BOYS
CLASS 3 DISTRICT 16 CHAMPIONSHIP
Bishop LeBlond 62, Lawson 53
GIRLS
CLASS 4 DISTRICT 16 1ST ROUND
Lafayette 50, Savannah 26
Author: Dave Riggert
Hot-shooting Missouri whips Mississippi State, 85-66
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Keanau Post made a long-awaited first trip to the podium. After threatening his season total with 14 points and also setting a career best in rebounds, the Missouri big man was at a loss for words.
“He feels a lot more comfortable out there than he does right now,” coach Frank Haith said after Missouri whipped Mississippi State 85-66 on Saturday.
Post: “Well, yeah.”
The 6-foot-11 Post was one of the top junior college players in the nation last season at Southwestern Illinois Community College, averaging 12 points and eight rebounds. During a rout that helped the Tigers move past losses at Alabama and Georgia, he was a standout again.
“We all anticipate Keanau being just a really big-time player for us,” Haith said. “I’m proud of Keanau, he’s kept working, he’s kept a positive attitude, and we’ve kept coaching him.”
Post had 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting and seven rebounds in 22 minutes, benefiting from extended playing time due to foul trouble on Johnathan Williams III and Ryan Rosburg. He totaled 18 points all season prior to Saturday and averaged 0.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.
“It felt great,” Post said. “I think it just felt great knowing that the whole team contributed to it. It wasn’t just me, it was the guards, for sure.”
Jabari Brown scored 21 points and Missouri (20-9, 8-8 SEC) set season bests with 62 percent shooting and 19 assists. Jordan Clarkson had 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
“That’s when it’s fun, when everybody has a hand in us winning,” Haith said. “And everybody truly had a hand in us winning.”
The school is 14-2 at home and reached 20 victories for the sixth straight season, dominating against an opponent that entered with an RPI of 223.
Inside men Post, Rosburg and Torren Jones finished off many of the assists, combining to make all 13 shots. Williams, Rosburg and Jones had two blocks apiece.
“I think first and foremost, those guys had some easy opportunities because of the penetration by the Missouri guards,” coach Rick Ray said. “I think there was actually like two legitimate post moves by those guys in the paint.”
Missouri shot just 32 percent its last time out, losing by 15 at Georgia.
“This is March now and we don’t want to lose any games in March,” Brown said. “March is our money time and we’re trying to make the most of it.”
Fred Thomas matched his season best with 18 points for Mississippi State (13-16, 3-13), which has lost 11 in a row — eight of them by double digits. The Bulldogs had a season-best 10 3-pointers, four by Thomas and three by Jacoby Davis.
“I’d be worried if our guys weren’t come to practice every day and working hard and competing,” Ray said. “I know everybody focuses in on the losing streak, but you’ve got to make sure your team is still coming out and working and being enthusiastic.”
Brown had five points and Missouri had a pair of 3-pointers in a 15-0 run that put the game away at 68-41 with 11:12 to go. Mississippi State went almost 6 minutes without scoring before Davis’ 3-pointer near the mid-point of the second half.
Clarkson went end-to-end twice, getting a layup and dunk, during an 11-2 run that gave Missouri its largest lead of the first half at 39-26 with 3:59 to go. Post’s tip-in at the buzzer, allowed after video review, put the Tigers up 45-32 at the break.
Mississippi State played without leading scorer Craig Sword, who attended his grandmother’s funeral in Alabama. Sword averages 13 points.
Gavin Ware added 13 points for the losers.
— Associated Press —
Western women lose at Southwest Baptist and fail to qualify for MIAA Tourney
The Missouri Western women’s basketball team went scoreless for six and a half minutes in the second half falling 62-57 against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats. With the loss the Griffons season ends at 10-16 overall and 5-14 in MIAA play. Senior guard JaQuitta Dever went out on a high not scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting including 6-of-9 from the free throw line.
The first half was played very close with the largest lead coming at the 3:35 mark of the first half when SBU took a 25-19 lead after two Sarah Magana free throws. The Griffons came right back scoring the next five points cutting the lead to 25-24 after an Alexis Gray layup. The Bearcats were able to outscore the Griffons by four the rest of the frame taking the 31-26 lead as Magana hit a jumper as time expired in the half.
