BOYS
BISHOP LEBLOND HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT – 3RD PLACE GAME
Mid-Buchanan 59, Bishop LeBlond 55
NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC – SEMIFINALS
Lafayette 59, Ridgeway (TN) 54
GIRLS
BISHOP LEBLOND HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT – CHAMPIONSHIP
East Buchanan 38, Bishop LeBlond 36
NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC – CONSOLATION
Lafayette 47, Providence Academy (AR) 27
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Oklahoma State’s Phil Forte III and Le’Bryan Nash scored 21 points, including all 12 of the Cowboys’ points in overtime, lifting them to a 74-72 victory over Missouri on Tuesday night.
Anthony Hickey Jr. added 12 points for the Cowboys (10-2), who rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit and then had to withstand the Tigers’ own feverish comebacks.
Missouri (5-7) had a chance to take the lead late in overtime, but Tramaine Isabell — whose 3-pointer with 2-tenths of a second left forced overtime — turned the ball over.
Nash made two fouls shots with 5.4 seconds to go, and Oklahoma State fouled to prevent the Tigers from getting off another tying 3. Johnathan Williams III made the first of two free throws with 3 seconds left, and missed the second intentionally.
A tying floater bounced over the rim and harmlessly to the floor.
— Associated Press —
LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) — With all else failing on offense for Kansas, Kelly Oubre Jr. took control of the game.
Oubre scored 20 points and No. 13 Kansas beat Kent State 78-62 on Tuesday night.
“I just got into a rhythm early,” Oubre said. “I was just playing in the confines of the game.”
He started out hitting his first six shots, including all four of his 3-pointers.
“He absolutely carried us in the first 10 minutes of the game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.
This was the second game in the last three where Oubre scored at least 20 points. He had 23 in Kansas’ win over Lafayette on Dec. 20. With the near back-to-back performances, Self said Oubre solidified his starting position.
“Oubre, who I know didn’t start early in the year, he was unbelievable in the first half,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said.” I’m sure he’s just scratching the surface.”
Perry Ellis added 15 for Kansas (10-2). Blunders and bloopers were evident early for Kansas. On the first possession of the game, Oubre turned the ball over. Wayne Selden Jr. missed a dunk. The entire team ended up on the floor going after a loose ball.
“I thought the first half, the first 12 minutes, we didn’t play very well at all,” Self said.
Everyone but Oubre had shooting woes. Excluding the freshman’s perfect first half, Kansas was 10 of 30.
When the Golden Flashes were called for a foul, the Jayhawks only made 3 of 8 free throws. Kent State wasn’t any better. They only shot 25 percent from the line.
Some of the woes continued after intermission for each team.
Kansas allowed five offensive rebounds for Kent State in the second half along with six-second chance points. Kansas also had eight turnovers in the half.
When Allen Fieldhouse was starting to grow quiet, Cliff Alexander dunked life into the crowd. He scored six-straight points in 58 seconds and helped guide a 12-2 run that put Kansas up by 21 points.
“Cliff’s playing like how Cliff plays,” Oubre said. “Every time Cliff’s in the game it pumps us up because he’s getting rebounds, dunks. Everything he does is really athletic. That’s what he does.”
Kent State tried charging back in the final four minutes, but the deficit was too big.
“I didn’t think our shot selection was great,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. “We fouled a little bit too much, we couldn’t get enough rebounds.”
Three of Kent State’s final points of the game came off a 3-pointer from Blake Vedder, a 7-foot-4 center.
The final basket of the game was a breakaway layup from Tyler Self, the son of coach Self. It was his first of the season. Self joked about how his son went up with his right hand on the left side of the basket.
“It was good that somebody off our scout team made a basket,” Self said.
Jimmy Hall scored 13 points and eight rebounds, and Khaliq Spicer added 11 points and five rebounds for Kent State (8-4).
TIP-INS
Kansas: Oubre scored 11 points in 6:23, being the fastest Jayhawk to 10 points on the season.
Kent State last came to Allen Fieldhouse in Feb. 2008, where Kansas won 87-68.
UP NEXT
Kansas hosts UNLV on Sunday.
Kent State hosts Texas-Pan American on Friday.
STAR POWER
Freshman guard Devonte’ Graham saw the doctor Tuesday for his turf toe injury he sustained on Dec. 10. He was allowed toss the walking boot. Coach Self said there is no current prognosis on Graham, other than he is moving in a positive direction.
