Vaden attempts a shot in the lane against Always Wright on Saturday. Joplin came from behind to beat Webb City 55-52.
What better way to kick off the 23rd annual Kaminsky Classic than with a win by the home team coming off a long holiday layoff?
Playing for the first time in two weeks as the hosts in front of a packed house made up predominantly of the JHS student body, Joplin opened up the yearly basketball tournament with a tight-knit contest against Jefferson City, rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat the Jays for a 70-64 opening-round win on Thursday.
“I think it took a little bit to kind of settle into the surroundings with what was going on, but it was good for the kids to come out here and support the team,” Joplin coach Bronson Schaake said. “I hope they continue to do so as well. … We have had 14 days off and it looked like we were just a step slow. … I told the coaches that (game) looked like one we would have lost before the break, towards the end, because we wouldn’t have held it together. We came out in the fourth quarter and held them to six points and they shot 20 percent. I thought we zoned in, I just wish it would have happened sooner.”
Joplin improves to 8-1 on the season and takes on Francis Howell (9-4) in the semifinals of the Kaminsky Classic at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
BY THE NUMBERS
Joplin shot 50 percent in the win, while Jefferson City converted at a 44-percent clip in the loss. The Eagles outscored the Jays 42-30 in paint points, but Jefferson City had the advantage in points off turnovers, 15-8, and second-chance points, 18-13.
Joplin finished with four players in double figures, with Always Wright leading the way with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He added six rebounds, a team-high five assists, two blocks and a steal. All Wright closed with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists. Terrance Gibson scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double, while also leading the team in steals with three. Bruce Wilbert finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Jefferson City was led in scoring by Steven Samuels’ 16 points off 5-of-8 shooting. Jordan Martin added 13 points and five rebounds, while Kevion Pendelton finished with 12 points and four boards.
GAME ACTION
Joplin closed the second quarter, which had eight lead changes, by holding Jefferson City to one free throw over the final three minutes while using a 9-1 run to go into the intermission with a 43-37 advantage.
“We didn’t hedge hard or rotate in the first quarter,” Schaake said of his team’s play in the first half. “They were hitting some tough, contested shots, but (Jefferson City) didn’t feel it. … I thought we locked in (defensively) in the last two and a half minutes of the first half.”
Always Wright hit a floater to start the run, while Gibson had a bucket on the pick-and-roll before All Wright grabbed his own miss for a putback score. Wilbert finished out the run with a 3-pointer from the corner just before the horn.
Joplin pushed its lead to 10 early in the second half when Gibson converted inside at the six-minute to make the score 50-40, but Jefferson City rallied in a big after closing out the quarter on an 18-6 run to take a 58-56 advantage into the final eight minutes of play. The Jays shot 57 percent in the third quarter.
Trailing 60-58 with six minutes left to play, Joplin used a 10-2 run to swing the momentum for the final time.
Gibson started the run with a bucket inside to tie the game before drawing a foul on a basket in the paint and sinking the and-1 free throw for a three-point play to give Joplin a 63-60 lead. Samuels cut the lead to one with a score on the drive before a three-point play from Wilbert and a layup from Always Wright pushed the Eagles’ lead to 68-62 with 2:43 left in regulation.
The Eagles limited the Jays to 3-of-15 shooting in the fourth quarter, with the defensive effort paving the way down the stretch in the win.
“I think this shows that even when you don’t play your best, you can find a way to close (out a win),” Schaake said. “I thought we rebounded better in the second half. … We are going to have to play a lot better and finish around the rim tomorrow.”
WILLIAM CHRISMAN 60, CARL JUNCTION 42 William Chrisman built a nine-point lead by halftime and outscored Carl Junction 21-4 in the third period on the way to a win in the opening round of the Kaminsky Classic on Thursday.
William Chrisman (7-2) shot 48 percent in the win, while limiting Carl Junction (3-8) to 37 percent shooting from the floor. The biggest discrepancy in stats came in the turnover battle, with the Bears holding a 20-7 advantage and outscoring the Bulldogs 21-3 in points off turnovers. William Chrisman also had a big advantage in points in the paint, 44-8.
