BOYS
Central 52 (8-4)
Platte County 36
GIRLS
Benton 45 (12-0, 1-0 MEC)
Smithville 22
Lafayette 48 (10-2, 1-0 MEC)
Maryville 25
Chillicothe 46
Bishop LeBlond 25 (4-8. 0-1 MEC)
Author: Dave Riggert
City High School Basketball Scores – Thursday, January 7
BOYS
Benton 65 (8-2)
Smithville 58
Chillicothe 59
Bishop LeBlond 40 (6-6)
No. 20 Missouri women bounce back to win at Georgia
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Jordan Frericks had 11 points and a key block with seven seconds left and No. 20 Missouri made four free throws in the final four seconds to defeat Georgia 54-48 Thursday night.
Cierra Porter had 11 points, including three of the late free throws, as the Tigers (14-1, 1-1 SEC) bounced back from their first loss of the season with a strong defensive effort.
Fredricks blocked Tiaria Griffin’s 3-point attempt with seven seconds left to protect a 50-48 lead. Porter and Sophie Cunningham each made 1 of 2 free throws with four seconds left as the Bulldogs were hit with a technical. On the ensuing possession a second late Porter made two free throws.
Griffin had 14 points and Shacobia Barbee had 10 and 14 rebounds for Georgia (12-3, 0-2), which shot just 26 percent for the game. After taking a 43-38 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs closed by going 2 of 13.
— Associated Press —
Husker women get routed by No. 8 Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — After enduring one of the most challenging stretches of the season, Maryland coach Brenda Frese was proud that her team responded with its “most complete game.”
Malina Howard scored 15 points and No. 8 Maryland routed Nebraska 89-50 on Thursday night.
Maryland rebounded from losses to No. 1 UConn and No. 5 Ohio State last week. The setback to the Buckeyes snapped the Terrapins’ 31-game winning streak against Big Ten foes dating to 2007.
“We were ready to go from the tip,” Frese said. “I thought it showed great character. We had a lot of fun. You could see that. We got a lot better tonight.”
Brene Moseley added 14 points, and Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each had 11 for Maryland (13-2, 2-1). Tierney Pfirman was 5 of 7 from the field and finished with 10 points for the Terrapins.
Allie Havers, Jasmine Cincore and Maddie Simon each had nine points for Nebraska (9-5, 0-3). The Cornhuskers were 16 of 53 (30.2 percent) from the field.
Pfirman’s jumper capped a 10-0 run and Maryland led 24-12 with 7:30 left in the second quarter. Nebraska made just five of its opening 23 shots and had no answer for Maryland’s inside game.
Back-to-back layups and a 3-pointer by Walker-Kimbrough extended the lead to 46-21 at the break.
Maryland scored eight points off 12 turnovers in the opening half.
“Our transition was really good,” Moseley said. “I think our energy came off that. We were knocking down shots.”
The Terrapins continued to pull away in the third quarter. A layup by Moseley and short jumper by Pfirman provided a 62-29 lead with 4:19 remaining. The Cornhuskers were never effective getting into their offense with Maryland’s constant pressure and made several errant passes.
“I think Maryland is very underrated in terms of execution,” Nebraska coach Connie Yori said. “They’re just very well-coached and they are deep. They do a very good job of taking advantage of any errors that you make. We are a very young team that makes a lot of errors.”
Every player for Maryland got in the game and a layup by Kiara Leslie gave the Terps an 82-40 lead with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter. Maryland outscored Nebraska 46-16 inside the paint and had 25 assists, the second most this season.
“We came out with a chip on our shoulder,” Howard said. “We just wanted to get back out on the court and play against competition to show what Maryland basketball really is. We wanted to get back to who we really are.”
TIP-INS
Nebraska: Guard Rachel Theriot ranks eighth nationally with 7.0 assists per game. She finished with just two against Maryland. … All five of Nebraska’s losses this season have come against ranked teams.
Maryland: The Terps entered the game ranked third nationally with 87.1 points per game. … Maryland improved to 5-0 against Nebraska, beating the Cornhuskers three times in the past two seasons.
NO ANSWER FOR JONES
Jones was a tough matchup for Nebraska because of her size (6-foot-3) and her ability to drive to the basket. She finished 11 points and nine rebounds. Jones, who leads the nation in field-goal percentage at 71 percent, went 5 of 9 from the field.
EASING BACK
Nebraska freshman forward Rachel Blackburn came off the bench for the second straight game. She returned to the lineup Sunday against Northwestern after missing the previous three games with an illness. Blackburn played 14 minutes against the Terps and had 2 points.