— Associated Press —
BOYS
BISHOP LEBLOND HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINALS
East Buchanan 55, Bishop LeBlond 51
NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC – 1ST ROUND
Lafayette 66, Oklahoma City Centennial 52
GIRLS
JEFFERSON CITY STATE FARM HOLIDAY HOOPS – CHAMPIONSHIP
Hickman 65, Benton 59
BISHOP LEBLOND HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINALS
Bishop LeBlond 47, Plattsburg 36
NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC – 1ST ROUND
McDonald County 49, Lafayette 46
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — In a world of smartphones, text messages and Twitter, there’s a good chance that just about everybody inside Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday knew about the Chiefs’ precarious postseason position.
Well, except for the Chiefs.
Even as they were knocking the San Diego Chargers from contention with a 19-7 victory, they refused to ask about what was transpiring elsewhere.
It was only later that they learned just how close they were to hitting on a three-team parlay — Baltimore getting beat by Cleveland and Houston losing to Jacksonville — that would have gotten them into the playoffs.
“Nobody knew. Nobody wanted to know,” said the Chiefs’ Chase Daniel, who started in place of injured quarterback Alex Smith. “We were focused on the game at hand, the task at hand.”
By the time the Chiefs got to their locker room, though, they knew: The Ravens and Texans both rallied in the second half for victories, giving Baltimore the final AFC wild-card spot.
“We end up missing the playoffs,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “so while it’s fresh in the players’ minds, it’s important that they feel how important every game is in this league. There’s so much parity in the league and these games are so close.”
The playoff disappointment overshadowed plenty of positives Sunday.
Justin Houston had four sacks for the Chiefs (9-7) to break Derrick Thomas’ franchise record with 22 in the season. Cairo Santos kicked four field goals, and Daniel played serviceably in just his second NFL start, throwing for 157 yards without an interception.
The Chiefs’ only touchdown came when wide receiver Dwayne Bowe fumbled inches shy of the goal line early in the second quarter. Tight end Travis Kelce recovered in the end zone, not only giving Kansas City a 10-0 lead, but keeping a dubious streak intact: No Chiefs wide receiver caught a TD pass all season, the first time in at least 50 years that has happened.
“I honestly didn’t pay attention to that. I wanted to win,” Houston said of his record. “I felt like everything was going to work out in our favor if we won, we’d be in the playoffs.”
The Chargers (9-7) never really gave themselves a chance at the playoffs.
Nick Novak missed a 52-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter. Midway through the fourth, a touchdown pass to Eddie Royal was overturned by a video review when the ball appeared to skip off the turf — San Diego went for it on fourth down and Philip Rivers threw incomplete. Then with about 4 minutes left, Donald Brown was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Chiefs 20.
Rivers was intercepted for a second time in the closing seconds of the game.
“Very disappointed the way we played,” Chargers coach Mike McCoy said. “Got off to a poor start, put ourselves in a number of holes. Too many penalties, not converting on third down.
“That was nowhere close to where we needed it to be.”
Rivers finished with 291 yards passing to go over 4,000 in a season for the sixth time, though he also threw two interceptions. Branden Oliver ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.
“They were better than us,” offensive lineman Chad Rinehart said, “and obviously it showed.”
In many ways, injuries crippled San Diego’s postseason hopes.
After starting the game without running back Ryan Mathews, wide receiver Keenan Allen and center Chris Watt, the banged-up Chargers watched right tackle D.J. Fluker walk slowly to the locker room late in the first half. He joined safety Marcus Gilchrist (elbow), cornerback Shareece Wright (head injury) and wide receiver Eddie Royal, who got hurt late in the game.
Injuries also took their toll on the Chiefs, who were 7-3 at one point this season.
Still, after weathering so much adversity, they still had a shot at the playoffs when the fourth quarter rolled around. They had already built a 19-7 lead, Cleveland was clinging to a 10-3 lead over Baltimore and three-win Jacksonville was leading Houston 17-14.
If all three scores had held, the Chiefs would have claimed the final wild-card spot.
Instead, the Texans took the lead a few minutes later. So did the Ravens. And when both held on, Kansas City joined San Diego in heading into the offseason.
“One thing you learn from it is when you’ve got it in your hands to control, you lock it down, so you don’t let that part get away, ever,” Reid said, “and from a coaching standpoint and a player standpoint, we didn’t get that done.”
