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Tigers defend home court against Carthage
By Joe Warren
Nevada Daily Mail
NEVADA, Mo. -- Following a simple strategy for success, the Nevada Tigers beat the Carthage Tigers in Southwest Conference play at Wynn Gymnasium Wednesday, 52-38.
Employing a menacing 2-3 zone and an opportunistic offense, Nevada sprinted ahead with an 11-0 run in the third period and were in control the rest of the way.
The run, capped by back-to-back steals that were turned into layups by junior point guard Jordan Kerbs, gave Nevada a 34-21 lead with a minute to play in the third quarter. The consecutive plays took the air out of the visitors in blue, while emboldening the hosts in crimson and gray.
"They were still on the brink of maybe getting back in the ballgame," Nevada head coach John McNeley said of the atmosphere just prior to Kerbs' steals. "That's the point in time I really thought we had them."
The steals both came on plays where Kerbs anticipated passes to the top of the key, getting a hand in the passing lane and poking the ball away, then gathering the loose leather and finishing with an uncontested layup on the other end.
The two steals were representative of how Nevada (13-6 overall, 2-1 in the conference) always seemed a step ahead of Carthage (12-10, 3-2) on the defensive end. The hosts kept hands in the passing lanes all night, showing a knack for forecasting where the ball was going, leading to 17 Carthage turnovers. Meanwhile, Nevada only turned the ball over eight times.
"We got a lot of deflections and got them slowed down," McNeley said. "We just guarded real effectively."
Nevada also kept star guard Jason Adams from going off until the game was already in hand. Adams had only seven points in the first three periods, before erupting for 13 in the final quarter while Carthage was trying to play catch-up.
However, Carthage couldn't contain Nevada's own star, as Bryan Campbell had 17 of his 19 points in the first three periods. The 17 points accounted for exactly half of Nevada's team total through three quarters.
Leading by double digits the entire fourth period, Carthage resorted to a fouling strategy with four minutes to play, sending a parade of Nevada players to the free-throw line. Nevada's shooters were up to the task, hitting 14 of 18 charity tosses in the fourth period to secure the win.
Kerbs was the main beneficiary of the fouling strategy, knocking down seven of 10 from the line in the final quarter to go with the bumps and bruises from being purposely hacked.
Kerbs joined Campbell in double figures, scoring all of his 13 points in the second half.
The first period started out with Carthage seemingly looking to take control. Adams scored seven in the quarter as the visitors took an 11-6 lead. But Nevada didn't back down, getting all six of James Tumm's points in the opening period, and closing the quarter with an 8-0 run to take a three-point lead. Campbell scored all eight during the run, including a pair of shots from 3-point land.
The game remained close through the second period as neither team set the goals on fire, and Nevada led 21-17 going into the break.
The third period was just as tight until Nevada's run. Carthage closed to within 23-21 with 4:33 to play in the third before Nevada took control.
Campbell scored on back-to-back possessions, using the same play where he utilized a screen at the top of the key, then pulled up to knock down a jumper. The second shot was a trey, giving Nevada a 28-21 lead.
Spencer Thompson hit a jumper to make it 30-21, prompting a timeout from Carthage head coach Steve Ray, but the stoppage did nothing to stem the tide. Right out of the timeout Kerbs pulled his thievery and Nevada was no longer within Carthage's reach.
It was the second conference win in two days for Nevada, and they continue the busy week with a home game against McDonald County Friday, then a road game at McDonald County Saturday. Saturday's game is a make-up game that was originally scheduled for Jan. 12, but twice has been postponed due to weather.
Wednesday's contest against Carthage was also a make-up game, initially scheduled for Jan. 16.