SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Carl Junction’s doubles team of Naiyah Wurdeman and Jenna Besperat and Thomas Jefferson singles player Allison Ding kept their respective seasons alive with their performances on the opening day of the MSHSAA Class 2 Girls Tennis Championships on Thursday at the Cooper Tennis Complex.
In doubles, Carl Junction’s duo of Wurdeman and Besperat went 2-0 and advanced to Friday’s semifinals.
In the opening round, the Bulldogs defeated the St. Pius X duo of Chloe Kronlage and Brooke Madden 6-0, 6-0.
In the quarterfinal round, Wurdeman and Besperat topped Grain Valley’s Brooklyn Spencer and Emma Thiessen 4-6, 6-2, 10-7.
The Bulldogs will meet Parkway North’s Yvonne Shannon-Emily Koo in the semifinals. The other semifinal features Springfield Catholic’s Hannah Lee-Britney Ung vs. Villa Duchesne’s Alexandra Todorovich-Katherine Todorovich.
In singles, Ding went 2-1.
Ding defeated Holt’s Jennifer Nelson 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round.
In the quarterfinal round, MICDS’ Rachel Li topped Ding 6-0, 6-0.
In the consolation quarterfinals, Ding edged St. Pius X’s Kiera Dunn 6-1, 4-6, 11-9.
Ding will meet Springfield Catholic’s Caroline Nelson on Friday in the consolation semifinals.
Thomas Jefferson and Carl Junction had state qualifiers at Friday’s Class 2 District 7 girls tennis tournament.
The top two singles players and the top two doubles teams advanced to the individual state tournament.
Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding was the runner-up in the singles bracket.
After a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, Ding defeated Carl Junction’s Isabel Read 2-6, 6-2, 10-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Ding defeated Barstow’s Sofia Shkuta 2-6, 6-1, 10-8.
In the championship match, Notre Dame de Sioni’s Anna McGeeney edged Ding 7-6 (7-1), 6-4.
McGeeney beat Thomas Jefferson’s Jeanna Jeyaraj 7-5, 6-0 in the semifinals.
In addition to Jeyaraj and Read, other local singles players unable to advance were Webb City’s Bethany Brumit and Adeline Ragsdale and Carl Junction’s Brooklin Leggett.
Of note, Jeyaraj won the bracket’s third-place match over Shkuta.
Carl Junction’s duo of Naiyah Wurdeman and Jenna Besperat won the doubles bracket.
The Bulldogs defeated Webb City’s Ally Ansley-Ayla McDaniel 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and then topped Thomas Jefferson’s Kyla Yang-Esther Yang 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Wurdeman and Besperat defeated Willard’s Alyssa Flynn-Evelyn Sly 6-2, 6-0.
Thomas Jefferson’s Mayson Solum-Warda Morsy, Webb City’s Averey Terry-Maecy Beverlin and CJ’s Emiliy Rice-Brooke Jasperson also competed in the doubles bracket.
The team district tournament begins at 3:30 p.m. on Monday at Thomas Jefferson.
Fourth-seeded Willard meets fifth-seeded Barstow, second-seeded Carl Junction takes on seventh-seeded Webb City and third-seeded Notre Dame de Sion matches up with sixth-seeded Belton.
Top-seeded Thomas Jefferson (11-0) has a first-round bye and will meet the Willard-Barstow winner at 3:30 on Tuesday in the semifinals.
The other semifinal will also begin at 3:30 on Tuesday. The district title match is scheduled for 3:30 on Wednesday.
What better way to prepare for a postseason that is less than a month away than by testing yourself on the road against one of your area rivals, who is also a district and conference foe as well?
Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd passes the ball during the Cavaliers’ conference and district win over College Heights on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
After already boasting an impressive start to the season, Thomas Jefferson faced that adversity head on in the form of rival College Heights and the Cavaliers came out with a scrappy win in five thrilling sets—18-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22 and 15-12—over the Cougars on Thursday at the CHC Athletic Facility.
“The girls wanted this so badly,” Thomas Jefferson coach Emily Burdick said. “They haven’t beaten (College Heights) in years. It was quite an emotional win. They wanted it more than anything and they dug deep to give me 100 percent. That is all I can ask for in matches like this.”
The win gives Thomas Jefferson a 16-3 record on the season and puts the Cavaliers in the driver’s seat of the Ozark 7 Conference with a 4-0 record. The loss drops the Cougars to 9-9-3, 2-1 in conference play.
“We have two more conference games and we want the first seed in district,” Burdick continued about her team’s goals the rest of the way. “I think that is where we’re headed right now, but this win completely changes the momentum of our season. I think we are only going to go up from here.”
BUMP, SET, HISTORY
College Heights senior Maddy Colin earns an assist in the second set of the Cougars’ matchup with Thomas Jefferson. Colin became the only CHC player in program history to surpass 2,000 career assists during the set. Photo by Israel Perez.
During the second set, College Heights senior setter Maddy Colin entered the school’s history books after surpassing the 2,000-career assists mark. Colin is the only Cougar to accomplish that feat in school history and is currently the all-time career assists leader with 2,026.
“She has been really blessed to have amazing teammates over her career,” College Heights coach Mary Colin, also Maddy’s mother, said. “It is really, really fun to watch her play because she is a very unselfish player. She gives the ball a lot. Even this year—she is an offensive threat, but she will still give the ball and give the ball.
“She has a lot of range and you will see her throw the ball 30 feet across the net or backset it 25 feet across the net. A lot of people have told me they like watching her play, and I have to agree. She is calm, cool and collected. She never gets too high or too low and is pretty content. That is pretty important as a setter to be able to stay calm and run the offense whether we are up or down.”
FIFTH AND FINAL SET
The fifth set was a microcosm of the heated conference and district matchup—playing out to a 4-4 tie early before TJ jumped in front with two points.
Colin earned a block to cut CHC’s deficit to 6-5 before Cavaliers’ sideout led to a three-point service run from Lannah Grigg, which included a kill from Alexis Stamps and two more from Gabbi Hiebert, to put TJ in front 10-5.
“They are my leaders on the court,” Burdick said of Hiebert and Griggs’ play. “We are a hitting, blocking team. That is what we are super strong in. Whenever they step up, it changes the momentum of the game. They are great leaders. We needed that and they did it for us.”
CHC’s Bailey Peeples earned a sideout kill and the Cougars made the score 10-8 on a kill by Toryn Fink. After trading sideouts, the Cougars used two attack errors on TJ to tie the set at 11-all.
Thomas Jefferson rebounded with a kill from Macie Shifferd to force a sideout before Hiebert earned back to back kills with Leah Studer in service to give the Cavaliers the momentum with a 14-11 advantage.
Fink earned a sideout kill for CHC, but Thomas Jefferson returned the favor on the next point to clinch the set and the match.
HOW THEY GOT THERE
College Heights gained the advantage in the opening set after a pair of early five-point service runs by Colin and Allie Stout staked the Cougars to a 14-4 lead with all of the momentum.
Thomas Jefferson’s Gabbi Hiebert returns a serve during the Cavaliers’ win over College Heights on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Colin had an ace, while Katie Moss and Peeples each had kills in the run. Stout also had an ace in her run, while Karly Dorris had a block and Fink added a kill.
From there, both teams traded back and forth, with the Cougars never relinquishing the lead en route to the opening-set victory.