UP NEXT
Nebraska hosts Illinois on Sunday.
Maryland hits the road against Iowa on Sunday.
— Associated Press —
Mizzou drops SEC opener at Georgia 77-59
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — When Missouri shifted more defensive attention to Yante Maten, Georgia’s outside shooters filled the scoring void.
J.J. Frazier scored 16 points to lead Georgia’s strong 3-point attack and the Bulldogs beat Missouri 77-59 on Wednesday night for their first Southeastern Conference win.
Frazier made four of six 3-pointers. Maten had 15 points, including 11 in the first eight minutes, and Charles Mann added 14 for Georgia (8-4, 1-1 SEC).
The Bulldogs made 11 of 19 3-pointers.
Georgia scored the first 10 points and never trailed. It led 45-32 at halftime and kept the lead around 20 points for most of the second half.
Freshman Kevin Puryear led Missouri (7-7, 0-1 SEC) with 19 points. Wes Clark had 13 and no other Tigers scored in double figures.
Missouri’s defense made it more difficult to pass the ball inside to Maten after the Bulldogs’ power forward had 11 of his team’s first 17 points. Georgia had outside options, including the 3-point shooting of Frazier, Mann and Kenny Gaines, who had 11 points.
“I think he’s the best post player in the conference,” said Mann of Maten.
Maten said he “just played within the offense” during his strong start. The emergence of Maten gives Georgia a strong inside-outside game. Maten said the team’s 3-point shooters should make it tough on SEC defenses to focus their attention on him.
“I think it’s going to be difficult because I can be a dominant post presence and if they’re worried about me, Kenny, J.J. and (Mann) can hit the 3s,” Maten said. “If they’re going well, it opens up my game.”
Maten has scored at least 20 points in six of his last nine games during his breakout season. He has emerged as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, with an average of 16.5 points.
“Tried to do everything I could to slow (Maten) down, and I think I did a decent job of that,” Puryear said.
The Tigers had a mini-rally with seven straight points midway through the second half to trim Georgia’s lead to 57-42. Mann hit a 3-pointer, followed by a basket by freshman Derek Ogbeide, to push the lead back to 20 points.
While Georgia enjoyed strong outside shooting, the Tigers made only 3 of 19 3-pointers. Namon Wright had nine points but missed each of his four 3s.
“I thought we had some looks early and we couldn’t hit them,” said Missouri coach Kim Anderson. “… I saw that we missed 13 close shots in the second half. That can’t happen.”
—
RECORD FOR MANN
Mann, a senior, made 2 of 3 free throws to pass Litterial Green’s school record of 744 career free-throw attempts. Mann has attempted 748.
“That’s not going to make my year, but I’m excited to be in Georgia basketball history forever,” Mann said.
Mann also had six assists with only one turnover and six rebounds.
“He was outstanding, he really was,” said Georgia coach Mark Fox of Mann. “I thought he played at both ends.”
Green became Georgia’s all-time scoring leader during his career from 1988-92.
TIP-INS
Missouri: The Tigers fell to 0-3 on the road. … Missouri couldn’t continue momentum gained from back-to-back wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Savannah State by a combined margin of 84 points. … Clark, coming off a career-high 22 points against Savannah State, scored in double figures for the fourth straight game.
Georgia: Kenny Paul Geno ended a 0-for-14 drought on 3-pointers, covering seven games, in the second half. … The Bulldogs won their fourth straight over Missouri. … Georgia made a season-best 54.7 percent of its shots from the field. … The 11 3s set a season high.
UP NEXT:
Missouri: Hosts Auburn on Saturday.
Georgia: At Mississippi on Saturday.
— Associated Press —
Miller gives Missouri State 59-58 win over Northern Iowa
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Dequon Miller’s layup with five seconds left lifted Missouri State to a 59-58 victory over Northern Iowa on Wednesday night, snapping the Bears’ four-game losing streak.
Ryan Kreklow made three free throws, two with 42 seconds left, to cut Northern Iowa’s lead to 58-57. After the Panthers struggled to get the ball upcourt, calling two timeouts, Klint Carlson missed on a baseline drive. Kreklow got the rebound and Miller raced down the floor and scored before the Panthers’ Wes Washpun missed a short jumper at the buzzer.
The victory snapped a six-game losing streak to Northern Iowa.
Chris Kendrix scored 17 points to lead the Bears (5-10, 1-2 Missouri Valley). Obediah Church added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Washpun and Matt Bohannon each had 15 points for the Panthers (9-7, 1-2).