The Bears were led by Dayne Herl’s 12 points and five assists, while Jesse Minter had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Carl Junction’s Kyler Perry and Josh Cory each finished with 13 points to lead the Bulldogs. Cory had nine rebounds to finish one board shy of a double-double, while Perry had a team-high four assists.
William Chrisman takes on Webb City in the semifinal round and 9 p.m. on Friday, while Carl Junction takes on Poplar Bluff in consolation semifinals at 6 p.m.
FRANCIS HOWELL 67, NEVADA 14
Francis Howell opened the game on a 14-0 run and never looked back in the win over Nevada in the opening round of the Kaminsky Classic
Francis Howell (9-4) won the rebounding battle 37-18 and turnover battle 19-6, while holding the advantage in paint points (32-4), points off turnovers (29-0), second-chance points (18-5) and fast-break points 19-0.
The Vikings were led in scoring by Tre Liner’s 13 points, while Dwight Lomax Jr. finished with 11 points. Francis Howell finished with 11 players reaching the scorebook.
Nevada (1-9) was led in scoring by Brice Budd, who finished with five points.
Francis Howell takes on Joplin at 7:30 on Friday in the semifinals. Nevada takes on Jefferson City in the consolation semifinals at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
NOTE: The nightcap of the Kaminsky Classic between Webb City and Poplar Bluff was canceled after weather in the area forced Poplar Bluff to forfeit the opening-round matchup. Webb City advances to play William Chrisman in the semifinals at 9 p.m. on Friday. Poplar Bluff takes on Carl Junction in the consolation semifinals at 6 p.m. on Friday.
For the first time in program history, the Webb City High School boys basketball team has captured a Kaminsky Classic championship.
Overcoming a nine-point deficit with a big second half, Webb City rode a one-sided third quarter to a 66-55 victory over Joplin in the annual event’s championship game on Saturday afternoon at a packed Kaminsky Gymnasium inside Joplin High School.
“I’m excited for our kids,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “It’s the first time we’ve won a regular-season tournament title since I’ve been here. So it’s good for the program and good for the kids.”
“This is very exciting,” Webb City senior guard Nickhai Howard said. “We’ve been working for this for a lot of years. Beating Nevada was really exciting as well. I had a good time playing against all of them.”
Joplin used a 15-0 surge in the second quarter to take a 31-23 lead at the break, but the Cardinals turned things around in the game-changing third quarter.
Webb City captured the Kaminsky Classic championship on Saturday by knocking off Joplin 66-55. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Webb City put together a 13-0 burst and closed the period on a 17-2 run, taking a 46-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
“I thought we showed a lot of composure after getting down at the half,” Horn said. “Shots weren’t falling, but our kids battled through it and showed some toughness. We did a good job in the second half of executing offensively and finishing plays.”
“Games like these often come down to the 50-50 balls, the hustle, the charges and the willingness to do those things,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “They were much better and tougher than us in the third quarter in particular. Against a good team that is skilled like Webb City and that is unselfish as they are, if you don’t win that battle it’s going to be hard to beat them. We struggled with that. In the second quarter, we were that team. But it’s a four quarter game.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Senior post player Luke Brumit scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots for the Cardinals, who are now 8-1 and ranked eighth in Class 5.
“He plays tough,” Horn said of the 6-foot-4 Brumit. “He’s one of those guys who kept working to get better and he was waiting for his time. We thought he was going to be pretty good coming into this year, and he’s played beyond our expectations up to this point. He’s a great rebounder and he has good touch around the rim.”
Senior Mekhi Garrard and sophomore Alex Martin scored 12 points apiece for Webb City, while seniors Howard and Cohl Vaden contributed eight points apiece.
Garrard, Howard and Vaden all had eight rebounds apiece, while Vaden and Garrard each handed out four assists.
