Nevada freshmen fall at home, 36-24

Nevada's Andrew Heathman shoots for two of his six points during Tuesday's game against Webb City.

By Eric Wade

Nevada Daily Mail

The Nevada High School freshman boys' basketball squad got back into action Tuesday night against the Cardinals of Webb City and despite the fact that the end result didn't go their way, head coach Kyle Talley came out of the night pleased.

"I thought we handled the ball well on this night as well. The first time we played them they turned us over a bunch," Talley said. "It's a credit to our kids, who were able to execute a new press offense in just one day of practice."

Talley said his squad, "played very well defensively," but Webb City took advantage of a number of struggles on the boards. That was all the edge the Cardinals needed as they took the victory by a final score of 36-24.

"We could have blocked out a bit better and the kids recognized that, but overall a positive game effort that a team can build upon," he said. (I'm) still very proud of these kids. They have played really well in the last four out of six games."

Derek O'Dell led the offensive effort for the Tigers as he finished with eight points. Andrew Heathman followed closely with six, while Brett Mitchell had five, Levi Palmer had three and Chaden Brandt finished with two.

For Webb City, Gabe Yokley led the offense with seven, while Keeton Marsh and Brett Busick each had six, Tryston Colon-Castillo finished with five and Zach Davidson, Derick Newby and Jordan Sterling each had four.

The Tigers were in a hole right from the start as Webb City opened a 10-3 lead after the opening period. That lead only got bigger as the opening half wore on and Talley's squad eventually found itself in a 22-9 hole at halftime. The Cardinals won the third quarter, 6-5 to extend their lead to 28-14 before the Tigers used a 10-8 fourth to cut the final margin to eight

Talley's Tigers are scheduled to be back in action today, when they host the Tigers of Lamar, at 5 p.m.