Nevada Middle School boys win tourney games

Nevada's Zach Gardner scores over Carthage's Kaden Carter during Tuesday night's semifinal game in the eighth-grade Tri-County basketball tournament, at Nevada Middle School.

Fresh off of their strong performances in the opening round of the Tri-County basketball tournaments, the Nevada Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade boys' basketball teams continued their winning ways, sweeping their semifinal matchups.

Nevada's seventh-grade boys found themselves pitted against the top-seeded Wildcats of Neosho, but had no trouble pulling off the upset. Head coach Robert Miner's squad earned the coach his 101st career win in dominant fashion, by a final score of 41-19.

Matt Thompson led the Tigers in the contest with a double-double, netting 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kayden Ast added eight points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Coleton Shepard finished the night with six steals.

"The boys played great team defense tonight," Miner said. "We ran our offense effectively and the boys put forth tremendous effort. The boys hustled, on both ends of the floor."

The eighth-grade contest didn't end in quite as dominant a decision, but head coach Lance Sargent's Tigers still came out on top in their semifinal matchup against Carthage. Sargent's squad won that game by a final score of 38-28.

With the wins, both of Nevada's teams moved on to the tournament championship games. Sargent's squad is set to host second-seeded Neosho at 6:45 p.m., Thursday, in the eighth-grade tournament, while Miner's seventh-graders will take on Joplin South at 6:45 p.m., Thursday, at Joplin South Middle School.