By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
COLUMBIA — Thayer’s 57-44 Class 3 semifinal defeat at the hands of New Madrid County Central on Friday only confirmed what the Bobcats already believed about the defending state champion Eagles.
Thayer’s 44 points matched its season low. The Bobcats average 61.6 points a night.
“We knew coming in the monster that was waiting for us when we got here,” Thayer coach Matt Pitts said. “They kept us out of rhythm. They put so much pressure on you that you need to try to attack the basket. But then they’ve got guys at the basket who make it really hard to finish.”
The Bobcats were outscored 34-24 in points in the paint and had just eight second-chance points. They held the lead for only a little more than a minute the entire game.
“They made everything tough on offense for us,” guard Easton Pitts said. “Nothing was ever easy.”
“It was hard to get in (offensive) sets,” forward Aidan Burns said. “The ball pressure was great, which made it tough to get passes across the court. They were pressuring the passing lanes. It was a cycle. They kept pressuring the ball. We tried to attack them off the dribble. That led to some good things. But sometimes it resulted in turnovers.”
“They do a really good job of taking passing lanes away,” forward Devin Harrington said. “It wears down on you. We played as hard as we could through it. They make everything hard.”
Thayer nearly had as many turnovers (14) as made field goals (17).
The Bobcats were able to manage some success offensively, with Harrington shooting 5-of-6 from the field while scoring 14 points, to go along with nine rebounds. Burns and Roward Spencer combined for 11-of-22 shooting and 28 points, with Spencer hitting a trio of 3-point goals.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“It’s a testament to our guys to hang tough,” Matt Pitts said. “As hard as it was, I felt like we kept playing.”
New Madrid coach Dontre Jenkins was pleased with the Eagles’ defense, particularly on Burns, who is averaging 19.9 points a night.
“We didn’t allow Thayer to get into their offense sets like they normally (do),” Jenkins said. “We were able to force them to (take) some shots they normally don’t take. We knew they were going to go to (Burns) a lot and we tried to make it tough on him.
“Our focus was to slow (Burns) down,” he added. “If they were going to beat us, he was going to have to work pretty hard to beat us. We had (Jadis Jones and BJ Williamson) changing in and out on him. They’re two of the best defenders in Missouri and I think (Burns) saw that tonight.”
“I don’t think Thayer saw defense like that for a full game,” Williamson said.
Jones strengthened his candidacy for the state’s premier player status by collecting 25 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals.
With Jones getting to seven offensive rebounds, the Eagles had 15 offensive boards.
“There’s no keeping that dude off the glass,” Easton Pitts said of Jones.
New Madrid was in control the entire second half and put things away by outscoring Thayer 18-13 in the fourth quarter.
“I preached to the guys before the game that this was going to be like one of those boxing matches,” Jenkins said. “We were going to throw body shots and they were going to throw body shots until the last round. In the last quarter, we were going to try to knock them out. That’s kind of what you saw tonight.”
Thayer (22-9) will play for third place at 2 p.m. Saturday.
New Madrid 57, Thayer 44
NEW MADRID (57) — Williamson 7-17 0-0 16, Jones 10-15 5-6 25, Brooks 0-4 2-2 2, Ruff 3-10 1-2 8, Cranford 3-5 0-0 6.
THAYER (44) — Pitts 1-0 0-0 2, R. Spencer 6-11 2-3 17, Harrington 5-6 4-6 14, M. Spencer 0-1 0-0 0, Burns 5-11 0-0 11.
New Madrid 13 15 11 18 – 57
Thayer 11 9 11 13 – 44
3-point goals – R. Spencer 3, Williamson 2, Ruff, Burns.
