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By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD – For three seasons it was impossible to count Greenwood out of any basketball game it played, for the Blue Jays always had the single greatest player on the court.
Aminu Mohammed was capable of single-handedly changing the outcome of a game, so no fourth-quarter deficit ever seemed too big. Just give the ball to Mr. Show Me Basketball, the McDonald’s All-American, the five-star Georgetown recruit and witness what he did with it.
There’s no doubt the Blue Jays don’t have the same starpower now that Mohammed is in college, but Tuesday’s game showed there’s also no question about their ability to come back.
Sophomore sensation Tanner Jones scored 20 points, freshman Collin Clark added 19 and the Blue Jays used a total team effort to overcome a seven-point, second-half deficit and post a stunning 56-52 victory over Strafford in a Blue & Gold Tournament quarterfinal at JQH Arena.
The two-time defending Gold Division champions improved to 9-2, advanced to the division’s semifinals and will face top-seeded Bolivar at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the same venue.
A victory in that game will give the tournament hosts the chance to be the first team to win three straight division championships since Nixa won five consecutive titles from 2010 to 2014.
Such a feat seemed on the verge of impossible in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s game, as the Blue Jays started the second half flat and trailed 41-34 after being tied at 28 at the half.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
But Greenwood rallied back with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 43 early in the fourth quarter, only to see Strafford immediately storm back to a 50-45 lead. Still, Greenwood was not fazed.
“They just never think they’re going to lose,” Blue Jays coach Darren Taylor said. “They think they can come back from any deficit – and they have a lot through their careers, obviously – and they just never quit fighting tonight.”
Jones, the son of Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Dahntay Jones, converted a pair of and-ones and Nick Burri hit another free-throw to give Greenwood a 52-50 lead with 2:32 left.
Strafford tied it up 30 seconds later, but Jones hit two more free-throws moments later to give the Blue Jays the lead for good. The sophomore finished a perfect seven-for-seven from the line and had eight of Greenwood’s final 11 points as the Blue Jays closed the game on an 11-2 run.
“Tanner is so explosive,” Taylor said. “He can knock down the three or he can get around and get to the basket. He’s a good rebounder. He just does a little bit of everything. Tonight, I thought he made really good decisions with the basketball.”
It was the kind of game that fans might come to expect from Jones, whose father spent over a decade in the NBA – winning a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
He is also the step-son of Missouri State associate head basketball coach Corey Gipson.
“It’s been great,” Jones said. “Me and my family knew what I could do. It’s just all about patience and waiting for your time.”
You could make an argument that’s the case for the rest of the Blue Jays, too.
As one of the region’s all-time greats, Mohammed commanded attention. He single-handedly represented 35 percent of the team’s offense and 30 percent of the team’s rebounding.
His departure created a huge hole in the Greenwood lineup, but the players who had previously been in supporting roles are thriving now that they have the chance to take center stage.
Burri finished with seven points and 11 boards, plus came up with several key defensive stops to fuel the fourth-quarter rally. Clark hit five 3-pointers, including one that tied the game at 43-43. Tommy Pinegar added seven points, including a pair of clutch free-throws in the final minute.
“Aminu was great,” Jones said. “But with this team here, everybody gets a chance to come out of their shell and show their best performances.”
The departure also gave the Blue Jays a chance to redefine their offense and identity. Early returns are positive, as they’ve surged to seventh in the statewide rankings.
“We just went to some different stuff to try to get different looks,” Taylor said. “I looked at lots of film on lots of different teams and tried to take a little bit from a lot of different places. I think we will only get better at executing it as the season goes along.”
Strafford, ranked third in the state, fell to 4-5 and will face Central in the consolation bracket at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hammons Student Center. Seth Soden led the Indians with 15 points.
Greenwood also gained an advantage over the Indians in the Class 3 District 11 playoff race, but their most immediate concern is Wednesday’s showdown with Class 5 top-ranked Bolivar.
It’s just the 17th time in the 76-year history of the tournament that Greenwood reached the semifinals, an accomplishment made more significant given their offseason roster turnover.
“I think after we lost (71) percent of our scoring and (83) percent of our rebounding, I think we’re just really, really happy to have a shot to even say we’re in the Final Four,” Taylor said.