“These girls, we have talked all year about how they are not 6-foot-4,” Coach Colin said of her team’s start in the opening set. “We are just a regular group of girls. So, they have to do a lot of little things well to make up for not being super tall. You are going to see a lot of well-placed balls, a lot of teamwork and communication and then just fight, fight, fight.”
Down 3-1 early in the second set, Thomas Jefferson rallied by scoring 12 of the next 16 points to take a 13-8 advantage. Grigg had three kills during that span, with Hiebert garnering two kills and a block.
“We came out a little nervous and were not ready to compete,” Burdick said of the Cavs’ start. “We came out ready to compete in the second set … We came out and were more aggressive at the net, which is where we were lacking in the first set.”
Thomas Jefferson built the lead to as much as seven late on a block from Hiebert to make the score 20-13, and eventually 24-18 before CHC rallied late with a sideout kill from Peeples before and a four-point run in service from Lilly Plassman to trim the Cougars’ deficit to one, 24-23.
The Cavaliers ended the rally with a kill from Grigg to even the match at 1-1.
The Cougars took the momentum back in a third set that was again back and forth, with TJ taking the initial lead before CHC rallied back midway through to lead 16-14 before a kill from Fink pushed the lead to three, 17-14. Fink had back to back kills later in the set to put CHC in front 21-16.
CHC took a 23-18 lead on a sideout kill from Carolynn Satterlee before a kill from Colin and a kill from Peeples ended the game in the Cougars’ favor.
College Height libero Lilly Plassman passes the ball during the Cougars’ matchup with Thomas Jefferson on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Thomas Jefferson did just as it did earlier in the even when trailing, taking control of the fourth set midway through before holding off College Heights late to force the fifth set.
With TJ up one, the Cavaliers scored 11 of the next 16 points to build a 17-11 advantage. Shifferd had two kills in the spurt, while Maggie Sutton had a kill and an ace.
CHC rallied to cut the lead to 19-15 on a kill from Peeples before TJ answered with five of the next six points, including kills from Sutton and Mary Nguyen, a block-kill from Hiebert and an ace from Shifferd, to lead 24-16.
The Cougars refused to go away, however, with a sideout kill from Satterlee leading to a five-point service run from Christa Miller to cut the TJ advantage to 24-22 before the Cavaliers put the game away on a kill from Nguyen.
STATS
Hiebert finished with 17 kills, 13 blocks and nine digs, while Grigg closed with 14 kills, seven digs, five blocks and two aces. Nguyen added 23 assists, 13 digs, three kills and an ace, while Nayab Rehman had 20 digs. Shifferd contributed 14 digs, seven kills and an ace, while Sutton had 29 digs and two kills. Studer had 13 assists and 10 digs for Thomas Jefferson.
Colin finished with 40 assists, 27 digs and five kills. Fink had 18 kills, while Plassman totaled 51 digs. Stout had 21 digs and three aces, with Moss finishing with 18 digs.
UP NEXT
Thomas Jefferson takes part in the Southwest Volleyfest over the weekend in Washburn.
The host Cavaliers captured the championship at Friday’s Thomas Jefferson Invitational girls tennis tournament.
Thomas Jefferson compiled 20.5 points, while North Kansas City had 20. Branson finished third with 18.5.
The Cavaliers advanced to the title match in all four brackets, winning the No. 1 doubles bracket and finishing as the runner-up in No. 1 singles, No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles.
It was the second straight year the hosts won their own invite after Joplin won the tourney in 2021.
Members of the Thomas Jefferson girls tennis team pose with the championship trophy after winning the TJ Invitational. Courtesy photo.
NO. 1 SINGLES
In the championship match at No. 1 singles, North KC’s Sydney Fuger defeated Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding 8-0.
Ding defeated Neosho’s Emma VanDorn 8-0 and Carthage’s Kailie Laytham 8-1 en route to the title match.
In the third-place match, Branson’s Sylvie Barbour beat Carthage’s Laytham 8-1.
Aurora’s Kloey Boyd defeated College Heights’ Ella Bishop 8-6 in the consolation final.
Webb City’s Ally Ansley and Neosho’s Emma VanDorn went 0-2.
NO. 2 SINGLES
North Kansas City’s Angel Denopol topped TJ’s Jeanna Jeyaraj 8-1 in the title match at No. 2 singles.
Jeyaraj defeated Aurora’s Libby Sawyers 8-0 and CHC’s Lily Cummins 8-1 to reach the title match.
In the bracket’s third-place match, Branson’s Nanami Makino beat Cummins 8-2.
Webb City’s Ayla McDonald defeated Sawyers 8-4 in the consolation bracket final.
Neosho’s Lauren Nageotte went 0-2.
NO. 1 DOUBLES
Thomas Jefferson’s duo of Esther Yang and Kyla Yang won the No. 1 doubles bracket, beating Branson’s Olivia Bunce-Ivoree Marler 8-4 in the title match.
The Cavaliers defeated Webb City’s Addy Ragsdale-Bethany Brumit 8-1 and North KC’s Adele Merchant-Lilly Gerend 8-3 to reach the title match.
North KC’s duo defeated CHC’s Jeanna Smathers-Cloee Shackelford 8-4 in the third-place match.
Aurora’s McKenna Bradley-Adeline Patillo defeated Neosho’s Francisca Ruiz-Angel Lee 8-5 for fifth place (consolation) honors.
Carthage’s Logan Lee and Rachel Martin went 0-2.
NO. 2 DOUBLES
In the championship match of the No. 2 doubles bracket, Branson’s Abi Jones-Mia Kasabov defeated Thomas Jefferson’s Warda Morsy-Mayson Solum 8-5.
The Cavaliers beat CHC’s Londyn Eidson-Anna Heltzel 8-1 and Carthage’s Maddie Goetzinger-Emma Seedorf 8-0 in the first round and semifinals.
North KC’s Grace Hankins-Bella Jones beat Goetzinger-Seedorf 8-1 in the third-place match.
Final team standings: Thomas Jefferson 20.5, North KC 20, Branson 18.5, College Heights Christian 6, Carthage 4.5, Aurora 3.5, Webb City 3.5, Neosho 1.
Thomas Jefferson’s 2023 home opener definitely went well.
The Cavaliers defeated Joplin 9-0 in a girls tennis dual on Monday at the TJ courts.
In singles matches, Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding edged Mya Ndedi-Ntepe 8-6, Jeanna Jeyaraj beat Isabelle Zamanzadeh 8-2, Esther Yang topped Alex Carson 8-1, Warda Morsy defeated Zayda Derganc 8-2, Mayson Solum beat Julia Reyes-Alvarado 8-2 and Emalee Ro edged Gwenna Street 8-6.
In doubles matches, Ding and Jeyaraj defeated Ndedi-Ntepe and Carson 8-3, while Yang-Solum beat Zamanzadeh-Derganc 8-3 and Morsy-Ro topped Alvarado-Lily Compton 8-1.
Thomas Jefferson hosts Nevada on Thursday. Joplin hosts Carthage on Tuesday.
NEOSHO BEATS AURORA
In the opener of the 2023 season, the Neosho High School girls tennis team defeated Aurora 5-4 on Monday.
Aurora’s McKenna Bradley defeated Emma VanDorn 8-4 and Libby Sawyers beat Francisca Ruiz 8-4.
The Wildcats won the singles matches at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6. Angel Lee defeated Adeline Patillo 8-3, Sydnee Minton beat Esmeralda Botello 8-0 and Abigail Coutu topped Jaydn Venable 8-3.
