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Nevada boys cage Bulldogs with big second period
By Joe Warren
Herald-Tribune
NEVADA, Mo. -- A 17-3 run that began in the first quarter and ended in the second, vaulted the Nevada Tigers over the El Dorado Spring Bulldogs Friday night, 74-38.
The Tigers started out slow, as El Dorado Springs' Anthony Cauthon scored his team's first nine points to give the Bulldogs a 9-7 lead.
That's when junior guard Bryan Campbell took over the game, hitting a three from the right corner and then turning a steal into a layup to give Nevada a 12-9 lead going into the second period.
Drew Weatherly began the second quarter with his second 3-pointer of the game to give the Tigers a 15-9 lead, and Campbell got another bucket off a steal to put Nevada up by eight.
J.R. Mills scored on a layup on the next possession to make it a 10-point game.
A 3-pointer by Bulldog Logan Schwalm stopped the bleeding temporarily as El Do cut the lead to 19-12. Campbell struck right back, putting a short jumper in off the glass and the rout was on.
Weatherly hit another three to conclude the run, leaving Nevada up 24-12.
Campbell finished the game with a season-high 17 points, tying Weatherly for game-high honors.
"If there's one thing I can bring up," Nevada coach John McNeley said. "It's the way Bryan was guarding the basketball. As good an offensive player as he is, he might be a better defensive player."
The Tigers (4-1) forced El Dorado Springs (1-5) into 15 turnovers for the game, and committed only seven themselves, despite playing the second unit for much of the second half.
El Dorado Springs simply had no chance against the Tigers as they pushed the ball up the court every chance they got. That led to easy baskets by a host of Nevada players.
Weatherly was scorching from the perimeter, shooting 6-of-7 from the field, including 5-of-6 from behind the arc. The only field goal he shot that wasn't a three came on a jumper just two feet inside the 3-point line.
"We knew with him that it was only a matter of time before he got hot," McNeley said. "He's too good of a shooter."
Eleven players got in the game for Nevada, and all of them scored.
Logan Moore had eight points off the bench and Mills added seven, despite missing his only 3-point attempt.
"We've got a lot of people who can do a lot of things (offensively)," McNeley said.
Campbell, who led Nevada last season averaging over 14 points per game as a sophomore, had yet to get on track offensively this year. Even so, Nevada had gotten off to a 3-1 start, simply because they have so many options offensively.
The Tigers had struggled from the field their past two games -- one a loss to Carl Junction and the other a win over Clinton.
In Friday's game Nevada started out with the same offensive ineptitude, until Campbell got things going.
"I think we've been tight offensively because the ball wasn't going in and we're used to seeing it go in at practice," McNeley said. "People feed off (Campbell) and we've got a lot of people who can put up points when we're shooting well."
McNeley said the team played better overall than they had the previous two games.
"We had a lot better intensity," he said.
El Dorado Springs was led by Cauthon's 14 points. Kellen Hoover added 12, with 10 of those coming during the second period after Nevada finished their big run.
Nevada outscored El Dorado Springs 27-18 in the second quarter, then came out in the third period and put the game away. The Tigers had 21 points in the third, while holding El Do to only six.