Nevada Middle School hoopsters sweep Monett on hardwood

Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Nevada Middle School seventh-grade point guard Clara Swearingen surveils the floor while dribbling along the perimeter during an early-season contest.
Matt Resnick | Daily Mail

The Nevada Lady Tiger seventh and eighth-grade basketball teams notched victories over visiting Monett on Monday night.

The seventh-grade Lady Tigers rolled to a convincing 44-20 victory, while Nevada’s eighth-grade team roughed up the visitors, 42-10.

In the eighth-grade contest, Nevada ran out to a 12-2 first quarter lead, and led 18-6 at the halftime break.

Nevada then came out red-hot in the second half, outscoring Monett 16-9 en route to a a commanding 34-15 lead. The Lady Tigers then doubled up Monett 10-5 in the final frame, accounting for the final 24-point margin.

Nevada point guard Maddy Majors poured in a game-high 16 points. Also finish in double-figure scoring for Nevada were Kristin Buck, chipping in a dozen, and Abbey Heathman with 10.

“I was a little unsure how we would play coming off Thanksgiving break,” said Nevada eighth-grade head coach Lori Thorp. “But the girls were ready to start the week off the right way.”

Thorp said the victory was a collective team effort, as the Lady Tigers improve to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 8 Conference.

“We have focused on rebounding and taking care of the ball, and we were definitely successful with both of those against Monett,” said Thorp.

Thorp also said she was thrilled with her squad’s defensive effort

“It has been so exciting to see the girls defensive intensity,” summed up Thorp. “We played four quarters of basketball tonight. It was a great start to a big week of basketball.”

In the seventh-grade clash, Nevada led 10-2 at the conclusion of the opening frame, before seizing a 24-8 halftime advantage.

A 16-0 third quarter blitz put the game out of reach for Monett, as the Lady Tigers went on top 40-8, on their way to the dominant 32-point victory.

Abbi Balk spearheaded Nevada’s balanced offensive attack with a game-high eight points — while Lanie Jackson, Kara Phillips, and Clara Swearingen chipped in six points apiece.

“We were very balanced tonight,” said Nevada seventh-grade head coach Danny Penn. “We did a pretty good job defensively, and that turned into some transition opportunities. We did a nice job of keeping our heads up and looking to advance the ball.”

The victory moves Nevada to 7-0 overall.

“We are continuing to focus on running our offense, and we’re slowly getting better,” said Penn. “We’re doing a better job of looking to enter the ball into the post. The next step is recognizing that a double-team means someone is open, and finding the open person.”

In B-game action, the eighth-grade Lady Tigers (2-3) prevailed 15-7, as Kaydence Roper dropped in a game-high 10 points.

The Nevada seventh-grade B-team, meanwhile, steamrolled to a 28-2 victory.

For Nevada, Jackson and Lindey Wilson finished with six points apiece.

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