Aurora won two of the three doubles matches.
Boyd-Sawyers defeated Keeton-VanDorn 8-4 and Bradley-Potillo edged Ruiz-Lee 8-6.
Neosho’s Minton and Coutu defeated Botello-Venable 8-5.
Neosho is at Nixa on Tuesday and at Republic on Thursday.
Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan has earned the right to compete at the MSHSAA Boys Tennis Championships.
Nagarajan was the singles champion at the individual district tournament on Friday. Thomas Jefferson was the host school for the Class 2 District 7 event.
The top two singles players and the top two doubles teams at Friday’s district tourney advanced to the individual state tournament.
A junior, Nagarajan was the singles champion and Barstow’s Liam Groden was the runner-up.
After an opening-round bye as the district’s No. 1 seed, Nagarajan defeated Ruskin’s Michael Titalangha 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
Pictured is Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan.
In the semifinals, Nagarajan defeated Webb City’s Jacob McDonald 6-1, 6-0.
In the bracket’s title match, Nagarajan defeated Groden 6-4, 6-1.
With the finish, Nagarajan earned a spot at the individual state tournament on May 18 in Springfield.
Barstow’s Groden advanced to the title match by beating Thomas Jefferson’s Devan Murali 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals.
In the bracket’s third-place match, Webb City’s McDonald defeated TJ’s Murali.
The top four finishers in each bracket are considered medalists.
Also competing in the singles bracket were Webb City’s Lucas Lowery and Neosho’s duo of Christian Williams and Willis Jarvis.
Williams defeated Ruskin’s Aamer Hamdan 6-1, 6-1 before falling to Groden in the quarterfinals. Lowery and Jarvis both went 0-1.
Barstow had the top two doubles teams.
Barstow’s Sankeerth Gandhari and George Colombo defeated their teammates Sanjeev Adma and Aaram Salam 6-3, 6-3 in the title match.
Two local doubles teams fell in the semifinals, thus falling short of a state berth.
Barstow’s Gandhari-Colombo defeated Webb City’s Tristan Lynch and Felipe Perez 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.
In the other semifinal, Barstow’s Adma-Salam defeated Thomas Jefferson’s Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue 6-3, 6-1.
In the bracket’s third-place match, Qian-Goodhue defeated Lynch-Perez 8-5.
Also competing in doubles were Thomas Jefferson’s Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis, Webb City’s Jacob Russell-Kaden Cox and Neosho’s Reid Snyder-Peyton Williams and Breckin McAffrey-Noah Schade.
Li-Curtis defeated Ruskin’s Abdulrehman Assaf-Abdallah Banialmarjeh 6-0, 6-3 before falling to Webb City’s Lynch-Perez in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 6-2.
Neosho’s McAffrey-Schade defeated Ruskin’s Zhuhair Abuasbah-Mateo Lopez 6-2, 6-0 in the opening-round before falling to Qian-Goodhue in the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-0.
Russell-Cox and Snyder-Williams both went 0-1.
DISTRICT TEAM TOURNAMENT
The Class 2 District 7 team tournament will begin on Monday.
Fourth-seeded Neosho will host fifth-seeded Belton at 3:30 on Monday, while third-seeded Webb City will host sixth-seeded Ruskin, also at 3:30.
The Neosho-Belton winner will play at No. 1 Barstow at 3:30 on Tuesday in the semifinals.
Second-seeded Thomas Jefferson will host the Webb City-Ruskin winner at 3:30 on Tuesday in the other semifinal.
The district title match is scheduled for 3:30 on Wednesday, May 10 at Thomas Jefferson.
MONETT, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers captured the team championship at the Monett Invitational boys tennis tournament on Wednesday.
Thomas Jefferson finished with 18 points, while Monett was the runner-up with 13 points. Carthage and New Covenant tied for third with 11 points.
Rounding out the field were Webb City (6), Mount Vernon (3.5), Aurora (2.5) and Clever (1).
The Cavaliers won two of the four brackets, No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles.
At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali went 3-0.
The Cavaliers defeated Aurora’s Greysen Boettler-Mario Jimenez 8-0 in the quarterfinals and topped Monett’s Elijah Ridenour-Logan Kutz 8-4 in the semifinals.
In the bracket’s title match, Nagarajan-Murali beat New Covenant’s Brody Bennett-Aidan Henderson 8-5.
Thomas Jefferson’s Jack Goodhue won the No. 2 singles bracket.
Goodhue beat Clever’s Kaden Smith 8-1 and Carthage’s Eli Scott 8-3 to advance to the title match. Goodhue defeated Monett’s Heisman Welch 9-8 (7-5) in the bracket’s championship match.
Thomas Jefferson’s Lele Qian was the runner-up at No. 1 singles.
Qian beat Mount Vernon’s Peyton West 8-0 and topped Aurora’s Landon Boatwright 8-4. In the title match, Monett’s Ethan Kutz edged Qian 9-8 (11-9).
Thomas Jefferson’s Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis finished fourth at No. 2 doubles. They dropped the bracket’s third-place match to Mount Vernon’s Malachi Hennum-Austin Robison 8-4.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s Jacob McDonald and Tristan Lynch took third place at No. 1 doubles.
Webb City’s Felipe Perez finished fourth at No. 2 singles and Trevor Peterson won the fifth-place match at No. 1 singles. Webb City’s Zachary Stump-Lucas Lowery went 0-2 at No. 2 doubles.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s duo of Silas Laytham and Danilo Lopez took second at No. 2 doubles. They fell to New Covenant, 8-5, in the title match.
Carthage’s Josh Rivera finished third at No. 1 singles and Eli Scott took third at No. 2 singles.
Carthage’s No. 1 doubles team of Charlie Snow and Will Wallace won the fifth-place match.
The Thomas Jefferson boys tennis team improved to 8-0 on the season by beating Greenwood 9-0 on Thursday at the TJ courts.
In singles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan beat Sanjeev Maganti 8-0, Devan Murali topped Andrew Scott 8-4, Chengle Qian defeated Enzo Cricchio 8-0, Jack Goodhue beat Marcus Ryan 8-0, Sam Li handled Griffin Litherland 8-4 and Nathaniel Curtis beat Braden Nicholson 8-3.
Thomas Jefferson’s No. 1 doubles team of Nagarajan-Murali defeated Maganti-Ryan 8-0.
At No. 2 doubles, TJ’s Qian-Goodhue beat Scott-Litherland 8-2.
Thomas Jefferson’s Li and Curtis defeated Cricchio-Nicholson 8-4 at No. 3 doubles.
The Cavaliers host Springfield Central on Tuesday.
The talent and depth of the Joplin High School boys track and field squad was on full-display on Wednesday night.
The Eagles won 10 events and finished second in six others en route to capturing the team championship at their own Joplin Invitational at JHS.
With a top-three finish in all but one event, Joplin’s boys won the team title with 251.5 points. Webb City took second with 193.5 points. There were eight full squads competing.
The top four girls teams were Carthage (163), Webb City (134.5), Joplin (132.66) and Carl Junction (113.33).
Joplin’s Quin Renfro is pictured during the 4×100 relay on Wednesday night. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
In an impressive showing, the Joplin boys had 24 top-three performances.
