The 2015 Royals World Championship trophy is coming to St. Joseph as part of a community tour.
On Feb. 8 fans can check out the trophy at Planet Fitness located at 1325 S. Belt Hwy from 6-8 p.m.
Then again on Feb. 27 fans will have another chance to view the trophy in St. Joseph, this time at Hy-Vee from 1 to 3 p.m.
The trophy will also make numerous other stops in Missouri and Kansas. Feb. 11 it will be in Cameron from 6-8 p.m. at the Cameron Regional YMCA.
For a full scheduled CLICK HERE.
PITTSBURG, Kan. – After winning its first 18 games of the season, the 6th-ranked Missouri Western Women’s basketball team has lost two in a row after dropping a heartbreaker at Pittsburg State, 83-80 on Wednesday.
There were four ties in the final five minutes of the game with each team taking the lead twice after the ties. On the night, the score was tied 12 times with nine lead changes.
Pittsburg State built an eight-point lead with 9:32 left in the game but Missouri Western recaptured the lead with 4:42 to go on two free throws from LaQuinta Jefferson. The senior guard scored 11 points in the Griffons’ 13-3 run to regain the lead. Kylie Gafford tied the game for Pittsburg State at 74 with 4:19 left then gave the Gorillas the lead back with two free throws. Miliakere Koyamainavure tied the game with 3:01 left at 76 and Jefferson tied it again with 2:30 remaining and after a Mikaela Burgess three gave Pitt State the lead back, Jefferson made three of four free throw attempts after being fouled and a technical foul was called on Pittsburg State. Jefferson had a chance to tie the game at 81 with 36 seconds left but made one of two to leave the team down one at 81-80. Pittsburg State would make two more free throws with three seconds left. Sarafina Handy had a chance to tie the game at the end, launching a three at the buzzer that went long.
The stat sheet showed a close contest with the Griffons shooting 49.2 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 72.7 percent at the free throw line. Missouri Western also won the battle on the glass, finishing with 37 rebounds to the Gorillas’ 30. The difference seemed to come at the free throw line where Pittsburg State shot 82.8 percent, making eight more free throws than the Griffons on seven more attempts. Missouri Western went 16-22 from the charity stripe, Jefferson accounted for 13 of the makes and 18 of the attempts. Jefferson, Handy and Julia Torres were the only Griffons to attempt free throws.
Jefferson finished with a game-high 29 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists. Handy added 16 points, 12 in the first half. Miliakere Koyamainavure finished with 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The loss dropped Missouri Western to 18-2 on the season, 12-2 in MIAA play. The Griffons stay on the road this week with a trip to Missouri Southern on Saturday.
— MWSU Athletics —
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Tyler Ulis scored 20 points, Derek Willis added a career-best 18 and No. 20 Kentucky used an early 20-0 run to blow past outmanned Missouri 88-54 on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats (16-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) had it easy in improving to 9-0 against the Tigers and winning their third straight overall. Kentucky spotted the Tigers an opening layup by Wes Clark before the big spurt that quickly put the game out of reach, twice stretching its lead to 40 points in the second half.
Good shooting was the key again for Kentucky, which made 52 percent from the field after hitting 55 percent against Vanderbilt.
Willis also grabbed 12 rebounds for his second double-double in four games. Isaiah Briscoe had 15 points, Skal Labissiere 12 and Jamal Murray 11 to round out Kentucky’s double-figure scorers.
Clark had 11 points for Missouri (8-12, 1-6 SEC), which sustained its biggest loss this season.
After Saturday’s blowout of Vanderbilt, the Wildcats didn’t want to look past a Tigers squad that challenged No. 10 Texas A&M for more than a half before falling 66-53. That was never a problem as Kentucky came away with the tuneup it wanted before Saturday’s big test at No. 4 Kansas.
The Wildcats outrebounded Missouri 47-28, including a 32-19 advantage on the defensive glass. They forced 15 turnovers that led to 22 points and held the Tigers to 32 percent shooting.
Kentucky also shot 9 of 20 from 3-point range while limiting Missouri to 4 of 14 from behind the arc.
So much for Missouri’s hope of avoiding another drubbing at Rupp Arena after last year’s 49-point rout. That quest didn’t last long as the Wildcats quickly answered Clark’s basket with a blistering surge.
Kentucky’s run included three long-range shots by Willis, who made his third straight start. The Wildcats began 8 of 13 from the field and didn’t cool off much after that in a 54 percent shooting half set up by sharp passing.
Missouri made just 26 percent from the field in the first half, even lower than its 39 percent average in league play coming in. The Tigers were actually better from long range (38 percent) in the half, none of which mattered in a game Kentucky dominated throughout.
