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Lights out 3-point shooting hands Nevada first ever West Central Conference win
Nevada Daily Mail
The Nevada Tigers boys basketball team rewarded fans with an early Christmas present by picking up their first home win of the year, Friday night.
In addition, the Tigers 70-57 triumph over Warrensburg was the team's first ever West Central Conference victory (after beginning WCC play this season).
"The win means a lot," Nevada head coach Shaun Gray said. "We have a lot of young kids that have never had a conference win. It's one we'll remember for a long time. And hopefully the first of many more to come."
The win improves the Tigers to 2-6 overall (and 1-4, in WCC play).
Shooting guard Brandon Barker stuck two 3-pointers in the early-going, and added a 12-foot jumper, sparking a 10-0 Nevada run to open the game.
With 3:02 to play in the first quarter, Barker crossed over his defender, and then stepped back behind the arc, where he drilled another long-ball to hand Nevada a 20-6 lead.
On Nevada's next possession, Barker continued to let fly from long-range, connecting again, this time from the right wing, to put the Tigers in control, 23-6.
"He was so hot I think you could have put him outside in the parking lot and it was going to go in," Gray said. "When you get hot, you can take them a little quicker than you normally would. And those looks he got, he squared up in rhythm and knocked them down."
With two free throws from guard Andrew Heathman, Nevada extended its lead to 17 points.
On the Tigers next possession, Barker lofted a pass from near mid-court into the hands of freshman center Clay Gayman, who was waiting underneath the basket for an easy layup. Gayman's bucket put Nevada up 27-8 late in the first quarter.
Warrensburg responded with a 4-0 run, cutting the Tigers lead to 27-12 with 7:32 to play in the second.
With 6:48 on the first half clock, Nevada point guard Tristan Smith reversed the ball to Barker on the left wing, where he knocked down his fifth trey of the half, handing the Tigers a 30-12 lead.
"I don't know how we kept getting him so open," Gray marveled. "He's pretty darn good when he's shooting in rhythm."
Nevada led 37-18 at the break, with Barker collecting 17 points.
Barker opened the second half right where he left off, swishing a 3-pointer from the left wing, to put Nevada out in front 40-18.
With 5:44 to play in the third, Heathman went up for a jumper, but instead of shooting, passed the ball in midair to Gayman under the basket. Gayman was fouled going up, and hit both free throws to give the Tigers a 45-22 lead.
"Andy, I thought had his best game of the year," Gray said. "He made a lot of smart decisions with the basketball. And hopefully he's turned the corner, and that's what we're going to see from him going forward."
With 58 seconds left in the third quarter, Nevada guard Matt Sommer missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but Heathman was able maneuver into the lane, grab the rebound, and score on a layup, putting the Tigers ahead 47-28.
"Any time you don't make a free throw, but get a second chance, it's deflating to the other team," Gray said.
After a 5-0 run, Warrensburg headed into the fourth quarter trailing 47-33.
Brady Roop kept Warrensburg in the game, as the 6-foot-4 forward reeled off six quick points, trimming the Tigers lead to 51-39 early in the final frame.
Roop, who finished with 29 points, was hit with an intentional foul on Smith, but Barker was sent to the line, where he hit 1 of 2 free throws.
Nevada again extended their lead, after swinging the ball around the perimeter, Heathman found Gayman on the low block for a layup, putting Nevada in front 54-41.
Heathman continued to locate Gayman in the low post, as another close-range bucket put the Tigers up 58-45 with 3:35 to play.
From that point, Nevada's lead began to evaporate. Over the next 90 seconds, guard Dustin Dye knocked down three 3-pointers, shaving Warrensburg's deficit to five points at 61-56, with 1:55 left on the clock.
Gray said his players weren't as focused as they should have been on Dye.
"Roop had been hurting us so much, that I think all eyes were on him," Gray said.
After inbounding the ball, Nevada committed a turnover near half court. With a chance to make it a one possession game, Warrensburg sophomore Maison DeVries launched a 3-pointer from the right wing, but came up short.
After coming up with the rebound, Gayman was fouled and sent to the line, where he hit both free throws. Nevada led 63-56 with 1:32 left to play.
On the other end, after Roop sank 1 of 2 free throws with 1:27 showing on the clock, Barker hit Heathman with a three-quarters-court pass for a layup, stretching the Tiger lead to 65-57 with 1:12 remaining.
After a Roop miss on Warrensburg's next possession, Gayman was again fouled, and headed back to the line for a pair. Gayman netted both to seal the victory, finishing a perfect 8 for 8 from the charity stripe.
"He went to the line and kept on extending our lead, and that was huge for us," Gray said. "As a freshman, having never played at this level, and to step up and do that ---- it says a lot about the kind of young man he is."
For Nevada, Barker finished with 26 points, while hitting six triples.
"Before, Brandon struggled a bit with being off-balance, fading, or rushing it when somebody was flying at him," Gray said. "I think this is just the spark he needs to get going."
Gayman poured in 24 points in the winning effort .
"When we reversed the basketball, their help-side defense wasn't there," Gray said. "So we were able to lob it into Clay. They were worried about getting out on Brandon. And once we started getting it into Clay, then that got Brandon open too. It was a great inside-out effort by our boys."
Heathman added nine points.
"Andy's not one who's going to score 15 or 20 points," Gray said. "He starts for us because of the energy he brings, his high motor, and his ability to defend."
Gray said he was impressed with the crowd turnout.
"We had youth basketball players out, and we appreciate all of the boys and their families coming," Gray said. "We had a lot of alumni here, and it was a great crowd that energized the boys."
The win sends the Tigers into Christmas break on a high-note.
"I told the boys that we have two weeks to enjoy this," Gray said. "Coming back, we have some games that I feel good about, with Seneca and Carthage. And this is a great jump-start to get us on the roll that I think we can get on. We're excited going into Christmas break."