The Eagles won two relays — the 4×100 and the 4×200. The team of Quin Renfro, Davin Thomas, Orion Norris and Noah Soriano won the 4×100 in 43.25 seconds, while Tayshaun Palmer, Norris, Fredy Cerrato-Martinez and Thomas won the 4×200 in 1:33.
The Eagles were third in the 4×400, with Cerrato-Martinez, Jamohn Smith, Logan Bever and Palmer competing.
Joplin sophomore Chance Tindall won two events— the 1600 in 4:42 and the 3200 in 10:48.
Eagles senior standout Hobbs Campbell won the 800-meter run in 1:56.65, just short of the school record time of 1:56.04.
Next, Joplin had the top three finishers in the 200-meter dash—Soriano (21.84), Norris (23.23) and Thomas (23.76).
The Eagles also took first and second in the 110 hurdles, with Cordell Washington first and Avarus Kuhn-Wofford second.
Kuhn-Wofford also won the 300 hurdles, with Ben Sotlar third.
A freshman, Washington won the high jump by clearing 1.82 meters. He also took third in the triple jump.
Dontrell Holt won the shot put (15.33m), while Neil Barstow was the runner-up in the discus and fourth in the shot put.
Soriano and Bever placed second and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault, while Soriano was second in the long jump, with Aidan Sampson fourth.
Aiden Scourten took second in the 400, while Thomas, Palmer and Renfro finished third, fourth and fifth in the 100, again showing off the team’s depth.
Joplin senior Hobbs Campbell won the 800-meter run at Wednesday’s Joplin Invitational. Photo by Jason Peake.
Ian Horton and Grey Edwards finished third and fourth in the 800, while Parker Durham took third in the 3200.
Drew VanGilder and Draven VanGilder finished third and fourth, respectively, in the javelin and Cerrato-Martinez was fifth in the triple jump.
Next, Joplin’s girls won three events.
The Eagles won the 4×100 relay in 50.83 seconds, with Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert and Brylee Strickland competing.
The team of Micah Holden, Aubrey Strickland, Kendall Nyarango and Allie Keizer took second in the 4×400.
Also for the JHS girls, Aubrey Strickland won the 100-meter hurdles in 16.8 seconds and teammate Maria Loum was the runner-up.
Kirsten Thom (49.96) and Aubrey Strickland (51.46) were first and second in the 300 hurdles.
Brylee Strickland was the runner-up in both the 100 and 200, with teammate Lowery fourth in both events. Ava Werberger-Doll and Annabelle Rutledge finished second and third in the 1600, while Rutlege was also fifth in the 3200.
Also for the JHS girls, Vogel and Nyarango placed fourth and fifth in the long jump, Aubrey Strickland finished fifth in the triple jump, Holden was fifth in the pole vault and Claire Jasper placed fifth in the shot put.
Carthage’s Jaidyn Brunnert competes in the hurdles at the Joplin Invitational. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Joey Hettinger is pictured during Wednesday’s Joplin Invitational. At right is Webb City’s Kylie Jennings. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
Also possessing plenty of depth, the Carthage girls won six events en route to capturing the team title.
Carthage’s 4×400 relay team of Ashleigh Rowden, Evelyn Carrol, Maggie Boyd and Lexa Youngblood took first with a time of 4:27.
Carthage was second in the other relays. Competing in the 4×100 were Ashlyn Brust, Youngblood, Ada Roughton and Joey Hettinger. The 4×200 featured Brust, Rowden, Trisha Kanas and Roughton, while Boyd, Carrol, Lauren Choate and Grace Brown competed in the 4×800.
A senior, Hettinger took first in two individual events—the high jump and the long jump.
Boyd won the 800 in 2:34 and Youngblood took first in the 400 in 1:03 and was also third in the 200 in 26.79.
Chasity Straw won the discus (29.33m), while Karlie Nichols, Shaw and Lilly Holmes finished 2-3-4 in the shot put.
Roughton took second in the triple jump and third in the long jump, while Carrol placed third in the high jump and Katy Witherspoon took third in the 3200 and fifth in the 1600. Jaidyn Brunnert finished sixth in both hurdle races.
For the Carthage boys, Caleb Fewin placed second in the 3200 and was also third in the 1600.
The Tigers were third in the 4×800 relay, with Fewin, Skuylor Honeycutt, Xander Vazquez and Michael Lanyon competing, while the 4×400 finished fourth and featured Indiana Gray, Vazquez, Welle Welle and Lanyon.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s boys won six events and finished second in five others on their way to the runner-up team finish.
The Cardinals won two relays and finished second in two others.
Webb City’s 4×400 relay featuring Jadon Brisco, Noah Moss, Mason Hedger and Gabe Johnson won in 3:37. The team of Hedger, Dakota Grove, Atticus Luzander and Evan Stevens won the 4×800 in 8:32.
The 4×100 and 4×200 relays both took second and featured Jordan Thornburg, William Headrick, Johnson and William Wolfe.
Wolfe and Thornburg took first and second, respectively, in the 100-meter dash. Wolfe crossed the line at 10.86 seconds, with Thornburg recording a time of 11.06.
Justin Allen won the pole vault, with Brisco third and Carson Farmer fifth in the same event. Nathaniel Miller won the discus (40.5m) and Trey Roets won the javelin (51.65m).
Pictured is Webb City’s Atticus Luzadder.
Tucker Liberatore was second in the javelin, Hedger was the runner-up in the 800, with Grove fifth in the same event. Joseph DeGraffenreid was the runner-up in the high jump.
Moss, Jace Jones and Dalton Riggs were third, fourth and fifth in the 100 hurdles, with Moss taking fourth in the 300 hurdles.
Grayson Smith finished third in the long jump, Julian Andrae took fourth in the triple jump and Ryan Reid was fourth in the high jump.
Dalton Thurlo was third in the shot put, with Eric Lathan fifth. Devin Turner was fourth in the discus and Malique McCarter took fifth in the javelin.
Webb City’s girls won four events.
Winning individual events for the Webb City girls were Brooke Hedger (1600), Emily Countryman (3200) and Dawsyn Decker (shot put).
Hedger recorded a time of 5:48 in the 1600, while Countryman crossed the line at 12:46 in the 3200. Miller was the runner-up to her teammate in the 3200. Decker’s toss went 10.28 meters.
Webb City’s girls won the 4×800 relay in 10:35 and featured Rachel Miller, Hedger, Countryman and Abi Street.
The Cardinals were third in the 4×200 and fourth in the 4×100. Sydney Brisco, Khloe Rhuems, Hannah Frazier and Alyssa Morena ran the 4×200, with Kylie Jennings, Chase Stilley, Moreno and Frazier running the 4×100.
Also for the Webb City girls, Stilley took second in the high jump, Essence Robinson was second in the long jump, Alix Davis was third in the pole vault and Aspen White took third in the 800.
Robinson and Jennings finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 400, Kristina Bundy placed fourth in the 1600, Aubree Lassiter took fifth in the discus and Bryleigh Webb and Riley Hanes were fourth and fifth in the javelin.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction sophomore sprinter Sydney Ward won two events — the 100-meter dash in 12.23 seconds and the 200 in 25.01.
CJ’s Acadia Badgley and Brooke Jasperson took first and second in the pole vault, while Bella Montez and Madilyn Olds were the top two finishers in the javelin.
Also for the CJ girls, Abigail Wilson was third in the triple jump, Sloan Uebinger took fourth in the 100 hurdles and Montez was fourth in the 300 hurdles.