TIP-INS
Missouri: Despite the rout, Clark maintained his double-digit scoring average against Kentucky. He averaged 12 points in three previous appearances.
Kentucky: The Wildcats hit nine 3s, their highest total in five games. … Labissiere scored in double figures for the second time in three games.
UP NEXT
Missouri: Hosts Mississippi State on Saturday.
Kentucky: Plays at No. 4 Kansas on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
— Associated Press —
PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team continues to struggle away from home as they remain winless on the road this season after a 95-73 loss at Pittsburg State Wednesday night.
Missouri Western trailed by one, 30-29, with less than five minutes to go in the first half. Pittsburg State closed the half on a 14-2 run, taking a 44-31 lead to halftime. The run would continue into the second half as Pittsburg State stretched its lead to as many as 25 points. Missouri Western shot 39.7 percent from the field while Pittsburg State shot 55.8 percent.
Trey Sampson paced Missouri Western with 20 points. Aaraon Emmanuel scored 15 with six rebounds and four assists. Xavier Newson chipped in 11 points.
The loss dropped Missouri Western to 6-14 overall and 4-10 in the MIAA. The Griffons stay on the road this week with a trip to Missouri Southern in Joplin on Saturday.
— MWSU Athletics —
By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s men’s basketball team played an ok first half. The Bearcats led most of the time and took a slim two-point lead into halftime against Missouri Southern.
But the Bearcats needed to rev up a couple more gears to beat Southern and maintain sole possession of first place in the MIAA.
Northwest found that higher level in the first 5 minutes of the second half and rode that spurt to a 76-75 victory over the Lions Wednesday evening in front of 1,472 fans at Bearcat Arena. The win lifted Northwest to 14-5 overall and 11-3 in conference.
“First of all, give credit to Missouri Southern,” said Northwest sophomore Justin Pitts. “They fought us hard at home.”
It was going to take a solid second half to put away the Lions, who fell to 11-9 and 8-6. Southern senior Taevaunn Prince was determined to hit his scoring average of 26.5, and he was more than halfway there after 20 minutes. And sophomore Charlie Brown tossed in six quick points with a 1 minute, 30 seconds left to keep Southern in striking distance.
So it was a good thing that Northwest started the second half outscoring the Lions 13-4 to build a 49-38 lead.
“It was huge,” said Northwest sophomore Chris-Ebou Ndow. “To start the game, we got off to a good start and then let up and let them get back into the game.”
At halftime, Ndow said coach Ben McCollum emphasized that they needed to get off to a good start in the second half and keep it.
“We did that,” Ndow said.
The Bearcats remained in control over the next 10 minutes and appeared to be in good shape when Pitts tossed an inside pass to Ndow for a layup that gave the Bearcats a 65-54 lead.
After Southern scored, Pitts did the same thing again. This time junior D’Vante Mosby benefitted from the slick pass and made a layup to once again put the Bearcats up 11.
“It all started on defense,” Pitts said. “We knew at halftime we had to buckle down. For me, I had to be more aggressive on offense and get my teammates involved and play with a pace that we all know we are capable of.”
Southern fought hard the rest of the way, forcing Northwest to make plays in the final minute to secure the win. Perhaps the biggest basket of the game for the Bearcats came with 23.9 seconds left. A nifty layup by Pitts gave Northwest a 73-69 lead.
The Lions, though, wouldn’t die. Prince’s final points came when he banked in a three-pointer with 2 seconds left to pull Southern within one. All Northwest needed to do was get the ball in play to win. Prince finished with 31 points.
“He is a very good player,” Pitts said. “We had to buckle down and try to stop him. He can create his shot anytime he wanted to.”
Northwest had a more balanced attack, getting 21 from Pitts, 17 from Ndow and 11 from sophomore Brett Dougherty.
In the first half, Northwest built 10-point leads of 16-6 and 23-13, but couldn’t sustain it. The Bearcats went into halftime with a narrow 36-34 lead.
The Bearcats had trouble stopping Prince, who went five for eight from the field and scored 14 points in the first half. Ndow nearly matched him, making four shots in six attempts and scoring 11 points.
Northwest was strong from the outside, going five for 10 from behind the arc. The Bearcats’ problems came with trying to slice through the zone defense. Several times they turned the ball over and a few other times they had their shot blocked. Southern had six blocks in the first half.
Despite those hiccups, Northwest only trailed 4-0 at the start of the game and they quickly bounced back from that early deficit by scoring the next 11 points.
— Northwest Athletics —
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Khristian Smith had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists as Indiana State beat Missouri State 68-59 on Wednesday night.
Smith scored seven straight Indiana State points late in the second half, capped by a 3-point play, for a 61-52 lead.
