By Brian Hall
Mount Vernon, MO – In a game that started so lop-sided, it came down to the last possession.
Mt Vernon looked poised to get its second win of the season against visiting Reeds Spring. The Wolves had scratched and clawed their way back into the game when they had been down by as much as 13 points.
With time slipping away and down 46-47, the Wolves had possession. Junior Lane Carroll drove the right side from the wing and hit a difficult layup with seconds remaining. Mt Vernon inbounded the ball and missed the court-long shot as time expired. Reeds Spring escaped with the 48-47 victory.
The Mountaineers (1-6) have played a difficult schedule and hoped to put another mark in the win column. “We’re pretty young and trying to find some breaks,” said Mt Vernon head coach Mike Ray. “But it just didn’t happen tonight.”
The young Mountaineers could do no wrong in the first six minutes of the game however. They opened on a 13-0 run and forced five Reeds Spring turnovers. They also had a 9-2 rebounding advantage in that span. Junior Kyle Bushman scored six of those points, utilizing his 6’7” frame in the point. He finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Cale Miller led Mt Vernon in scoring with 14 points.
The Wolves finally got on the board with 1:49 left in the first quarter. They got the score back to 13-5 when, with a second left on the clock, the Mountaineers for a defensive rebound from Jarrett Massie. Massie heaved a three-quarter court shot as time expired and was fouled on the attempt. He made two of the three foul shots to make the score 15-5 at the end of the period.
Reeds Spring began to solve the problem they had with Mt Vernon’s zone defense. They made shots. “We challenged our guys,” said coach Barry Yocum. “I told them that this was going to be a test of what kind of team we are. Are we going to battle back or are we not?”
And battle back they did. The wolves (5-2) tallied 30 points in the second quarter, doubling up the Mountaineers 15 points. Coach Yocum noted, “It was a weird game. We’ve never scored 30 points in a quarter the five years I’ve been at Reeds Spring.”
Shots fell for the Wolves often in the second quarter. They connected on six baskets from long range in the quarter. Carroll hit four of those shots; the other two came from Joel Gertson. Carroll scored a game-high 23 points in the win.
“We anticipated a grind it out kind of game,” said Coach Yocum. “Mt Vernon’s a very good team—their record is deceiving. I’m just pleased with the way that our kids responded to adversity.”
Mt Vernon will play McAuley Catholic Saturday in Webb City while Reeds Spring doesn’t hit the court again until they face Greenwood at 9:30 on December 26 in the Blue and Gold Tournament.
Mt Vernon: 15 15 8 9 — 47
Reeds Spring: 5 30 4 9 — 48
Mt Vernon: Boswell, 6; Bushman, 13; Campbell, 6; Fenton, 3; Miller, 14; Vaughn, 5
Reeds Spring: Carroll, 23; Crutcher, 2; Froeschle, 3; Gardner, 2; Gertson, 10; Plumb, 8