Fifth-place finishers were Olivia Battagler (100), Zoie Weibel (400), Delaney Harris (800) and Montez (100 H).
The Carl Junction girls won the 4×200 (names unavailable) and were fifth in the 4×100.
Carl Junction’s boys 4×100 relay team of Dexter Merrell, Colton Talken, Ryder Pyles and Jaxton Wobken took fourth.
Talken took fourth in the 200, Tony Stewart was fourth in the 400, Jonah Younge placed fifth in the high jump and Donnie Keith took fifth in the discus.
Carl Junction’s Sydney Ward and Joplin’s Brylee Strickland are pictured during the 100-meter dash on Wednesday at the Joplin Invitational. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry was the runner-up in the 1600, while Braden Honeywell-Lynch took fifth in both the 1600 and 3200.
Tyler Brouhard finished sixth in the 100 and seventh in the 200, while Sheraz Anis was seventh in the 300 hurdles.
Lannah Grigg had the top performance for the Thomas Jefferson girls by finishing second in the discus.
Thomas Jefferson’s girls finished fourth in the 4×800 relay, with Macie Shifferd, Nico Carlson, Samantha Seto and Sarah Mueller competing.
Carlson and Gabriella Hiebert placed fourth and fifth in the high jump, while Shifferd took fourth in the 3200.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Nevada’s Drew Beachler won the long jump (6.5m) and teammate Jack Cheaney won the triple jump (12.66m).
The only girls event that wasn’t won by an athlete from Carthage, Webb City, Carl Junction or Joplin was the triple jump, which was won by Pittsburg’s Dessie Gorley.
JOPLIN INVITATIONAL
Boys team standings: Joplin 251.5, Webb City 193.5, Nevada 95, Pittsburg 59, Carl Junction 31, Carthage 28, Thomas Jefferson 24, Exeter 10.
Girls team standings: Carthage 163, Webb City 134.5, Joplin 132.66, Carl Junction 113.33, Pittsburg 79, Nevada 36.5, Thomas Jefferson 33, Exeter 5.
Webb City’s Aspen White and Carl Junction’s Delaney Harris compete in the 800 on Wednesday at Joplin High School. Photo by Jason Peake.
Joplin High School hosted a track and field invite on Wednesday. Pictured above is the boys 400-meter dash.
Webb City’s Mason Hedger and Joplin’s Ian Horton compete in the 800 on Wednesday. Photo by Jason Peake.
Runners, including Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell (center), compete in the 800-meter run.
Joplin’s boys tennis team suffered a Central Ozark Conference setback to the Nixa Eagles on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“Even though we lost the match, the improvement compared to last year is significant,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “We went from winning 10 games total last season to 38 games, including a match win for Leif Garrity at No. 3 singles. With Nixa’s top eight players being seniors, we’re going in the right direction.”
As Stump noted, Joplin’s lone win of the dual came at No. 3 singles, where Garrity defeated Nixa’s James Harris 8-5.
“Leif consistently kept the ball in play and took advantage of short shots from his opponent to close out points,” Stump said.
At No. 1 singles, Nixa’s Carson Palmer edged Joplin’s Adam Badr 8-6.
“Adam started off strong, but was outplayed in a few key points,” Stump said.
In other singles matches, Nixa’s Mason Murray defeated Josiah Hazlewood 8-4, Liam Dalton beat Chapel Braman 8-1, Tyler Upton-Rowley topped Hunter Merkley 8-2 and Tyler Neal edged Roman Venturella 8-6.
“Roman played a great match,” Stump commented. “When he kept the ball deep in play, he was winning games.”
At No. 1 doubles, Palmer-Murray defeated Badr-Hazlewood 8-4, while Harris-Dalton beat Michael Mancipe-Merkley 8-2 and Upton-Rowley-Neal defeated Garrity-Venturella 8-5.
“We changed up our No. 3 doubles team for this match,” Stump noted. “This duo communicated well and played quite a few good points.”
Joplin will compete in Branson on Friday.
OZARK 8, NEOSHO 1
NEOSHO, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats suffered a COC loss to the Ozark Tigers on Thursday.
Neosho’s lone win of the match came at No. 4 singles, where Peyton Williams defeated Ben Romano 8-6.
In other singles matches, Ozark’s Connor Kitchin beat Christian Williams 8-4, Stephen Metcalf topped Willis Jarvis 8-1, Ethan Fast edged Reid Snyder 8-6, Coltyn Boyer handled Breckin McAffrey 8-1 and Luke Morris edged Wes Williams 8-6.
In doubles, Neosho’s Christian Williams and Peyton Williams suffered an 8-0 loss to Kitchin-Metcalf, Jarvis-McAffrey fell short, 8-6, to Fast-Boyer and Snyder-Noah Schade lost 8-3 to Romano-Nicholas Psarev 8-3.
Neosho is at Thomas Jefferson on Monday.
THOMAS JEFFERSON 6, MONETT 3
MONETT, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers improved to 4-0 by beating Monett on Thursday.
The Cavaliers won all three doubles matches.
Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Tyler Brouhard beat Ethan Kutz-Heisman Welch 8-4, while Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue defeated Elijah Ridenour-Logan Kutz 8-5 and Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis topped Caden Szydloski-Riley Dierker 8-4.
In singles, TJ’s Nagarajan beat Ethan Kutz 8-4, Qian edged Welch 9-7 and Goodhue defeated Logan Kutz 8-3.
Monett’s Ridenour earned the win over Brouhard by default.
Szydloski defeated Li 8-4 and Dierker edged Curtis 8-6.
In the 2023 opener for both schools, Thomas Jefferson defeated Joplin 9-0 on Tuesday in a boys tennis dual at the JHS courts.
Despite the loss, Joplin coach Aaron Stump said he saw several positives from his squad.
“Our young group showed quite a bit of improvement compared to last year’s matchup against Thomas Jefferson,” Stump said. “In last year’s dual, we won a total of eight games in the match. We almost doubled that count year with 15 games won. We had three first-year players step up to play varsity today (Leif Garrity, Roman Venturella, and Oscar Kienzle), and these guys have shown a lot of potential. I’m excited to see where they’ll be once they gain a little more match experience.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan hits a forehand during No. 1 doubles play against Joplin on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali defeated Adam Badr and Josiah Hazlewood 8-0.
“Our No. 1 doubles team just started playing tennis last year, and they played some good points in today’s match,” Stump said.
At No. 2 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue defeated Joplin’s Michael Mancipe and Roman Venturella 8-1.
“Roman filled in for senior Hunter Merkley during today’s match, so he and Michael hadn’t played together before today,” Stump noted.
Thomas Jefferson’s duo of Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis edged Leif Garrity and Chapel Braman 8-6 in the No. 3 doubles match.
“This new doubles team started out behind but was able to keep pace after the first few games,” Stump said.
At No. 1 singles, Thomas Jefferson’s Nagarajan beat Badr 8-0. Nagarajan is a returning state qualifier for Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers.
Murali defeated Hazlewood 8-0 at No. 2 singles before Qian beat Garrity 8-3 at No. 3 singles and Goodhue topped Braman 8-1 at No. 4 singles.
“Josiah, Leif and Chapel all moved up in rank to fill in for Michael Mancipe, who is our No. 2 singles player,” Stump noted.
