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NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Neosho girls settle for fourth after loss to Lafayette

 

NEOSHO, Mo. — A poor start was too much to overcome for the Neosho girls basketball team on Thursday afternoon. 

As a result, the host Wildcats suffered a 51-27 setback to St. Joseph Lafayette in the third-place game of the Neosho Holiday Classic.

Plagued by cold shooting and a number of costly turnovers, the Wildcats found themselves down 35-9 at halftime.

Neosho won the second half 18-16, but Lafayette’s lead was never in jeopardy after the break. 

“Athletically, we didn’t match up with them and they were a little quicker than we were,” Neosho coach Ryan Madison said. “Give them credit. They’ve got some long, quick athletes that can get in you a little bit and put pressure on you. But so do a lot of the teams we’re going to play this season. We went to a zone in the second quarter and I probably kept us in that too long. I didn’t do the best job I could do to give the kids a chance to win tonight. I’ll take the heat on that, and hopefully we’ll play better in our next game.” 

Neosho’s sister act of Beclynn and Maelynn Garrett combined to score 20 of the Wildcats’ 27 points. 

A freshman, Beclynn Garrett scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. She hit two treys. 

A junior, Maelynn Garrett added eight points after making 4-of-8 shot attempts. Maelynn Garrett also had a team-high five rebounds.

Junior Reagan McInturff had four assists and classmate Raine Harris had two steals. The Wildcats made 11-of-27 field goal attempts and went 3-for-11 at the foul line. 

“The free throw line killed us,” Madison said. “Early in the game, if we could have got some of those to go down it could have kept us in the game.”

Lafayette made 20-of-39 shots, including six 3-pointers. Talicia Rice scored 13 points to lead the Irish, while Honor Mannings contributed 10 points, five steals and four assists. 

The Irish (7-4) scored 27 points off Neosho’s 18 turnovers and had nearly half of their total points in the paint (24). 

Lafayette led 16-5 at the end of the first quarter and the Irish outscored the Wildcats 19-4 in the second period for a 26-point halftime cushion.

In the opening half, Neosho made just 3-of-12 field goal attempts while also turning the ball over 11 times against Lafayette’s aggressive pressure defense. 

Neosho won the third period 8-5 before the Irish outscored the Wildcats 11-10 in the final frame. 

“I thought we picked it up in the second half,” Madison said. “I thought we guarded a lot better in the third quarter. I thought we did some good things in the second half. We put the ball in the bucket better in the second half, too.” 

Madison coached against his former program and his former assistant (Ryan Spinner), as he spent eight seasons in charge of the Lady Irish.

“Coach Spinner does a great job and I was blessed to have him on my staff for eight years,” Madison said. “I know a few of those girls pretty well. It was a little bittersweet to play them. I’m happy for them and I hope they can get a lot of wins this season.”

After going 1-2 in the tournament, the Wildcats are now 5-6 on the season. 

Madison hopes to see continued progress as the 2022 portion of the schedule arrives next week.

“We had glimpses where we did some good things,” Madison said of the three games. “We’re so much better defensively than we were a year ago. I think we’re doing a better job of rebounding. Those were the first things we wanted to fix…the defensive side and rebounding. Now we have to take care of the ball better. Our ball security has to get better. I do think these last few games have helped us. We would have liked to do better in our own tournament, but I’m still proud of the kids. There are some great girls in that locker room. Hopefully we can rebound and keep getting better all year.”

 

NOTES: Neosho’s McInturff was crowned the girls 3-point champion on Wednesday night, with teammate Beclynn Garrett the runner-up. The annual tournament is sponsored by Branco Enterprises.

ONE LAST BUCKET: Neosho’s Brylee King has memorable Senior Night 

If you examine the scorebook from Monday’s girls basketball game between Neosho and Seneca, you’ll notice that Wildcats senior guard Brylee King recorded a field goal during the first quarter.

While some might assume the two points were rather insignificant in Neosho’s 52-47 non-conference victory inside the NHS Gymnasium, King’s lone hoop of the night was actually quite noteworthy and meaningful.

A multi-year varsity performer and team captain, King is unable to compete this season as she rehabs a knee injury, so Monday’s appearance on the court was arranged by the coaches and players of both squads. 

“My senior year was taken away from me, so it was nice to have one last moment as a senior,” King said. “I want to thank Seneca for allowing that to happen. And I also have to thank my coaches and our administration for letting me have that one moment.” 

Before the team’s home opener, King and her classmates Olivia Hixson, Michelle Lindsey and Avery Renfro were recognized with their parents for their contributions to the program. 

Wearing her school’s home white uniform, King was announced as part of the starting lineup. And while the other nine players on the court settled near center court for the jump ball, King made her way toward her team’s basket. 

Neosho allowed Seneca to win the opening tip and Indians guard Aliya Grotjohn made an uncontested layup. 

Neosho then brought the ball up the floor and Hixson passed up ahead to King, who caught the ball just outside of the lane on the right side of the court. With a large brace on her left knee, and with the Seneca defense backing off, King took two dribbles and banked in a layup. 

She received a nice ovation from the home fans after scoring her team’s first points of the night. 

The game was then stopped, and King received a hug on the court from Hixson. King then exited the court, getting a hug from sub Rain Harris and a handshake and a pat on the back from Wildcats coach Ryan Madison before she took her spot on the bench for the remainder of the contest. 

It was a heartwarming moment for King, her parents Josh and Angela, and the entire Neosho fanbase in attendance.

“It was amazing,” King said. “That’s really the best way I can describe it. I’m blessed with great teammates and coaches that have allowed me to do that. It was just an amazing feeling.”

King’s athletic career was cut short when she suffered a severe knee injury during the volleyball season.  

“We were playing in the semifinals at the Cabool Tournament,” King recalled. “I went up for a hit and I came down on one leg. I tore my ACL and my meniscus. I had surgery three weeks later and now I’m still recovering.” 

The knee injury not only cost King the remainder of her senior year of volleyball, but also wiped out her final season of basketball, as well. 

King was the team’s second leading scorer of the 2019-20 season behind Hixson. She hit five 3-pointers in a game last season, and had high hopes for her final prep campaign on the hardwood before it was ripped away by the injury. 

That’s why Monday’s Senior Night moment was so memorable for King, her family and teammates. King plans to remain with the squad for the winter, and she hopes to be more than a cheerleader. 

King, who plans on attending Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee after graduation, said she wants to provide support and guidance to the program’s younger players this winter. 

“I’m happy to spend this season with my teammates,” she said. “I’m still the captain of the team. My role is to teach and help the younger girls. I’m going to really encourage my teammates.” 

Monday’s tightly-contested game went down to the wire, but the Wildcats pulled out a close win to improve to 2-0. 

And during the week of Thanksgiving, King noted she was thankful for the opportunity to hit the court one final time in a Neosho uniform.

Recording one last bucket on Senior Night was an added bonus. 

“It was great,” King said. “I’ve played with Olivia since we were in third grade. It was really nice that she got to pass me the ball and I was able to go up and score. I’m just really happy that I got to do that. It felt amazing to touch the ball one last time. I got two points for the season and I’m happy.”

Brylee King and her parents, Angela and Josh King, are pictured during Neosho’s Senior Night festivities on Monday night at NHS. Photo courtesy of Neosho High School.

 

WATCH HERE: Video footage of Brylee King’s special Senior Night can be viewed here:

Neosho High School – Portal (stretchinternet.com)