Game notes
Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles ran for 54 yards, going over 1,000 for the season. … The Chiefs had seven sacks. … Rivers fell to 34-9 in regular-season games played in December and January. … Trevor Robinson became the fifth player to start at center for San Diego this season. … The Chargers allowed 111 yards rushing, one week after giving up 355 vs San Francisco.
— Associated Press —
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Less than a second was all it took.
That’s all Texas Southern needed to turn a two-point deficit into 58-56 win over Kansas State on Sunday.
Chris Thomas’ offensive rebound and putback tied it at 56 with 0.9 seconds left and, after Kansas State threw the inbounds pass away, Jason Carter hit a jumper as time expired, giving the Tigers their second win over 2014 NCAA tournament teams in eight days. Texas Southern beat then-No. 25 Michigan State 71-64 on Dec. 20.
“I did not see it coming,” Carter said. “I just got the ball and finished the play. It was just a lucky shot.”
A three-point play by Thomas Gipson and a layup by Marcus Foster gave Kansas State (8-4) a 54-48 lead with 1:45 remaining.
Chris Thomas made a layup to pull Texas Southern (3-9) within four. After Gipson made a free throw, a layup by Madarious Gibbs made it 55-52 with 16 seconds left.
A free throw by Nino Williams pushed the Kansas State lead back to four. Tonnie Collier made the first two of three free throws and Thomas put back the third to tie the game at 56 with .9 seconds to play.
After Jevon Thomas threw the inbounds pass away, Texas Southern got the ball out of bounds, setting up Carter’s winner.
Kansas State made 2 of 8 free throws in the final 69 seconds.
“We did not have any energy,” Gipson said. “That is where we lost it. I am pretty sure if people had energy, they would step up and make their free throws with confidence. I obviously did not, JT (Jevon Thomas) did not, and other people did not so that is what happens.”
Thomas and Gibbs scored 15 apiece for Texas Southern.
Marcus Foster had 17 points and three assists, Nino Williams added 11 points and five rebounds for Kansas State, which darted out to a 9-0 lead in the first 4 minutes. For the majority of the first half it was all Wildcats, led by Foster and his trio of 3s.
“We had a good start to the game and the 9-2, 15-5 start,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “We had some turnovers and had some times we let them get some rebounds and allow them to get their heads up. We were still grinding it out at half time. We knew it was going to be a low scoring game. We fought and had the game won, but some crazy things happened at the end.”
After making 2 of 9 shots to start the game, Texas Southern trailed by as many as 11 before closing the first half with an 8-3 run. The Tigers trailed 23-31 at halftime.
“I thought they came out that first part of the game and put us on our heels,” Texas Southern coach Mike Davis said. “We settled down, moved the ball and played with a good tempo.”
A three-point play by Thomas with 17:32 to play gave the Tigers their first lead of the game, 28-27.
A jumper by Gibbs gave Texas Southern its biggest lead of the game, 43-36, midway through the second half, but Kansas State scored 12 in a row and didn’t trail again until Carter’s buzzer-beater.
—
TIP-INS
Kansas State: The Wildcats are 71-4 at home during nonconference play since 2006-07.
Texas Southern: The Tigers are 1-1 on the season against Big 12 opponents. Texas Southern lost to Baylor back on Dec. 1.
UP NEXT
Kansas State hosts Georgia on Wednesday.
Texas Southern hosts New Mexico State on Tuesday.
QUOTABLE
“We were up 9-0, then the first media time out, and after that we were just drained. I think we were drunk emotionally, drunk on emotion.”- Nino Williams.
— Associated Press —
The National Football League announced on Tuesday that four members of the Kansas City Chiefs have been selected to participate in the 2015 NFL Pro Bowl, presented by McDonald’s. The below players have earned a spot on the NFL’s Pro Bowl Roster:
Jamaal Charles (Running Back) – 4th Nomination
Tamba Hali (Linebacker) – 4th Nomination
Justin Houston (Linebacker) – 3rd Nomination
Dontari Poe (Defensive Tackle) – 2nd Nomination
The Pro Bowl will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. This year’s all-star game features the new format adopted in 2014. The familiar AFC vs. NFC match-up that existed from 1971-2013 will no longer be in place. Instead, players were selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Players will be assigned to teams during the 2015 Pro Bowl Draft on NFL Network on Wednesday, January 21 at 7 p.m. CT.