TJ’s Li defeated Venturella 8-0 at No. 5 singles and Curtis topped Oscar Kienzle 8-4 at No. 6 singles.
Stump noted both Venturella and Kienzle played up in rank due to Merkley’s absence.
Thomas Jefferson takes on Carl Junction at 4:30 on Wednesday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
Joplin is at Neosho next Tuesday.
Joplin’s Adam Badr is pictured during Tuesday’s match with Thomas Jefferson. The Cavaliers defeated the Eagles 9-0 in the opener of the 2023 season. Photos by Israel Perez.
Joplin’s Josiah Hazlewood attempts to return a serve during his match against Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday at the JHS courts. The Cavaliers beat the Eagles 9-0.
Thomas Jefferson’s Devan Murali lunges for a backhand during Tuesday’s match with Joplin at the JHS courts. All photos by Israel Perez/SoMo Sports.
NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho’s boys and girls track squads swept the team titles at their own Harry Lineberry Open House on Saturday at Bob Anderson Stadium.
The Neosho boys compiled 345.5 points to top the team standings. Bolivar was a distant second with 124 points.
Neosho’s girls compiled 283 points and Bolivar was second with 188.
Thomas Jefferson, Seneca, Springfield Central and Exeter also competed at the invite.
The Wildcats won 12 events in the boys meet.
Winning individual events for the Neosho boys were Tyrese Hill (100-meter dash, 200), Izaiah Hill (400), Isaiah Green (long jump), Cade Camerer (high jump), Jared Siler (triple jump), Carter Baslee (shot put) and Collyn Kivett (javelin). Kivett set a school record with his toss of 155-7.
Neosho’s boys won all four relays. The 4×100 relay featured Brock Franklin, Konnor Siler, Jared Siler and Tyrese Hill, while the 4×200 featured Franklin, Konnor Siler, Isaiah Rhone and Isaiah Keezer.
The 4×400 consisted of Izaiah Hill, Keezer, Green and Tyrese Hill, while the 4×800 featured Corbin Ables, Izaiah Hill, Adam Farrell and William Ebbinghaus.
Finishing second in their events were Konnor Siler (100), Keezer (200, 400), Carson Newell (3200), Konnor Payton (110 hurdles), Green (triple jump), Nico Olivares (shot put, discus), Baslee (javelin) and Jared Siler (high jump, long jump).
Third-place finishers were Traven Suldan (javelin), Jackson Smith (triple jump), Newell (1600), Green (300 hurdles), Levi Denison (110 H) and Gabriel Mabrey (800).
Neosho’s girls won nine events.
Neosho freshman Jazmyn Washington won three individual events—the 300 hurdles, the 100 hurdles and the high jump.
Also winning events for the Neosho girls were Chloe Wood (3200), Madilyn Ebbinghaus (200), Claire Burghart (pole vault) and Raine Harris (long jump).
The NHS girls won the 4×100 relay (Olivia Emery, Miranda Wennhold, Autumn Kinnaird, Ebbinghuas) and the 4×200 relay (Kinley Wilson, Carley Lane, Kinnaird, Washington) and were second in the 4×400 (Riley Kemna, Burghart, Wood, Ebbinghaus).
Taking second in their events were Kemna (3200), Rylyn Moritz (100), Kali House (400), Harris (100 hurdles), Lauren Sullivan (high jump, shot put) and Wennhold (long jump, triple jump).
Teammates Wilson and Kailyn Daniels tied for second in the pole vault.
Finishing third for the Neosho girls were Burghart (TJ), Katelyn Mahurin (shot put), Regan Weber (100), Hannah Fehring (100 hurdles), Kemna (1600) and Wood (800).
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry won the 3200 with a time of 10:25.
Atteberry finished second in both the 1600 and the 800. Bolivar’s Gavin Crawford-Yates edged Atteberry in both races.
Cavaliers sophomore Sheraz Anis won the 110-hurdles with a time of 17.99 seconds.
Jay Ball placed fifth in the shot put.
For the TJ girls, Macie Shifferd placed third in the 3200 and fifth in the 1600, while Sarah Mueller finished third in the 400 and fourth in the 800.
Lannah Grigg placed third in the discus and also took fourth in the shot put. Avery Hocker placed fourth in the 100 hurdles and Gabbi Hiebert was fourth in the high jump.
SENECA HIGHLIGHTS
Seneca’s Cambry Long won the girls 400 and also took second in the 200.
Also for the Seneca girls, Parker Long was the runner-up in the javelin. Anna Adkins was third in the high jump, Caroline Leonard placed third in the javelin and Savannah Johnson placed fourth in the 100. The Seneca girls were third in three relays, the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400.
Seneca’s Brodie Probert took third in the boys 400 and Brock Pendergraft was third in the discus.
The Indians were second in the 4×100 and third in the 4×200.
Neosho Harry Lineberry Open House
Boys team scores: Neosho 345.5, Bolivar 124, Central 56, Thomas Jefferson 50, Seneca 45.5, Exeter 10.
Girls team scores: Neosho 283, Bolivar 188, Seneca 79.5, Thomas Jefferson 57.5, Central 44, Exeter 8.
The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers return five boys and six girls from last season and they also feature a few newcomers this coming season for their head coach Clayton Carnahan.
“This year’s team is better prepared than any I have seen in my time here at TJ,” Carnahan said. “They are determined to succeed and willing to put in the work to get there. This year’s team has already put in much of the work necessary to start the season off right.
“I think this season will show a lot of personal accomplishments. This high school team will be a great encouragement to the seventh and eighth graders coming up. While some of the boys’ team are still green in ability, they have great attitudes and are willing to work. And the girls’ team has a lot of strength in their grit and resilience. I expect that team will continue to surprise themselves with their accomplishments.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry poses with Cavaliers coach Clayton Carnahan during the awards ceremony at the state cross country meet this past fall. File photo by Shawn Fowler.
On the boys side, Thomas Jefferson returns senior Kip Atteberry (800, 1600, 3200), senior Shayaan Anis (throws), sophomore Sheraz Anis (100, 200, 400, 110 hurdles), senior Jay Ball (throws) and sophomore Layton Green (100, 200).
For the girls, returners are senior Nico Carlson (400, high jump, steeplechase, 4×800), sophomore Lannah Grigg (shot put, discus), junior Gabbi Hiebert (400, 300 hurdles, high jump, triple jump), junior Avery Hocker (100 hurdles, long jump, triple jump), junior Sarah Mueller (800, 1600, 3200) and senior Samantha Seto (800, 1600, 3200).
Newcomers are freshman Brent Beyersdorfer (400, 800), senior Tyler Brouhard (200, 400, 800), and sophomore Braden Honeywell-Lynch (800, 1600, 3200) on the boys side and freshman Jenna Joseph (100, 200, 400) on the girls side.
“The juniors and seniors on the team are great leaders through their personal strength and demeanor,” Carnahan said. “They are excellent role models to the rest of the team. Second, the team has a strong culture of community this year, and it is a culture of excellence and mutual respect and support. This strong leadership and stellar culture will help us meet new goals and stay resilient in difficult moments.
“As we grow stronger this year, our goal is a moving target. We will have to keep pushing to keep improving.”
Last season, the Thomas Jefferson boys finished in a tie for 25th in Class 1 with 13 points.
Atteberry qualified for state in all three of his events and he finished seventh in the 800 in 2 minutes, 4.93 seconds, fourth in the 1600 in 4:33.32, and third in the 3200 in 10:14.44.
