By Nolan Epstein
Marionville, MO – The Wildcats and Comets posted solid victories in the semifinal round of the 2016 Marionville Invitational and will meet in the tournament final on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Greenfield creates separation in third quarter to cruise past Southwest
Thanks to a 20-9 scoring advantage over the 4-seed Southwest Trojans (1-2) in the third quarter of play, the Greenfield Wildcats (3-0) marched their way to a convincing 62-42 victory on Thursday night.
Greenfield still held a respectable nine-point edge going into the locker room at half, but head coach Preston Hyde’s team found a whole other gear in the following eight minutes that led to a combination of strong offensive efficiency and stingy defensive play.
“We just got back to playing how we’re supposed to play,” Hyde said of his squad’s performance in the third quarter. “I think we were kind of flat starting up, but the guys did a great job coming out of halftime ready to go.”
The Trojans managed to stay within one point of top-seeded Greenfield with just over four minutes remaining in the second period – which is when the tide began to turn thanks to an effective three-quarter court press implemented by Hyde.
“We got some good turnovers off it that led to some easy buckets,” said Hyde. “That was the difference.”
Several of those easy buckets were turned in by senior Mason Jones, who ended up scoring a game-high 21 points for the Wildcats, including eight in the breakout third period.
Jones was the epitome of calm and collected on the evening – knocking through four 3-pointers and going 5-of-6 at the foul line.
“My teammates just set me up for good shots,” Jones said. “I got good looks and knocked them down.”
Also a star receiver on the Greenfield 8-man football team, Jones takes much of what he displays on the gridiron and brings it to the hardwood.
That certainly helped on Thursday.
“He’s a great leader and an everyday guy for us,” said Hyde of Jones. “He’s always ready to go. Every day, he’s our toughest kid.”
Senior Clay Paton and junior Adam Ramirez led the Trojans in scoring with 12 and 11 points, respectively, helping Southwest break even with the Wildcats in the fourth quarter to keep the final deficit at 20.
Box Score
Southwest – 12 15 9 6 – 42
Greenfield – 16 20 20 6 – 62
Southwest – Clay Paton 12, Adam Ramirez 11, Devon Resz 8, Landon Wright 6, Tanner Leonhardt 4, Matthew Robbins 1
Greenfield – Mason Jones 21, Marcus Wright 16, Colin White 11, Jalen Roby 10, Shelby Correria 2, Jerrett Esposito 2
Marionville shares the wealth in win over Cassville
The second-seeded Comets (2-0) had no trouble getting almost everyone involved in the scoring party on Thursday en route to a Marionville victory over the 3-seed Cassville Wildcats (1-2).
All told, eight of head coach Ted Young’s players managed to find the scoring column – a testament to a team that can present a new offensive hero on any given night.
“We try to pass and catch [the ball] the best we can and try to get good shots,” Young said following the victory. “I don’t think we have a problem with who’s scoring. I think we’ve got kids that can score and I don’t think it matters who does.”
What does matter to Young is having his team find a way to win, and it’s so far, so good for the Comets, who came away with the 54-42 triumph to advance to the championship game of their own tournament.
While many got into the action offensively for Marionville, the Comets were led by 6-foot-2 senior Levi Doyle and his team-high 14 points. Fellow seniors Aaron Head and Josh Goodman rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers for the Comets, tallying ten points each.
Despite the balanced attack on offense, it was defense that took center stage for the host team. Over the first eight minutes, the Comets allowed Cassville to collect just six points on three field goals and opened the door for Marionville to jump out to a 14-6 lead at the first break.
“We always like to try to keep the scoring down as much as we possibly can,” said Young. “I thought we started out with a lot of energy defensively. We had some jitters on the offensive end, but defensively, I thought we were pretty sound.”
After yielding just 18 points over the next two periods to take a commendable 38-24 lead over the Wildcats, Marionville started to feel the drawbacks of sporting a somewhat inexperienced varsity roster as Cassville outscored the Comets, 18-16, in the fourth quarter.
“I think [Cassville] may have turned it up a notch a little defensively, but then it goes back to some new kids that are playing varsity for the first time,” Young said. “We didn’t react very well to that. Hopefully we learn from that and I think we will.”
Having graduated five key players from last year’s bunch, Marionville’s fourth-quarter challenges didn’t come as much of a surprise to many, but Young doesn’t expect those types of tribulations to surface as the season progresses.
“In terms of varsity experience, we’re young,” he added. “The more they play, I think it will get better.”
In a losing effort, sophomore Ethan Hoppes led the Wildcats with 14 points, while senior Collin Pearman finished close behind with 13. Cassville faces off with Southwest in the third-place game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Box Score
Cassville – 6 11 7 18 – 42
Marionville – 14 10 14 16 – 54
Cassville – Ethan Hoppes 14, Collin Pearman 13, Derek Christy 8, Austin Wilson 3, Troy Rose 2, Luke Lowery 2
Marionville – Levi Doyle 14, Josh Goodman 10, Aaron Head 10, Nick Dean 8, Cole Brown 5, Gavin Stanton 3, Dominick Clevenger 2, Ryan Mayberry 2