In the half the Griffons made 10-of-25 field goals with Dever and Tiffanie Abrams leading the way with seven points apiece. The Bearcats made 11-of-25 field goals with Jacquie Zelenka leading the way with eight points making all four of her field goals.
Things looked good for the Griffons early in the second half tying the score at 31 after Kyrsten Crawford nailed a three with 19:12 to play in the game. From there the Griffons went cold scoring just six points the next 13 minutes of the game. On the other hand the Bearcats scored 11 points taking a 47-36 lead with 6:30 to play.
The Griffons continued to battle and with 32 second to play they cut the Bearcats lead to 59-55 after a Dever layup. The Bearcats hit three of its final four free throws putting the game out of reach. With the victory the Bearcats improve to 11-15 overall and 6-13 in MIAA play. They also earn a spot in next weeks MIAA Tournament.
The Griffons finished making 21-of-55 field goals and 12-of-19 free throws. They turned the ball over 19 times and had 10 steals.
The Bearcats made 18-of-44 field goals and 22-of-32 free throw attempts. They were led by Lissette Plasencis with 16 points while Zelenka and Brooke Duncan finished with 13 and 12 respectively.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Northwest women lose big at No. 11 Central Missouri, 77-56
The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to No. 11 Central Missouri, 77-56, on Saturday at the Multi in Warrensburg, Mo. The Bearcats finish the regular season with a 7-12 mark in MIAA play and were 10-16 overall. UCM claimed the outright conference title, going 17-2 with a 23-3 overall record, winning the last eight games of the season.
Ariel Easton scored a game-high 19 points, hitting four three pointers. Meridee Scott had 13 points for Northwest and Tember Schechinger added 11. The Bearcats forced 12 turnovers and had nine steals to go along with a pair of blocked shots.
Easton hit four first half three pointers to keep the Bearcats in it. She finished the opening 20 with 17 points. Northwest to within eight late, 39-31, but a buzzer beating three pointer gave UCM a 42-31 lead heading into the break.
Northwest has secured the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 Northeastern State in the first round of the MIAA tournament on Monday, March 3, at 7 p.m. in Bearcat Arena. Tickets will be available at the arena on the day of the game.
— Northwest Sports Information —
No. 5 KU gets tripped up on the road at Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Marcus Smart scored 20 of his 21 points in the second half to help Oklahoma State defeat No. 5 Kansas 72-65 on Saturday night and give a major boost to the Cowboys’ once-fading NCAA tournament hopes.
Oklahoma State (19-10, 7-9 Big 12) overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half. The Cowboys improved to 3-0 since Smart returned from a three-game suspension for shoving a Texas Tech fan.
Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points for Kansas (22-7, 13-3), which already had clinched the Big 12 title outright before tipoff because Texas and Iowa State lost earlier.
The student section was filled nearly an hour before the opening tip. The crowd included Oklahoma City Thunder players Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and their coach, Scott Brooks.
Wiggins’ three-point play tied the game at 64 with just over 2 minutes to play.
Kamari Murphy’s layup gave Oklahoma State a 66-64 lead with 1:37 remaining. Kansas’ Naadir Tharpe missed a jumper, and Murphy pulled in the rebound.
Smart made a layup with 46.1 seconds left to push Oklahoma State’s lead to four, then he broke the press and hit another layup with 23.8 seconds to go to put the game out of reach.
The Jayhawks led 26-25 at halftime despite 35 percent shooting.
Oklahoma State shot just 24 percent in the first half but forced 11 turnovers. Le’Bryan Nash and Markel Brown scored nine points each to keep the Cowboys in the game. Smart had one point on 0-for-7 shooting.
Wiggins scored five points in the half but committed two fouls.
Brown hit a 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the second half to give Oklahoma State a 28-26 lead, but Kansas answered with a 3-pointer by Wayne Selden.
Smart made his first field goal, a 3-pointer, with 17:46 to play.
He drew the third foul on Joel Embiid with 14:19 to go and the Jayhawks up 38-36. Wiggins picked up his third foul 11 seconds later.
Kansas responded with a run. With both freshman stars on the bench, Tharpe and Selden drained 3-pointers that put the Jayhawks up 46-38. A three-point play by Perry Ellis pushed Kansas’ lead to nine, and a pair of free throws by Wiggins extended the margin to 10 for the first time.