The Cavaliers open their season on Friday in Neosho and their schedule runs through Galena (March 30), Pittsburg State (April 7), Pierce City (April 11), Joplin (April 12), Sarcoxie (April 19), Monett (April 25), and Webb City (April 28) before district, sectional, and possibly state competition in May.
Thomas Jefferson also hosts the Ozark 7 Conference meet on April 19.
WILLARD, Mo. — For the third straight season, the Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers are heading to the ‘Elite Eight.’
Thomas Jefferson defeated Rich Hill 68-58 on Monday night in a sectional contest of the MSHSAA Class 1 state boys basketball tournament at Willard High School.
With the victory, Thomas Jefferson (21-6) advances to Friday’s quarterfinals in Warrensburg.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the boys, it was a great team win,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said.
Monday’s clash was a rematch of last year’s sectional matchup that saw the Cavaliers knock off the Tigers 55-35.
This year’s meeting was much closer.
The Tigers held a 10-5 advantage before the Cavaliers ended the first quarter on a 9-3 run to take a 14-13 lead.
Senior guard Tyler Brouhard scored eight points in the opening frame for the Cavaliers on a pair of 3-pointers and a runner in the lane, while 6-foot-7 senior center Jay Ball had six points on three hoops inside.
Rich Hill held a 23-19 lead in the second quarter, but Thomas Jefferson finished the first half on a 13-3 surge.
During the spurt, Brouhard hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Ball scored inside, Brouhard made a short jumper near the foul line and senior guard Levi Triplett buried a corner trey just before the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 32-26 halftime lead.
Rich Hill started the second half on a 10-0 run to go up 36-32. But the Cavaliers responded by finishing the third period on a 14-7 burst to take a 46-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
During the third quarter spurt, Triplett hit a pair of key 3-pointers and Kohl Thurman contributed a basket in the lane.
Ball scored five straight points early in the fourth quarter to stretch out TJ’s lead to 51-45.
However, Ball and Brouhard both picked up their fourth fouls early in the final frame, and both had to spend time on the bench.
But the Cavaliers never relinquished their lead. Rich Hill pulled within two with just over three minutes to play before Ball scored in transition to make it a two-possession lead at 55-51.
Thomas Jefferson sealed the win by making 13-of-16 free throws down the stretch. Brouhard went 10-for-12 at the charity stripe, while Tony Touma and Ball also connected on late free throws.
The Cavaliers closed the game on a 15-7 run.
Thomas Jefferson’s 1-2 punch of Brouhard and Ball combined to score 52 points.
Brouhard led the way with 27 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots. Brouhard made four 3-pointers.
Ball scored 25 points to go with 17 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Triplett added 10 points with a trio of treys, while Thurman scored four and Touma had two.
“Tyler and Jay had big games, but Levi Triplett stepped up and hit some big shots and Kohl Thurman played some big minutes for us tonight,” Coach Myers said.
Rich Hill finishes the season with a record of 21-8.
The Tigers received 16 points apiece from Zane Becker and Magal Chol-Case. Lane Hardin added 10 points for Rich Hill.
QUARTERFINALS
For the Cavaliers, a familiar postseason foe awaits—St. Elizabeth. Thomas Jefferson has suffered season-ending losses to St. Elizabeth in the quarterfinal round the past two years.
Friday’s quarterfinal clash between Thomas Jefferson and St. Elizabeth (19-10) is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at UCM.
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 the Class 1 District 7 championship on Friday night by beating Golden City 57-47. Courtesy photos.
The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers captured a third straight district title on Friday night.
GOLDEN CITY, Mo. — The top-seeded Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers scored the game’s first seven points, never trailed, scored the last seven points of the third to enter the fourth ahead 46-36, and scored eight unanswered in the fourth on their way to a 65-54 win over fourth-seeded Sheldon on Wednesday night in the Class 1 District 7 semifinals at Golden City High School.
Thomas Jefferson seniors Tyler Brouhard and Jay Ball both gave sensational performances: Brouhard scored a game-high 28 points and had seven rebounds, five steals and six assists, while Ball recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 blocks and he also led Thomas Jefferson with seven steals.
The Cavaliers had an answer either offensively or defensively or both for every time Sheldon knocked at the door.
“It’s that time of year,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “You know teams are not going to go away. They’ve got the same thing at stake as you do, it’s a lose and go home situation, so we knew they were going to come at us again. Credit to the boys for weathering the storm. They cut it down to three, but we kept our composure and stretched it back out and got it done down the stretch.
“We’ve been in a lot of tight games, and we’ve been fortunate to be on the right side of most of them, but the ones that we weren’t helped us prepare for those situations. You just hope the guys keep it together and put it together and find a way to get it done at this time of year.”
Near the end of the third, with Sheldon down 37-34 and then 39-36 for their smallest deficit since they were behind three on two occasions in the first quarter, Levi Triplett opened the 7-0 run with a basket then Brouhard delivered his third of four 3-pointers in the game and closed out the quarter with a difficult fall-away jumper at the buzzer.
Sheldon trailed 57-51 with 3 minutes and 10 seconds remaining in regulation after a pair of Aiden Ellifrits free throws, and that’s when Thomas Jefferson scored eight consecutive points all on free throws while Sheldon went scoreless for nearly a three-minute stretch until Ellifrits closed out the scoring with an old-fashioned three-point play in the final seconds.
Triplett finished with nine points, four steals, and four assists, while Kip Atteberry and Kohl Thurman each contributed three points for the Cavaliers.
William Chapman led Sheldon with 20 points, 17 of them in the second half, and Riley Chapman and Ellifrits both finished with 14 points and Shon Bogart and Aiden Bogart produced four and two points, respectively.
The Panthers finished their season 17-9 with two of their nine losses this season against Thomas Jefferson (67-44 their first one on Jan. 13).
Thomas Jefferson improved to 19-6 on the season and the Cavaliers play for a third straight district title with the championship game Friday against No. 2 seed and district host Golden City, who defeated Lockwood 54-42 in the other semifinal game on Wednesday and improved to 18-10 on the season.
“We’re very familiar with both of these teams, of course,” Myers said. “I don’t think there will be many surprises, just like they’re familiar with us. We’re anticipating a good one no matter who it is and we’re just looking forward to it.”
Thomas Jefferson and Golden City — the two most successful Class 1 programs in the area in recent seasons — tip at 6:30 p.m. on Friday for all the marbles.
Last season, Thomas Jefferson beat Golden City 49-38 for the district title and the Cavaliers also defeated Lockwood 60-44 in the semifinals, ending both teams’ seasons with 18-9 overall records.
Golden City won three straight district titles from 2019 through 2021, a streak ended by Thomas Jefferson, and the Eagles placed third in Class 1 in 2020.
The Thomas Jefferson and Exeter boys basketball game on Thursday evening had all the early signs of becoming a shootout with the host Cavaliers ahead 17-15 after one quarter.
The teams exchanged the lead at least seven times.
The visiting Tigers had their perimeter shooters feeling a hot hand with three 3-point baskets during the first eight minutes.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, fed their senior center Jay Ball early and often for 12 of their 17 first-quarter points.
Ball finished with a game-high 32 points, Thomas Jefferson hit more 3-point shots than Exeter did over the final three quarters and the Cavaliers’ defense tightened up on their way to a 59-41 win at the TJ Fieldhouse.