Webb City made 25-of-62 field goal attempts (40 percent). The Cardinals, who hit just 2-of-11 3-pointers, out-rebounded the Eagles 44-34.
The Cardinals had 36 points in the paint compared to Joplin’s 18. Webb City’s bench outscored Joplin’s 19-9.
Freshman guard All Wright led Joplin (7-3) with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers. He had 14 points in the first half.
Junior guard Always Wright had 12 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Dante Washington contributed 11 points. LT Atherton had a team-high seven rebounds, while Dominick Simmons had four assists.
The Eagles, in the title game for the first time since 2018, connected on 18-of-52 shot attempts (34 percent).
Hafer noted his young squad continues to make progress.
“This is an opportunity for us to learn and try to grow,” Hafer said. “This game will help us get better. We’re young when it comes to experience, so these games are important for us.”
GAME RECAP
Webb City took a 23-16 lead in the second quarter after a hoop from Martin, but things suddenly changed.
Joplin grabbed all of the momentum, putting together a 15-0 run to end the first half.
Both Wright brothers hit treys during the surge, while Simmons contributed a coast-to-coast layup.
All Wright’s third 3-pointer of the first half made it 29-23 in favor of the hosts. On the final play of the half, Joplin’s Malik Williams converted a steal into a buzzer-beating layup, giving the Eagles a 31-23 halftime advantage.
“We competed well in the second quarter and did some good things,” Hafer said.
“We gave them clean looks and they made us pay for it,” Horn said.
Webb City went the final 4:24 of the first half without a point.
But in the key third period, the Cardinals outscored the Eagles 23-8, making 9-of-18 shots.
“We were in a little bit of foul trouble in the second quarter with some key guys,” Horn said. “The main thing we told them is, ‘The shots are going to fall. We have to stay composed, play level-headed and stay solid on defense.’ Our defense led to some runouts for us and really helped us get going there in the second half. You’re not going to see us shoot the ball as poorly as we did in the first half, and some of that had to do with them (Joplin). But we’ve got some guys who are skilled at finishing in traffic or passing through traffic. And we share the ball well, so it’s hard to keep us from scoring consistently for four quarters.”
On the other hand, Joplin made just 2-of-8 field goal attempts and had six turnovers during the third quarter.
“We settled a lot,” Hafer said of his team’s offensive struggles during the frame. “We didn’t execute very well. And then we got caught standing and watching. We kind of got stagnant and we tried to get it all back in one shot instead of trying to play the game and consistently do what we need to do offensively. But that’s on me as a coach.”
The visitors put the game away with a strong start to the fourth period.
Three free throws from Brumit and a Garrard putback pushed Webb City’s advantage to 51-41.
Moments later, Vaden scored five straight points and Kaden Turner contributed an old-fashioned 3-point play to extend the Cardinals’ cushion to 65-47.
Horn noted his team’s defense was much better in the second half.
“We did a better job of trying to keep All contained at the 3-point line,” Horn said. “He got loose three times in the first half where we didn’t run him off the line.”
Joplin’s All Wright puts up a shot over Webb City’s Nickhai Howard on Saturday during the Kaminsky Classic’s championship game. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
GAME NOTES
Joplin was seeking its third championship after winning the event in both 2000 and ’01.
Francis Howell won the last three Kaminsky Classic titles, but the Vikings were unable to attend this year’s event due to the pandemic.
Francis Howell, Jefferson City and St. Louis University High will join William Chrisman as out of the area teams in the 2022 tourney. Webb City, Carl Junction and Nevada will join the host Eagles as the local squads.
REMATCH IS TUESDAY
Joplin travels to Webb City on Tuesday night for a Central Ozark Conference clash inside the Cardinal Dome.
“Webb City’s good,” Hafer said. “I think Webb City will be one of the upper-echelon teams in the COC. They’re capable of beating anyone. Webb beat us up pretty good today. Our guys will take it to heart and we’ll come back on Monday to get ready. We get a chance to go there on Tuesday and we’ll see if we can put a better effort on the floor for four quarters instead of just a couple.”