Additional Information on Players Selected
Charles (5-11, 199) has started 14 games this season, recording 979 rushing yards on 193 carries (5.1 avg.) including nine touchdown runs. He has 38 receptions for 283 yards and five touchdown catches. With just 21 yards next week Charles will crack the 1,000-yard rushing barrier for the fifth time in his seven-year career. Most recently he eclipsed 9,000 yards from scrimmage, becoming only the second player in club history to accomplish that feat. He is currently the only back in franchise history to have four 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
A four-time Pro Bowl honoree (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014), Charles’ career numbers include 1,236 carries for 6,802 yards with 38 rushing touchdowns. He owns 260 receptions for 2,258 yards with 19 touchdown grabs. His 5.51 yards per carry average is the highest average in NFL history of any back with more than 1,000 carries, topping Pro Football Hall of Fame RB Jim Brown who averaged 5.22 yards per carry. The Port Arthur, Texas, native originally joined the Chiefs as a third-round pick (73rd overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Hali (6-3, 275) has started all 15 games in 2014, logging 6.0 sacks (-40.0 yards) which ranks second on the team. He has added 57 tackles (45 solo), including seven for loss, 11 QB pressures, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He currently is a 2014 nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide.
A four-time Pro Bowl nominee (2011-14), the Gbarnga, Liberia, native grew up in Teaneck, N.J. He has started all 140 games he has played in during his nine-year NFL career with Kansas City, marking the most starts by any active player on the current roster. He has amassed 79.5 career sacks (-513.5 yards), ranking third in team history for most career sacks. Hali also ranks second in team history with 31 forced fumbles. In his time in the NFL, he has accumulated 533 tackles (412 solo), 127 QB pressures, seven fumble recoveries with one for a touchdown, 15 passes defensed and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown. The Penn State product originally joined the Chiefs as the team’s first-round draft pick (20th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Houston (6-3, 258) has started all 15 contests at left outside linebacker, posting 63 tackles (54 solo), including 20 for loss, an NFL best 18.0 sacks (-78.0 yards), 22 QB pressures, four passes defensed and three forced fumbles. This season, Houston recorded his fifth 3.0-plus sack performance of his career in Week 8 against the St. Louis Rams (10/26/14). Houston has recorded at least 2.0 sacks five times this season, which is tied (J.J. Watt, Elvis Dumervil) for the most among all pass-rushers in the NFL. His 18.0 sacks this season ranks second in team history behind the late Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas who posted 20.0 sacks in 1990.
A Statesboro, Ga., native, Houston has played in 58 games (52 starts) since being drafted in the third round (70th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chiefs. He has 243 tackles (211 solo), 44.5 sacks (-249.5 yards), an interception for 32 yards, 17 passes defensed, four fumble recoveries, six forced fumbles and 64 QB pressures. He played collegiately at Georgia.
Poe (6-3, 346) has started all 15 games at defensive tackle in 2014, posting 43 tackles (36 solo), including three for loss, 5.0 sacks (-22.5 yards), seven QB pressures and one pass defended in his third season with the Chiefs. His 5.0 sacks are a single-season career-high while his seven QB pressures tie for a career-high. Poe earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl last season after registering a career-high 4.5 sacks and was named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2013.
After the 2012 season, he received the Mack Lee Hill Award as the team’s top rookie or first-year player after recording 38 tackles (28 solo), including three for loss, three QB pressures and four passes defensed. Poe has started all 46 games he’s appeared in during his first three seasons with the Chiefs. He has 132 tackles (107 solo), including 11 for a loss, 9.5 sacks (-53.0 yards), nine passes defensed and 17 QB pressures. He has appeared in one postseason contest, recording one assisted tackle. A Memphis, Tenn., native, Poe was selected 11th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by Kansas City after starring collegiately at Memphis.
— Chiefs Media Relations —
University of Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel has tabbed former Mizzou player and coach Barry Odom to become his next defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, as announced Tuesday.
Odom, 38, will join the team after the first of the year, as he takes over for Dave Steckel, who will leave to be head coach at Missouri State following the conclusion of Mizzou’s season. Details of Odom’s contract are being finalized, and will be released when available.
Odom has been defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Memphis for the past three seasons, where he has orchestrated an impressive body of work by the Tiger defense. Memphis just concluded a 10-3 season that was fueled largely by Odom’s defense which ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (17.1 ppg) and 22nd in total defense (343.3 ypg) heading into bowl season. That marked an astounding incremental improvement, as Memphis ranked 117th nationally in total defense in 2011 prior to Odom assuming the reins.