“Honestly, we just had no defensive intensity early in the game,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We rotated slow and gave them a lot of good looks at the bucket. In the second quarter, we started to make an adjustment and then in the second half, we really turned up the defensive pressure which changed the game.”
Tyler Brouhard finished with 10 points, eight of them in the first half with a 3-pointer late in the half that gave the Cavaliers a 28-21 halftime advantage.
Kip Atteberry added eight points, Tony Touma five points and Kohl Thurman and Levi Triplett two points each.
“We got the inside game established early,” Myers said. “Jay did a good job of finishing inside and then our guards stepped up and knocked down some big shots. Guys that don’t typically score a lot of points for us all got their names in the scoring column.”
Atteberry’s trifecta late in the third put the Cavaliers up 45-32 entering the fourth and Touma knocked down another trifecta to extend the lead to 48-34 after Exeter opened the scoring in the fourth.
“Kip had a great shooting night the other night,” Myers said. “He carried that over into this game. We hope that he keeps that confidence going into next week and on into districts.”
Thomas Jefferson improved to 16-6 overall and 3-1 in the Ozark 7 Conference, and the Cavaliers are back in action Tuesday at home against conference and district foe Verona.
The Cavaliers have games remaining against Verona and then city, conference, and district rival McAuley Catholic before the start of the postseason.
“Trying to build on the things we’ve been working on all year and trying to finetune a few things here and there to try and make a good run come playoff time,” Myers said.
Thomas Jefferson, two-time defending district champion, owns the top seed for the upcoming Class 1 District 7 tournament hosted by Golden City.
Thomas Jefferson girls 57, Exeter 11
The Cavaliers scored the first 20 points of the game and never looked back during a 46-point victory Thursday over their conference rival.
“We played them early in the season and (tonight) was the same type of game as before,” Thomas Jefferson coach Traci Walker said. “Our focus right now is on districts. We play McAuley on Senior Night next Thursday and then turn around and play them at districts. We have some team goals that we’re working on, so we tried using that for this game. We’re trying to finish above .500. That’s what we’re working on.”
Thomas Jefferson junior Gabbi Hiebert and sophomore Lannah Grigg combined for 49 points Thursday with Hiebert good for 29 and Grigg for 20.
“They are my dynamic duo,” Walker said. “It’s nice when we play teams that know they can’t guard both.”
Tannah Cassatt added four points and Macie Shifferd and Sarah Mueller each had two points for the Cavaliers.
Thomas Jefferson improved to 11-10 overall and 2-2 Ozark 7, and the Cavaliers return home Tuesday against conference foe Verona.
The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers eked out a 50-48 win over their city, conference and district rival McAuley Catholic on Wednesday night in the Mercy/Warrior Classic.
Neither team led by more than five points (McAuley Catholic 26-21 late in the first half and Thomas Jefferson 50-45 late in regulation) and the lead exchanged hands many times until early in the fourth when the Cavaliers took a 39-38 lead after consecutive baskets from seniors Jay Ball and Tyler Brouhard.
McAuley Catholic knocked the lead down to 46-45 within the final minute, but the Warriors had three turnovers, including two in the final 10 seconds, and Brouhard and Ball hit four straight free throws to extend the lead to five.
Michael Parrigon’s 3-point shot at the buzzer closed out the scoring.
“McAuley in the McAuley tournament on their court, we knew they were going to come out fired up and ready to go,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “I thought our kids did a really nice job down the stretch of executing those last 2 ½ minutes of the game and getting it done. I felt like our defensive energy the last two minutes of the game was fantastic and our offensive execution matched it. That’s what you want in a tight game down the stretch, that defensive intensity with the offensive execution to get it done.”
“Again, we’re right there, but we just had a four-minute stretch in that one that cost us,” McAuley Catholic coach Tony Witt said. “In the second quarter, we had three bad possessions to end the half. With a five-point lead, you have all the momentum sucked out of you going into the locker room. Then again, in the second half, we find ourselves in a situation where we’re leading, and we do the same exact thing again. That’s not what good teams do, and essentially puts tally marks in the loss column for you. That bug bit us again tonight.”
Brouhard led all scorers with 24 points and two of his highlights Wednesday were buzzer-beating 3-point shots in the first and second quarters. He scored 17 points in the first half.
Ball finished with 18 points, 14 of which he produced in the second half as the Cavaliers found ways to enter the ball to Ball in the midst of a Warrior defense surrounding him.
Kip Atteberry tallied six points, highlighted by an old-fashioned three-point play that put Thomas Jefferson ahead 42-38 with 4:54 remaining in regulation.
Kohl Thurman rounded out the Cavaliers’ scoring with a basket in the first quarter.
Thomas Jefferson improved to 14-4 overall and the Cavaliers play their in-town and conference rival College Heights (16-4) at 7 p.m. on Friday night at the College Heights Athletic Complex with the winner earning a spot in the Mercy/Warrior Classic title game on Saturday.
Also of note, Coach Myers reached a milestone by recording his 200th coaching victory.
The trio of Rocco Bazzano-Joseph, Noah Black, and Bradley Wagner each produced 12 points for the Warriors and Parrigon and Jack Jones combined for the other 12 points with Parrigon at seven and Jones at five.
McAuley Catholic dropped to 6-15 overall and nine of the Warriors’ 15 losses have come by a combined total of 29 points.
“I’m proud of our kids’ defensive effort all night,” Witt said. “It was an outstanding defensive effort. I mean, really for us, a four-minute stretch offensively is the difference for us in the game. I’m sure as a spectator it was a fun game to watch, but ultimately it stings for us at the end of this one.”
The Warriors play at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in the consolation game.
Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson and McAuley Catholic are certain to play each other soon … and possibly another time down the road this season in district competition.
“It was a great high school basketball game between two in-town rivals,” Myers said. “Obviously happy to be on the right side of this one. We’re going to end up playing them here again next week, so we know they’ll be ready for us.
“We’re in two or three of the same tournaments. Of course, we get them in conference play and then we’re in districts together. It’s starting to look more like we’re going to have a chance to matchup in districts. We might play them four times on four separate courts.”
“Could be a situation where we play each other on four different floors this year,” Witt said. “We’ll try and learn from this one and get better for the next one.”
The first two meetings this season ended in Thomas Jefferson’s favor.
East Newton girls 54, McAuley Catholic 23
Class 1 McAuley Catholic took a second tough loss in as many nights on their home court in their home tournament with a 31-point defeat against Class 3 East Newton on Wednesday.
The Warriors played the Patriots tough in the first quarter, trailing only 8-7 entering the second, but East Newton produced advantages of 17-4 in the second, 18-9 in the third, and 11-3 in the fourth.
Kloee Williamson led McAuley Catholic with 12 points, Lily Black and Vanessa Diaz each scored four, Kendall Ramsey added two, and Avery Gardner scored one point.
Brooklyn Blanchard scored a game-high 16 points to lead East Newton, while Josie Guinn added 12, Shaw Coburn 11, Cameran Clement eight, and Kadie Sesay seven points.
McAuley Catholic dropped to 7-14 overall and the Warriors play for seventh place on Friday.
The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers captured a third straight district title on Friday night.
Ball finished with a game-high 32 points, Thomas Jefferson hit more 3-point shots than Exeter did over the final three quarters and the Cavaliers’ defense tightened up on their way to a 59-41 win at the TJ Fieldhouse.