Tigers, Lady Tigers sweep Purple Dragons

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

PITTSBURG, Kan. — It was an eventful evening on the hardwood for the Nevada Tiger and Lady Tiger varsity basketball teams Tuesday.

The varsity twinbill opened with the Lady Tigers' decisive victory over the Pittsburg Purple Dragons, 61-34.

In the nightcap, the Nevada boys withstood a furious Purple Dragon (21-0) fourth quarter run, holding on for the 65-61 victory.

Noah Cheaney's 3-pointer at the third quarter horn handed Nevada a commanding 22-point advantage.

Sparked by the play of All-State caliber guard Javon Grant, Pittsburg stormed back. Four consecutive free throw makes by Grant trimmed Pittsburg's deficit to 62-61 with 47 seconds remaining in regulation.

Coming out of a full time-out Nevada was able to milk clock, forcing Pittsburg to foul. Junior guard Logan McNeley stepped to the charity stripe with 15 seconds remaining, knocking down a pair of free throws for a three-point lead.

Grant was then off-target on a game-tying 3-point attempt. After hauling in the rebound, Logan Applegate hit the front-end of a 1-and-1, accounting for the final margin.

Grant concluded with a game-high 33 points. Senior power forward Dalton Gayman paced the Tigers with a team-high 24. Additionally for Nevada, Lane McNeley tallied 16 points — all coming in the first half.

"Great to get a win, while still learning from our poor fourth quarter," said Nevada head coach Shaun Gray. "This was a really good win against a high-quality opponent, on the road, and in a tough atmosphere. We are really proud of our guys' effort and togetherness."

Added Gray: "A great three quarters of basketball by our guys. Total team effort. Logan Applegate distributed well, Dalton played hard all night — and got the ball to the basket with authority. Grant Miller (came)off the bench, drawing charges in the first half."

Gray further discussed the fourth quarter.

"We got in a hurry when we should have been patient," he said. "We also showed fatigue, and were worn down. We allowed pressure to speed us up, and we took average shots. In the future, we have to be more patient, and make the opponent guard for longer stretches."

In the girls' varsity contest Alison Bower dropped in a game-high 16 points, while Lady Tiger teammate Calli Beshore chipped in 15.

Other action

Outside of the varsity clashes, Nevada emerged victorious in three of four other contests. The Lady Tiger JV team defeated Pittsburg, 48-40 — while the Lady Tiger freshman team fell, 37-31. Nevada's JV boys knocked off Pittsburg, 51-43, as Evan Rea and Eli Cheaney combined for 23 points.

Nevada's freshman boys team won 42-37, as Trent Otter dropped in a game-high 16 points.

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