Jarred Dixon made three free throws with 1:03 left to cut Missouri State’s deficit to 63-57, but Devonte Brown answered with two free throws for an eight-point lead.
Brown added 15 points on 9-of-10 shooting at the line for Indiana State (12-9, 6-3 Missouri Valley Conference). Brenton Scott had 10 points and Brandon Murphy grabbed 10 rebounds — seven on the offensive end.
Both teams struggled from the floor, shooting below 38 percent. Indiana State made just 9 of 33 attempts (27 percent) in the first half but hit 47 percent in the second.
Dixon led Missouri State (8-13, 4-5) with 19 points and Dequon Miller added 12.
— Associated Press —
The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team lost to Missouri Southern Wednesday evening in Maryville, 57-47.
The Bearcats fall to 3-17 this season and 1-13 against MIAA opponents, while the Lions improved their record to 14-6 overall and 8-6 in the conference.
Northwest led by as many as nine points in th first half and held MSSU to just six baskets in the first half (26.1 percent, 6-for-23).
Tanya Meyer led the way with 14 points. Meyer added two offensive rebounds and one steal. Tember Schechinger grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, including nine in the first half. The senior dropped in nine points, making this the first time in her 102 game career she reached double figures in rebounds but not points. It also ends a 10-game double-digit scoring streak for the Manilla, Iowa native.
After quickly falling behind by four, Northwest used a 15-2 run to take a nine-point lead. Jasmin Howe tied the game with 28 seconds to play in the first period with a three-pointer after a pass from Taylor Shull. Tanya Meyer put the Bearcats in front, 12-10, early in the second frame with a nifty layup. Shull hit a pull-up jumper on the next possession, followed by a short-range jumper from Meyer after two more defensive stops. After a pair of Lion free throws, Tember Schechinger drilled a trey from the top of the key on a pass from Howe. Mustain finished the run with a pair of free throws, putting Northwest in front, 21-12, with four minutes to play in the first half. The Bearcats held MSSU without a field goal for eight minutes, eight seconds during that stretch.
The Bearcats will head out on their second-to-last road trip of the regular season Saturday when they travel to play at Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kan. First tip against the Gorillas is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
— Northwest Athletics —
ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team will debut the 2016 season with a national ranking. The team is slotted at No. 16 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Softball Coaches Poll.
Missouri Western is the only MIAA school to appear in the poll with Central Missouri just outside the top-25 with 47 votes. The Griffons finished 4th in the MIAA last season, going 36-21 overall and 17-9 in the MIAA. Seven starters and nine letter winners return from last year’s team. Key returners include 2015 All-MIAA selections Janie Smith (P-2nd Team), Morgan Rathmann (OF-2nd Team), Paige Shifflett (DP-2nd Team) and Katie Klosterman (3B-Honorable Mention).
Jen Bagley Trotter is in her 15th year as the head coach at Missouri Western and sits just 10 wins away from 500 career victories (490-296). She has led the Griffons to 10, 30-win seasons, coached 71 All-MIAA selections and has advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament eight times. In 2010, she led the program to its first MIAA Regular Season Championship and followed with its first MIAA Tournament Championship in 2014. Bagley Trotter has been named MIAA Coach of the Year three times (2004, 2009 and 2011).
Missouri Western begins its season on Feb. 6 at the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
— MWSU Athletics —
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PHIL PITTS’ PRESS CONFERENCE
Central High School introduced its new head football coach Tuesday as Phil Pitts will take over the Indians program.
Pitts comes to Central after serving as a defensive analyst on Gary Pinkel’s staff at the University of Missouri last season. Barry Odom replaced Pinkel and didn’t retain Pitts on his coaching staff.
Prior to his one season at Mizzou, Pitts was the head football coach for four years at Helias Catholic High School in his hometown of Jefferson City. He compiled a record of 40-15 while winning four district championships and the Crusaders finished as the runner-up in Class 4 in 2012 and 2013. Before taking over as head coach, Pitts was an assistant coach at Helias for six seasons from 2005-2010.
Pitts was a defensive lineman at Missouri from 2001-2004 and was credited with 36 tackles in 40 career games. He had an interception return for a touchdown of 49 yards in 2004 at Faurot Field against Arkansas State. He earned his degree in general studies from Mizzou in 2005 and later completed his teacher certification program from MU in 2006.
Pitts takes over for Jeff Wallace, who resigned at the end of the 2015 season after the Indians finished 4-7. Wallace went 30-34 in six years at Central.
BOYS
Central 47 (11-5, 1-0 Suburban)
Park Hill South 38
Benton 60 (12-5)
Harrisonville 50
CAMERON TOURNAMENT – 1ST ROUND
Maryville 60
Bishop LeBlond 39 (7-10)