Joplin’s Always Wright puts up a runner in the lane. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Joplin’s All Wright and Webb City’s Luke Brumit battle for a rebound during Saturday’s Kaminsky Classic title game. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Joplin’s Dante Washington goes up for a layup against Webb City’s Mekhi Garrard. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
WEBB CITY (66) — Mekhi Garrard 5 2-2 12, Trenton Hayes 3 0-0 6, Nickhai Howard 2 4-4 8, Cohl Vaden 3 1-2 8, Luke Brumit 4 5-7 13, Alex Martin 5 1-2 12, Shane Noel 0 0-0 0, Kaden Turner 3 1-1 7, Max Higginbotham 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 14-18 66.
Carl Junction found itself in an early double-digit deficit that proved to be too great to rally back from in a 73-64 loss to William Chrisman in the nightcap on the third day of the Kaminsky Classic.
William Chrisman (4-6) opened the game with all of the momentum, putting the first 10 points on the scoreboard over the first several minutes of play. Turnovers played a large role in Carl Junction’s early struggles. The Bulldogs turnover it over 19 times total, 13 of those coming in the first half.
“We have to start off better,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “We come out of the gates and do some things that are self-inflicted, like turnovers. We dig ourselves a hole that we have to climb out of. It takes so much to climb out of it and by time we do, the energy is done or they hit some shots. We just have to play four solid quarters and not turn the basketball over.
“When you come out in the game and you are down (10) to start, that is not where you want to be. … I don’t know if we have to change something mentally, but we can’t wait until the second quarter or halfway through the first to decide to play. There is no one we play where we can get away with that.”
The early deficit put the Bulldogs’ (1-9) backs against the wall early, forcing them to find a way to claw back into the game. The margin remained near the 10-point mark, with CJ going into the second half down 34-23. Carl Junction scored the first nine points of the third quarter all on 3-pointers by Sincere Williams, Alex Baker and Mylas Derfelt to trim the lead down to one possession, 34-32.
But just as quickly as, the Bears responded with a run of their own, scoring 14 unanswered to regain a foothold at 48-32. Dayne Herl and Trey Kates knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to start the run, with Alex Atagi scoring consecutively inside twice down the floor to push the lead back to double digits, 44-32, near the midway point of the third. Herl added two free throws and Anthony Watkins scored on the drive to close the run.
“It’s a game of runs,” Pock said. “We fight back to get in it, and then they break it away again. Now, all over again, we have to fight back to get back into it. We just ran out of time.”
Once again, Carl Junction was forced to fight back into the game, and the Bulldogs eventually cut the lead to five points, 56-51, with less than five minutes to play, but that would be as close to the lead as CJ would get before the final horn.
“We’ve been in situations where it would be easy for guys just to give up and not give any effort,” Pock said. “I tell them all the time, basketball is a long season. You have to continue to fight every game because it will pay off. I think it will for us, we just have to pull together and keep believing because good things will happen.”
STAT LEADERS
Watkins led William Chrisman with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Herl scored 17 to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Sir’Rhan Felix had 13 and Atagi finished with 10 points, with both players grabbing four rebounds.
Carl Junction also had four players in double figures, with Baker, Derfelt and Kyler Perry all scoring 12 points. Baker had seven rebounds and three assists, while Derfelt had three rebounds and three assists. Perry finished with three assists to go along with one board and a steal. Williams had 11 points, three assists and one rebound.
“We have different guys who can step up and knock down shots,” Pock said of his team’s offensive production. “We want it to be team basketball and a team effort. Offensively, it can come from anyone at any time.”
THIS N’ THAT
William Chrisman’s advantage in the turnover battle led to the Bears outscoring the Bulldogs 24-11 in points off turnovers. William Chrisman also had the advantage in paint scoring, 34-20. Though the Bears shot a better field-goal percentage, 47 percent to 45 percent, the Bulldogs had the clear advantage from the perimeter after knocking down 12-of-26 3-pointers as a team. William Chrisman was 5-of-14 shooting from the perimeter.