Oklahoma State muscled its way back into the game with a three-point play by Nash and a long lob by Smart to Brown that cut Kansas’ lead to five and got the crowd back into the game. The Cowboys moved into the double bonus with 5:50 remaining, and Brown made two free throws to give Oklahoma State a 60-59 lead.
Nash picked up his fourth foul with 4:35 remaining, but Smart calmed him down after Nash disagreed with the call.
Wiggins picked up his fourth foul with 4:09 to play. Smart’s 3-pointer with 3:44 left put Oklahoma State up 63-61.
— Associated Press —
Benedictine women crush Evangel in regular season finale
Before the Benedictine women’s basketball team could honor their six-member Senior class, they had to take on Evangel University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
Benedictine (20-10, 12-6) forced 21 Evangel (8-20, 5-13 HAAC) turnovers en route to a convincing 90-64 win to secure the No. 4 seed in next weeks HAAC Tournament.
The Ravens came out firing offensively.
Tori Aubuchon connected on one of her two 3-pointers to set the tone for the Ravens just over a minute into the game.
By the midpoint of the first half, another 3-pointer from Rosie Youngstrom gave the Ravens their first double-digit lead of the night.
The Ravens scorched the nets, converting on 67.5 percent from the floor in the first half while holding Evangel to just seven first-half field goals as they built as much as 26 point lead before taking a 49-24 lead into the half.
Evangel heated up in the second half, knocking in 50 percent to outscore the Ravens 41-40 but couldn’t get any closer thatn 24 points as the Ravens cruised to the 26-point win.
For Benedictine head coach Chad Folsom, the win allowed the Ravens to reach the 20-win mark for the seventh time under his leadership.
Benedictine dominated the paint, outscoring Evangel 36-18 and also held a decisive advantage in bench scoring. Benedictine’s bench outscored Evangel’s 60-33 as five players reached double figures for Benedictine.
Youngstrom led the way with 14 points while Alexa Taff was close behind with 13. Justice Payne and Jackie Ziesel each scored 12 points while Claire Pedulla rounded out the Ravens double-figure scorers wtih 10.
The win allows the Ravens to earn the No. 4 seed in next week’s HAAC Tournament, which gets underway on Thursday.
— BC Sports Information —
Priest Holmes to be inducted into Chiefs Hall of Fame
Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt announced on Saturday that Priest Holmes will be the 2014 inductee into the Chiefs Hall of Fame. Holmes is the 44th player to earn this coveted honor which will be celebrated this evening at the 44th annual 101 Awards banquet in downtown Kansas City. The official enshrinement ceremony to the Chiefs Hall of Fame will be held during Chiefs Alumni Weekend at Arrowhead Stadium this fall.
“It is an honor to announce the induction of Priest Holmes into the Chiefs Hall of Fame,” Hunt said. “On behalf of my family and the entire Chiefs organization I would like to congratulate Priest on a remarkable career. As the Chiefs franchise all-time leader in rushing yards, total touchdowns and rushing touchdowns, Priest set a standard for excellence on and off the field during his time in Kansas City. We are grateful for his contributions to the team and the community.”
Holmes spent seven years on Kansas City’s roster (2001-07), after a four-year stint in Baltimore (1997-2000), where he originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1997. Throughout his tenure with the Chiefs, Holmes was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2001-03 and named All-Pro for those three years by numerous national media outlets. He was also presented with the club’s MVP award following the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
While with the Chiefs, Holmes recorded 6,070 rushing yards with 76 touchdowns, and tallied 83 total touchdowns, breaking franchise records in all three categories. During the 2003 season, Holmes scored two or more touchdowns in 10 games, which is tied for the NFL’s best mark with former running back LaDanian Tomlinson.
Maybe more impressive was Holmes’ ability to put up these statistics while entering the league as an undrafted free agent. In 2001, his first season with the Chiefs, Holmes was the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,555 yards, the only undrafted player to do so, until running back Arian Foster accomplished the feat in 2010.
Other accolades Holmes was bestowed with include NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2002), Phil Simms All-Iron Team (2001-02), Ed Block Courage Award (2004), as well as being a part of Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV championship team (2000).
A San Antonio, Texas, native, Holmes played collegiately at Texas, where he rushed for a career total of 1,276 yards with 20 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He is a member of the University of Texas Hall of Honor, the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. He prepped at Marshall High School in San Antonio, where he currently resides and heads the Priest Holmes Foundation.
