By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
WEBB CITY, Mo. – It wasn’t until the final buzzer sounded that Webb City coach Jason Horn knew his team would win.
“I’m a little grayer,” he said.
But after a thrilling double-overtime win, Horn could finally relax – maybe.
“At no point did I feel comfortable,” he said.
The top-seeded Webb City boys beat Neosho 67-65 Friday night to win the Class 4 District 12 championship, earning a playoff berth for the second time in Horn’s three seasons.
The Cardinals trailed for most of regulation, and it wasn’t until sophomore Jaystin Smith had some big moments late that Webb City had any momentum.
The 6-foot-3 forward scored just seven points in regulation but scored seven more critical points in the overtime periods.
He made two free throws with 30 seconds left in the first overtime to tie the game and send it to a second.
In the second overtime with the game still tied, Smith grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to give the Cardinals a 60-58 lead. With 21 seconds remaining and Webb City clinging to a one-point lead, Smith scored, was fouled and made the free throw. The three-point play made it 65-61.
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“He just showed a lot of mental toughness,” Horn said. “He had struggled early in the game. He came back ready to go and he made plays.”
“You’ve just got to stay composed,” Smith said. “When you’re shooting free throws like that you can’t go through in your head and get all emotional about it. You’ve just got to stay composed and shoot it like you would any other time.”
Webb City junior Tanner Rogers added two free throws with 4.5 seconds on the clock to help seal it. That gave the Cardinals a 67-63 lead before Neosho scored at the buzzer.
Early on it was the Cardinals who were constantly playing catch-up.
Webb City led 19-15 after the first quarter but trailed by five at halftime and fell behind by nine points at one point in the third quarter. Every time the Cardinals got close, Neosho had an answer.
Webb City pulled within 34-33 and Neosho senior Samuel Cradduck scored right after. The Cardinals got within 36-35 and Neosho senior Alec Marion answered.
Three times in the fourth quarter Webb City pulled within a point – helped by seven-straight makes at the free throw line – and every time the Wildcats answered, until Webb City sophomore Gary Clinton scored at the 4:06 mark to give his team a 48-47 lead.
Neosho tied it up on a Cook free throw, and then the Cardinals proceeded to hold the ball and run more than two minutes from the clock. Neither team would score again in regulation.
Webb City led 50-48 in overtime on a pull-up jumper by junior Terrell Kabala, but Neosho scored five-straight to lead 53-50. The Cardinals trailed until Smith tied it up with 30 seconds at the free throw line.
Neosho scored first in the second overtime, but Webb City tied it up on a Clinton basket and then Smith gave the Cardinals the lead. This time they wouldn’t relinquish it.
“We’ve got nine guys we feel like we can put out there pretty consistently,” Horn said. “We thought we could wear on them a little bit. Their rotation was a little shorter and the wear and tear at some point will catch up to teams. It helped us stay in the game. They did a great job. Our guys showed a lot of resolve, no quit, and their guys, too.”
The Cardinals made 18-of-23 free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime periods. Neosho shot 7-of-16 at the same time.
“A couple free throws, couple rebounds short,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said.
“It was just a hard-fought game,” he said. “There’s moments all throughout the game that could have swung different ways.”
Webb City had four players score in double figures, with Kabala scoring 16. Smith scored 14, Clinton scored 13 and senior Jacob Gaskill added 12. The team’s only senior, Gaskill exited with an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter but returned not long after.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Gaskill,” Horn said. “He turned his ankle, his calf was cramping. He showed a lot of toughness. He wasn’t going to be denied the ball and he was big down the stretch for us.”
Neosho senior Cole Seward scored 19 points, junior Robert Gammons scored 17 and Marion added 11.
“They did a great job offensively and they were really good defensively,” Horn said. “Coach Culp is in my opinion the best young coach in the area and Neosho made a good choice with him. Good things are going to come out of that program.”
The Wildcats fell to 10-16. Webb City improved to 16-9.
The Cardinals will play the District 11 winner at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Nixa.