The Panthers never trailed in the second half until Miller’s winning basket, leading by 10 with 9:17 remaining.
— Associated Press —
Kansas women fall at home to No. 6 Baylor
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Despite holding the Lady Bears to their second-lowest scoring performance of the season, Kansas women’s basketball fell to No. 6 Baylor, 58-40, after a third quarter offensive surge on Wednesday evening inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas emerged from the locker room after halftime trailing Baylor by only eight points. The Lady Bears’ 30 points tied the second-lowest first half total this season, despite shooting 52 percent from the field. BU turned things up in the second half, however, connecting on its first eight field goal attempts to push the lead to 20 points and out of reach for the Jayhawks.
The Lady Bears (15-1, 2-1 Big 12) were led by the Big 12’s second-leading scorer, junior forward Nina Davis. A game-high 16 points from Davis continued her streak of double-figure scoring in every game this season, but also marked her lowest scoring performance in the last six games. Senior guard Niya Johnson and redshirt junior Alexis Jones each logged 12 points, with Johnson dishing out a game-high eight assists and Jones draining Baylor’s two long-range buckets of the night.
Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle brought the energy all night for the Jayhawks (5-9, 0-3 Big 12), leading the team in both points (12) and rebounds (6). The Columbia, Missouri native shot 2-of-7 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, while also grabbing three of Kansas’ four offensive rebounds. Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen tallied nine points and three rebounds. The only Jayhawk to shoot 50 percent or better was freshman guard Kylee Kopatich, connecting on 3-of-6 attempts.
It took two and a half minutes for either team to score, before Davis rattled in a jumper to get the Lady Bears on the board first. By the first media timeout at the 4:53 mark, the Jayhawks forced four Baylor turnovers and trailed by a single point. Out of the break, four-straight made field goals helped the Bears take off on an 11-2 run to push their lead to 17-4. Kansas answered by claiming the last five points of the first quarter to bring the score to 17-9 after the first ten minutes of play.
Freshman guard Aisia Robertson gave the Jayhawks a spark on the first play of the second quarter with a steal and a fast-break layup. Baylor then collected six of the game’s next seven points, stretching its lead to 11 points. A five-point scoring streak midway through the period brought Kansas back to within six, 23-17. The conference foes remained evenly matched over the final minutes of the half, with a pair of free throws from Cheadle cutting the Baylor lead, 30-22, concluding the second quarter’s scoring.
The Lady Bears entered the game averaging more than 45 points in the paint per game, but Kansas managed to hold the visitors to just 14 points inside in the first half. Each team played tight defense over the first 20 minutes of action, forcing the other to commit 11 turnovers. The Jayhawks tallied six steals to Baylor’s four.
The second half opened with a 14-2 run by Baylor to extend its lead to 44-24 by the 4:33 mark of the third quarter. The two squads traded baskets through the remainder of the period, putting up six points each. Jones hit Baylor’s first three-point attempt of the second half as time expired, giving the visitors a 50-30 advantage. BU shot 75 percent from the field in the third quarter, sinking 9-of-12 attempts from the field to outscore Kansas by 12 points. The Jayhawks’ eight points was the lowest third quarter total this season.
Kansas continued to fight in the final 10 minutes of action, and significantly slowed down the Baylor offense. The Lady Bears shot 3-of-14 from the field as the Jayhawks outscored the conference favorites 10-8. It marked just the third time this season that Baylor was held to single-digit scoring in a quarter. Manning-Allen’s layup with less than 30 seconds left in the contest brought the score to 58-40, where the score would hold to give the Lady Bears their second conference victory.
— KU Athletics —
Alex Gordon signs four-year deal to return to World Series champion Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – With a cold wind blowing outside and the warmth of spring training still more than a month away, Alex Gordon walked into the home clubhouse of Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday and grinned.
He was home. And he will be for a while.
The All-Star outfielder signed a $72 million, four-year deal to remain with the Kansas City Royals, the long-downtrodden team that drafted him more than a decade ago, and that he helped climb to the pinnacle of the sport with a World Series triumph this past season.
“When I walked into the locker room, it put a smile on my face,” Gordon said, “because at the end of the season, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do that again.”
Gordon will make $12 million this season, $16 million next and $20 million each of the following two years. The deal includes a $23 million mutual option for 2020 with a $4 million buyout. If he is traded, the option would be voided and the $4 million would become an assignment bonus.
The deal is the richest in franchise history, trumping $55 million agreements given to longtime first baseman Mike Sweeney and starting pitcher Gil Meche.