— Chiefs Media Relations —
Kansas State outlasts No. 15 Iowa State, 80-73
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Melvin Ejim and DeAndre Kane did all they could for No. 15 Iowa State on Saturday night. Outside of that dynamic scoring duo, though, hardly anyone else came through.
The rest of the Cyclones shot 6-for-35 (17 percent) from the field in an 80-73 loss to Kansas State, which put five players in double figures.
“You look at 38-2 on bench points, that’s a pretty telling stat right there,” Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They did a great job.”
Will Spradling hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:38 left for Kansas State (20-9, 10-6 Big 12), in a four-way tie for second place in the conference with Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas.
Shane Southwell had 13 points for the Wildcats, trying to earn the No. 2 seed in the league tournament. They play at Oklahoma State on Monday and then host Baylor on Saturday to end the regular season.
Kansas State has won 15 straight at Bramlage Coliseum, its longest home winning streak since the 1981-82 season.
Ejim had 30 points and 16 rebounds, and Kane added 24 points and eight rebounds to pace the Cyclones (22-6, 10-6). Ejim, the Big 12’s active leader in career double-doubles, got his 31st by halftime with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“He really struggled in his last game and only played 20 minutes,” Hoiberg said. “But we stepped up in his absence and got a big win despite him being on the bench for half of the game. His energy was off the charts tonight. To go out and have 30 and 16 on the road is a pretty big-time performance.”
Behind a 16-0 run, the Wildcats opened a 20-9 lead with 10:44 left in the first half.
Ejim and Kane answered the Kansas State spurt with 28 first-half points while cutting the deficit to 39-34 at the break.
As the “Big Three” for the Cyclones, Ejim, Kane and Georges Niang all came in with scoring averages above 17 points per game in conference play.
Although two of the three lit up the Wildcats’ defense, Kansas State coach Bruce Weber was happy with his team’s effort.
“They had two special players in that arena with Ejim and Kane,” Weber said. “Both of them are up for being the top players in the league. They’ve had the big three all year and we did the job on Niang. Some of it was getting him in foul trouble, which helped.”
Foul trouble plagued the Wildcats, too, as Spradling and leading scorer Marcus Foster sat out much of the first half with two fouls.
“We had some unconventional lineups in there,” Weber said. “But they didn’t go down. They kept battling.”
Foster ended the first half with two points on the opening basket of the game and finished with 11. Thomas Gipson and D.J. Johnson both scored 12 for Kansas State.
Ejim, the Big 12’s leading scorer with an average of 18.4 points, opened the second half with a three-point play.
Kansas State pushed its advantage to five before the Cyclones rallied to take their first lead in nearly 23 minutes. But the Wildcats answered in the closing minutes, and Spradling’s 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining gave them a 72-69 edge they did not relinquish.
“Their two shooters made big shots when they needed them,” Hoiberg said. “Spradling came off after struggling and knocks a big one down. Foster did the same thing the next time down. That’s what great players do, a four-year player in Spradling and one of the best freshmen I’ve seen in a long time in Foster.”
Kansas State closed it out with six free throws in the final 1:23.
“They came right back and hit some big shots,” Ejim said. “We played hard, guys came in, stepped up and made some big shots, but truly they were able to make some big shots down the stretch and make some stops.”
A 12-point first half from Southwell was a welcomed sight for the senior as he broke out of a monthlong slump. His 13 points were his most since scoring 14 at Iowa State on Jan. 25.
— Associated Press —
Northwest softball gets walk-off win against Sioux falls
The Northwest Missouri State softball team defeated Sioux Falls Saturday with a comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning to take home the 6-5 victory.
Torri Blythe knocked in the first run of the game when she hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field which enabled Taylor Blackford to score from third to put the Bearcats up 1-0.
Sioux Falls was able to plate two runs in both the third and fourth innings to take a 4-1 lead.
Baylee Scarbrough reached on an error to start the bottom half of the fourth inning and was later driven in by Maddie Jones to cut the USF lead to 4-2.
Both teams traded runs in the sixth inning with Northwest’s coming from a solo home run off the bat of Taszia Roseberry, her team leading fourth home run of the season.