In 2012, Odom’s first year, the Tiger defense improved to 50th nationally in total defense (383.6 ypg), followed by a jump to 39th in 2013 (370.7 ypg). Memphis earned a share of the 2014 American Athletic Conference title, giving them a conference championship for the first time since 1971.
It’s a homecoming for Odom as he returns to his alma mater, where he starred as a linebacker for Mizzou from 1996-99 and later returned for a nine-year stint (2003-11) in a variety of roles for Pinkel’s staff. He first came back in 2003 as an administrative graduate assistant, and after one year in that role, Odom moved to director of recruiting for the 2004 and 2005 seasons and then served three years (2006-08) as director of football operations.
In 2009, Odom moved to the coaching side of the ledger, as Pinkel’s safeties coach for three seasons where he developed Kenji Jackson, Jarrell Harrison and Jasper Simmons into All-Big 12 performers for Tiger teams which won 26 games in those three years. Odom also played a significant role in recruiting, as he was the lead on many highly-regarded prospects who chose to attend Mizzou.
“We’re really excited to have Barry and his family back at Mizzou,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “He’s done an outstanding job at Memphis these past three years. He’s coached with us before, and it’s great to see someone professionally advance himself and go do such a great job elsewhere. I know he was sought after by several other power five schools recently, so we feel very fortunate to have him with us,” Pinkel said.
“It goes without saying how excited I am to have this opportunity,” said Odom. “I have such a deep respect for the success that Coach Pinkel and his staff have had since I’ve been away. Transitioning to a new conference is very challenging, and all they’ve done is get better at everything. When you look nationally at winning percentage, APR, graduation rates, Mizzou is the total package and it’s absolutely one of the top football programs and athletic departments in the country. I’m excited to do my part to continue to add to that, and our family is excited to be part of it again,” he said.
“It’s always tough to leave a place that’s been as good to me as Memphis has, and I can’t thank Coach (Justin) Fuente enough for the opportunity he provided for me,” said Odom. “Being a part of this building process for the last three years has made me a better coach, and I’m proud to know that it’s in better shape now than what we came into,” he said.
Odom, a native of Maysville, Okla. who graduated from Ada High School, was a four-year letterman at linebacker for Mizzou from 1996-99. He was a key player on MU squads that went to bowl games in 1997 and 1998, and he ended his career ranked 5th on the school’s career tackles list, with 362 stops.
Odom graduated from MU in December of 1999, and served as a development intern for the Tiger Scholarship Fund, assisting with various fund raising projects for Tiger Athletics while earning his Master’s in education from MU. He returned to his home state of Oklahoma in July of 2000 to serve as an assistant coach for Ada High School, which finished that season as runners-up for a state championship.
Odom returned to Columbia in the spring of 2001 as head coach of Rock Bridge High School, and he quickly built the Bruins into a power, as they went 6-4 and won a conference championship that fall. He followed with an 8-4 campaign in 2002 that saw Rock Bridge reach the semifinals of the state championship playoffs.
— MU Sports Information —
The St. Louis Cardinals announced Tuesday that they have agreed with recently-acquired right-handed reliever Jordan Walden on a two-year contract for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, thus avoiding salary arbitration. The new pact also includes a club option for the 2017 season.
Walden, 27, was acquired by the Cardinals on November 17 along with outfielder Jason Heyward in a trade with the Atlanta Braves. The 6-5, 250-pound Texas native struck out 62 batters in 50.0 innings pitched this past season and he had a 2.88 ERA to go along with three saves.
Walden, who has appeared in 50 or more games in three of the past four seasons, led the Braves with 20 Holds in 2014. His career mark is 12-13 with a 3.10 ERA and 38 saves in 231 games pitched, striking out 254 batters in 211.2 IP.
Walden led the Los Angeles Angels in saves with 32 in 2011 and was named an American League All-Star that same season when he finished 5th in the junior circuit in saves while also compiling a 2.98 ERA.
— Cardinals Media Relations —
Missouri Western senior guard Cortrez Colbert has been named the MIAA men’s basketball Athlete of the Week.
Colbert led all scorers in two games last week as he had 25 for the Griffons in a win over Northeastern State, and added 24 in a 62-57 loss to Central Oklahoma on Saturday.
For the week, the senior from Midwest City, Oklahoma, averaged 24.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 4.5 steals per game.
Colbert and Missouri Western are 5-5 on the season and 1-2 in the MIAA. They’re off until January 3 when they play at Washburn.