UP NEXT
William Chrisman matches up with Nevada at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in the third-place game to wrap action in the Kaminsky Classic.
Carl Junction takes on Clever at 11 a.m. in the fifth-place game of the Kaminsky Classic.
Joplin scorched the nets in the first quarter to build an insurmountable lead on the way to a 78-65 win over William Chrisman on the second day of the Kaminsky Classic on Thursday.
Joplin opened the game on fire offensively by knocking down 10-of-14 shots from the field in the first quarter, which included 4-of-5 shooting from the perimeter, while building a 28-13 lead.
“Everything we did was getting the ball in transition, getting the ball to the paint and kicking out into rhythm 3s,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “We have guys who can shoot. It was how we got (the 3-pointers). Offensive rebounds and a kick-out to a guy who has his feet set and ready to shoot, driving and attacking the paint inside out or hitting a post player (and playing) inside out. … It’s about what type of 3s we are taking and are they the right kind. That was a good example of growth.”
The Eagles were led in the first quarter by the Wrights brothers. Always Wright finished with 12 points in the first quarter, while All Wright was close behind with seven.
“Always was much more engaged on the defensive end to start the game, and that got him going on the offensive end,” Hafer said. “We put the ball in his and All’s hands quite a bit, putting them into ball screens or situations where they could attack, and they just made good decisions and were able to get some baskets. With scorers like them, if you are able to get them into a rhythm, they will score points in bunches.”
Joplin held a 19-13 lead near the two-minute mark of the first quarter and finished out the period with a 9-0 run to take the momentum. Fielding Campbell started the run with a floater in the lane before Always Wright added a bucket. Dante Washington scored on a baseline drive with 20 seconds left before Always Wright pulled up in transition for an NBA-range 3-pointer at the buzzer to close the run.
While the Eagles were busy scoring at will on the offensive end in the opening period, Joplin’s defense limited William Chrisman to 35.7 percent shooting (5-14).
“I definitely felt like we came out and played at a much higher level on defense to start the game,” Hafer said. “That gets us started in everything.”
The defensive effort from the Eagles carried over the next two quarters, allowing Joplin to maintain a 55-38 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Joplin held William Chrisman to 33 percent shooting in both the second and third quarters.
The Bears made a run at the lead in the fourth quarter, trimming the margin to single digits, 75-66, with 30 seconds left before the Eagles closed out the win.
STATS
Always Wright led Joplin with 24 points to go along with a team-high six assists and four rebounds. Dominick Simmons scored 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting and finished with five rebounds. All Wright had 14, while Terrance Gibson added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
“When he gets his feet set, Dom is a really good shooter,” Hafer said. “People will forget about him sometimes. … When Terrance Gibson was in there, he and Dom are pretty good together at finishing. Always found Terrance a couple times tonight. (Terrance) is a force in there.”
Dayne Herl led the Bears with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Anthony Watkins added 14 points, while Sir’Rahn Felix finished with 10 points.
UP NEXT
Joplin takes on Webb City in the Kaminsky Classic championship game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while William Chrisman faces off with Carl Junction at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
“I’m not sure, I think it’s been a year or two years since we were in the championship game,” Hafer said. “I’m not even sure when the last time it was Joplin won its own tournament. It’s a great opportunity. Webb City is really good. … If you can’t be up and ready to play that game, I think you need to check your stuff in.”
The Webb City Cardinals had plenty of motivation ahead of Thursday night’s matchup with the Nevada Tigers at the 2021 Kaminsky Classic.
For starters, a victory would put the Cardinals into the annual event’s championship game.
Next, and not to be understated, Nevada had won seven straight matchups against Webb City dating back to 2012.
Lastly, there were postseason implications at stake. With that, it’s safe to say the Cardinals wanted this one.