The Bearcats trailed 5-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Jordan Ereth started the inning off by reaching first base on a fielding error. Steph Mark drove her in from first with a double to the right center ally. Chantel Adams then hit a rocket by the shortstop to score Ashley Wilcox, who had come into run for Mark, and tied the game at 5-5.
Scarbrough hit an infield single which put the winning run on third base. Cassidy Lee then stepped to the plate and hit a shot up the middle, which was stopped by the diving second baseman of USF who was unable to get the throw off. Lee was safe at first and Adams crossed home plate to complete the last inning comeback for the 6-5 win.
Northwest moves to 3-6 on the season. Head Coach Ryan Anderson’s squad will open conference play Saturday as they take on Washburn in Topeka, Kan. with game time set for noon.
— Northwest Sports Information —
Griffons drop two games to Northwest Missouri State Friday
The Missouri Western baseball team tried to comeback twice on Friday afternoon against Northwest Missouri State but came up short falling 7-4 and 7-6 in MIAA play. The Griffons fall to 6-5 overall and 4-2 in MIAA play. The doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled due to potential poor weather.
Game 1
NWMSU 7
MWSU 4
Despite scoring the first run of the game the Griffons would struggle offensively falling 7-4 against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. The Griffons gave up seven runs before scoring three runs in the top of the 7th. Jake Schrader got three of the Griffons seven hits which included two RBI and a runs scored.
The Griffons used a leadoff walk by Trevor LaHonta in game one to take a 1-0 lead. LaHonta scored on a Ryan Degner double down the left field line. From there the Bearcats would scored the next seven run including two in the second inning. Austin Wulff and Jon Pomatto both stole home giving Northwest the 2-1 lead after two.
The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the forth when the Bearcats got three runs on three hits. Garrett Fort got a two RBI triple in the inning helping NWMSU to the 5-1 lead.
In the 5th the Bearcats got two more runs on two hits taking the 7-1 lead heading to the final inning. In the 7th the Griffons got hits from David Chew, Schrader and Will Carter to score three runs.
Mason Queen got the loss for the Griffons going 3.2 innings giving up seven hits and five earned runs. He falls to 1-1 striking out four.
The Bearcats had nine hits with Eric McGlauflin and and Pomatto both had two hits. Ryker Fox went five innings giving up four hits and one earned run. He improves to 2-1.
Game 2
NWMSU 7
MWSU 6
The Griffon baseball team scored six runs in the final four innings but it wasn’t enough as they fell in walk off fashion in game two against Northwest Missouri State.
The Griffons got down early giving up five hits and four runs in the second inning. Four straight hits by the Bearcats including a two RBI single by Blake Hardegree gave the Bearcats a 4-0 lead after two.
In the fifth the Bearcats tacked on two more with four more hits. They took the 6-0 lead after five innings of play.
The Griffons had just one hit until the 6th innings when they got four hits. Jeremy Monty got things going doubling to right field and then scored on a single by Degner. Two batters later Will Carter stayed hot singling in Chew and Degner cutting the lead to 6-3. Schrader scored on a Cody Childs fielders choice which cut the score to two at the end of six innings.
The score remained the same until the 8th when the Griffons tacked on one more but left the bases loaded. Degner tripled to right center and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Carter. Jerico Burasco and Cody Childs hit back-to-back singles loading the bases with one out. Mitch Thorman struck out and Trevor LaHonta hit into a fielder choice ending the threat.
In the 9th the Griffons lead off single by Monty to get things going. Monty scored the tying run with two outs when Schrader hit a double to right center.
Unfortunately the Bearcats would load the bases with two outs and Austin Wulff singled to left field giving Northwest the doubleheader sweep. They improve to 7-5 overall and 4-2 in MIAA play.
Cater finished with three hits and three RBI while Monty and Degner each had two. Grant Woods picked up the loss going four innings in relief giving up three hits and one earned run. He falls to 0-1 on the season.
The Bearcats had 11 hits with Wulff, Steven Garber and Jon Pomatto all had two hits. Brian Schmiedt got the victory going two innings. He gave up five hits and one earned run. He improves to 2-1. Hondo Pearcy pitched very well going 5.1 innings giving up four earned runs and one strikeout.
The Griffons return to action next on Friday, March 7 with the first game of a four game series with the Washburn Ichabods. Game time is set for 2 pm in St. Joseph, Mo
— MWSU Sports Information —