“I mean, we all wanted to make it fair for both sides,” Gordon said. “It was definitely a process but we got to that point and I’m happy with where I’m at now.”
Gordon declined a $13.75 million option to test free agency, but several outfielders on the market — including Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton — may have depressed the 31-year-old’s value. And there is Gordon’s recent injury history that limited him to 104 games last season.
“He’s an easy player to root for,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “Alex is one of the greatest players and stories I’ve been around in the game, how he persevered and the changes he made and how he did it and how he led, and he didn’t complain. He just went to work and made himself an All-Star, a Gold Glove winner. … He is a pillar of our clubhouse and our organization, no doubt.”
The second overall pick of the Royals in the 2005 amateur draft, Gordon went through years of growing pains before finally becoming a star. He not only developed into one of the best defensive outfielders in the game with four Gold Gloves, but also a consistent hitter and clubhouse leader.
Gordon dealt with a wrist injury early last season, then sustained a serious groin injury that sidelined him much for the summer. He wound up playing in just 104 games, hitting .271 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs, though he did get voted to his third consecutive All-Star Game.
Gordon returned in time for the playoffs, where he hit.241 while playing all 16 games. His home run off Mets closer Jeurys Familia sent the World Series opener to extra innings and allowed the Royals to win in 14 innings. The Royals went on to beat the Mets in five games
During the ensuing parade, hundreds of thousands of fans feted Gordon as the caravan wound through downtown Kansas City, confirming his status as one of the franchise’s most popular players.
“We’ve been here for 10 years and really established our home here,” Gordon said, “so coming into the offseason, we were very appreciative of all the teams that showed us interest. But the end of the day, my heart has always been and I think always will be in Kansas City.”
Notoriously frugal, the Royals once against showed their willingness to open their checkbook.
Along with bringing back Gordon, the team has re-signed pitcher Chris Young to an $11.5 million, two-year deal to solidify their rotation and brought back former closer Joakim Soria on a $25 million, three-year deal. They’ve also exercised an $8 million option on All-Star closer Wade Davis and a $5.25 million option on All-Star shortstop Alcides Escobar.
With a number of players likely to get significant raises in arbitration, including All-Star outfielder Lorenzo Cain, third baseman Mike Moustakas, left hander Danny Duffy and outfielder Jarrod Dyson, the Royals could have another record payroll this season.
“We’re going to continue to work our roster, massage it in ways that are going to help us win,” Moore said. “If you look at the evolution of the 2015 roster, we made adjustments along the way, and I’m confident we’re going to be able to do that to put the best lineup on the field.”
— Associated Press —
Western women move up to No. 13 in latest WBCA/USA Today Top 25
ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team has moved up three spots to No. 13 in the latest WBCA/USA Today Division II top 25 poll. It’s the highest ranking for the Griffons since 2007 as they’re off to a 14-0 start, the best official start in school history.
Missouri Western entered this week ranked 16th in the poll and is one of three MIAA teams inside the top-13. The Griffons are one of just two remaining undefeated teams not ranked in the top-10 of the poll. Four undefeated teams are ranked ahead of Missouri Western including No. 1 West Texas A&M (12-0). MIAA foe Fort Hays State dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 after its first loss of the season, 82-71, on Dec. 19 at Southwest Baptist. Another MIAA team, Emporia State is the only two-loss team in the top-10 at 11-2 on the season. The Lady Hornets have losses to Fort Hays and Missouri Southern.
Missouri Western sits atop the MIAA standings and entered the week second in all of Division II in field goal percentage, scoring margin, scoring offense and steals. Overall the team ranked in the top-10 nationally in eight statistical categories. MIAA leading scorer LaQuinta Jefferson was named the MIAA Athlete of the Week for the third consecutive week and fourth time in the last five weeks on Monday. Jefferson entered the week third in the nation in scoring and her 23.5 points per game are most in the MIAA by more than three points per game.
The Griffons will be tested in the coming weeks. After ending a four-game homestand this coming Saturday with Northwest Missouri State, the Griffons travel to Washburn and Emporia State next week. Washburn currently sits fourth in the MIAA, tied with No. 8 Emporia State. Missouri Western then returns home for games against No. 3 Fort Hays, which sits second in the MIAA, and Nebraska-Kearney before travelling to fifth place Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern the last week of January.
— MWSU Athletics —
City High School Basketball Scores – Tuesday, January 5
BOYS
Lafayette 72 (11-1)
Maryville 39
Central 46 (7-4)
Oak Park 45
GIRLS
Lafayette 64 (9-2)
Hogan Prep 6