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Lady Tigers rout Carl Junction, 62-42
Three players in double figures, seven of eight players to take the floor getting into the scoring column and a 20-point victory over quality competition have all been things that Nevada Lady Tigers head coach Brent Bartlett expected to see from his squad all year long. Bartlett finally got what he wanted Wednesday night as his squad took on the Carl Junction Lady Bulldogs in the Nevada Classic tournament and came out of Wynn Gymnasium with a 62-42 victory.
"I'm thrilled for them because the work ethic the last two weeks of practice has been how it needs to be," Bartlett said. "It's not always fun, but when you work like they have been, it carries over into a game and I'm glad that they've been successful."
Though Nevada only had eight players available to take the floor in Wednesday's contest, it didn't seem to matter as the Lady Tigers were able to dictate the pace of nearly the entire game on their way to winning every quarter and pulling out the 20-point victory. That performance was a far cry from some of the struggles Nevada has seen so far this year, including the last meeting between the two squads in which Nevada put up just 42 points in a 42-36 victory.
Though it took Nevada's offense a little bit of time to find a rhythm and get going, the defense more than did its job to keep the game close early. Despite having an all too commonly low-scoring first quarter, the Lady Tigers still came out of the opening 8 minutes with a 9-7 lead from which they never looked back.
"The overall effort by everyone in every aspect of the game, offense and defense, is what's helping our team right now," Bartlett said. "Our full court press is creating some things for us."
Things picked up from that point on for Nevada and it looked as though Bartlett's squad may be on its way to its second blowout win of the tournament. By the time the first half came to a close, the Lady Tigers had found the offensive spark they needed and won the second quarter 18-3 to take a 27-10 advantage into the locker room on the heels of what Bartlett called a "great first half."
"I'm thrilled," Bartlett said. "It seems like they're having fun. You know, it seems like they're wanting it for each other and for the name across their chest -- Nevada."
That momentum carried over into the second half as the Lady Tigers scored the first seven points of the third quarter to take a 26-point lead and seemingly had the game well in hand. Carl Junction had other ideas, however, and ultimately attempted a comeback that eventually cut the lead to 14, but it simply wasn't enough.
Though the scoreboard made the game appear to be controlled entirely by Nevada, the Lady Tigers did have their share of struggles as the minutes wore on in the second half. Turnovers and foul trouble became a major course of issue in the game's final period, causing the Lady Tigers to lose two of their eight available players when Tori Dahmer fouled out with 4 minutes, 17 seconds left and Allie Irwin followed suit 2 minutes later.
"Good team effort, great win. It wasn't pretty at all," Bartlett said. "I mean, when you have a lead like that in the fourth quarter, you take care of the ball, you make your free throws and you keep the clock running. You don't foul. And that's something we didn't do."
Despite being down to just six players for the final two minutes of the game, the Lady Tigers were still able to hold on and win the fourth quarter, 23-22, to take the game by a final score of 62-42. Tiffani Long led the offensive effort for the Lady Tigers with 18 points, followed by Lexi Johnson with 12 and Dahmer with 10. For Carl Junction, Mackenzie Valenti led the offensive effort with 16 points -- all in the second half.
With that win, the Lady Tigers improved to 2-0 in the tournament and will now move on to face either Carthage or Nixa in the championship game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
"We have a goal of not just playing for the championship, but winning this championship," Bartlett said. "So they're one more obstacle in our way."
Joplin 59, Kansas City Northeast 8
Joplin Lady Eagles Jessie McMullen, Olivia Pendley and Tylan Martin could have each beaten the Lady Vikings of Kansas City Northeast as they each broke into double figures, helping their squad earn a 51-point win by a final score of 59-8 in the consolation bracket semifinals of the Nevada Classic tournament Wednesday night.
McMullen led all scorers on the night with 15 points, followed by Martin with 12 and Pendley with 10. Reality Sampson was responsible for more than half of the Lady Vikings' offense as she put up five of her squads eight points.
With the win, Joplin moves on to face the winner of the Lamar vs. Raymore-Peculiar game that is scheduled to be played tonight in the fifth-place game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., while Northeast drops into the seventh-place contest.