Propelled by big runs in the first and third quarters, highly-motivated Webb City defeated Nevada 65-55 in a clash between state-ranked foes at Joplin High School’s Kaminsky Gymnasium.
“Our kids were motivated and excited to play Nevada,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “Their program is really solid. Coach (Shaun) Gray does a good job with them. We knew it was going to be tough coming in. They’ve got guys who can shoot the basketball and they play tough defense. The last few years, the games went back and forth, but we weren’t able to finish them off. It seemed like they’ve always had an extra punch for us. Tonight, it was our night.”
Ranked eighth in Class 5, Webb City improved to 7-1 after going 2-0 in pool play, earning a spot in Saturday’s title game against Joplin.
“We’re excited to play for the tournament championship,” Horn said.
In what was another motivating factor, both teams are in Class 5 District 12.
“We’re district opponents and we know we’ll see them another time (at the Frontenac Tournament),” Horn said. “But these games are big for deciding home-court advantage in the district tournament.”
As far as the key to victory, Webb City put together a 17-0 run in the first quarter and then had a 13-0 surge in the third quarter.
“I thought we were really good defensively to start the game,” Horn said. “We did a great job of putting pressure on the basketball and we did a great job of rotating. We kept their guys out of the lane.”
Nevada won the second quarter 17-11 before the Cardinals outscored the Tigers 16-6 in the third period.
“In the second quarter, we weren’t moving our feet like we needed to defensively,” Horn said. “But in the third quarter, we regrouped and got a little run going. Our defense always leads our offense. When we’re solid defensively, we can be a load for anyone.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Senior guards Nickhai Howard and Trenton Hayes scored 17 points apiece to lead Webb City, while junior guard Cohl Vaden added nine points and senior forward Luke Brumit contributed 11 rebounds and eight points.
Howard had four assists, while Mekhi Garrard recorded three steals and two assists.
The Cardinals shot 37 percent (18-of-49) and out-rebounded the Tigers 46-36.
Senior Logan McNeley scored a game-high 22 points and also had eight boards for the Tigers, while senior Logan Applegate added 18 points and four assists.
The Tigers made just 31 percent of their field goal attempts (19-of-62), including 5-of-27 from 3-point range (19 percent).
GAME RECAP
After Nevada scored the first four points of the game, Webb City recorded 17 unanswered points, with five different players scoring during the spurt.
The Tigers managed just six points in the opening frame.
“There was kind of a lid on the basket for a while,” Nevada coach Shaun Gray said, noting his team’s 3-for-15 shooting. “We missed our first six or seven 3-balls. And a lot of times, those long misses fueled Webb City’s transition game. Early on, it seemed like everything was falling for them and nothing was falling for us. And when you get behind against them, you have to start playing a little faster and that’s the style of play they want. An early deficit against a team like Webb City is huge.”
The Tigers charged back in the second quarter, as McNeley’s second 3-pointer cut Nevada’s deficit to three at 26-23. But Webb City’s Alex Martin hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to give the Cardinals a five-point cushion at the break.
Webb City began the third quarter much like it started the first, as the Cardinals scored 13 unanswered points and put together a 16-2 run to start the second half.
During the spurt, Hayes, Howard and Shane Noel all hit 3-pointers, while Vaden, Hayes and Howard contributed hoops and Kaden Turner added a free throw. The run gave the Cardinals a comfortable 44-25 advantage.
Nevada didn’t quit, as the Tigers were only down seven with 2:24 remaining after Lane McNeley’s layup. But the Cardinals responded with six straight points to all but seal the deal.
“I was pleased with the fact that we kept battling,” Gray said. “We didn’t throw in the towel. We battled back and I felt like we had them on the ropes, but we had another lull and they went on another run. We have to be more consistent than we were tonight.”
GAME NOTES
Webb City won 21 consecutive games against the Tigers from 2001-12 before Nevada began its win streak in the series against its former Southwest Conference rival.
Nevada, ranked 10th in Class 5 and now 5-4, will take on Clever at 6 on Friday night to conclude pool play.
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.
