With threats of inclement weather inhibiting playable basketball across Southwest Missouri on Tuesday night, the Monett Cubs and Carthage Tigers hit the hardwood in front of a sparse crowd as a result of the potential weather hazards. The steady Purple Haze snapped a tough two-game losing streak with a down to the wire victory over the Tigers, 61-52.
"It felt pretty good coming off a couple of losses," said Monett move-in senior from Miller Kobe Besch, who posted a game-high 23 points on Carthage. "We finally got a win tonight, and it felt good. We came into the home game and played with a lot of intensity and effort.
"We just got the job done to a very good Carthage team. We played together tonight, and it was a good team win."
With an ability to play inside and out, Besch made his money around the perimeter and was a potent threat against the Tigers beyond the arc as a long-range shooter. The 6-foot-3 forward also went a perfect 10-for-10 from the pinstripe.
"I have been working a lot with my shot and so has Coach (Land)," said Besch when asked about his shooting stroke. "I just give all the credit to the coaches for helping me get my shot better. It's showing in games, and I just give all the credit to them and my teammates because they trust me when I shoot. It helps to know that my shot is going in every time I shoot."
Through the first couple minutes in the first quarter, Monett held an 11-7 lead over Carthage at the midway mark. The Cubs showed several set plays on offense in the early going as they rode Besch's nine-point output in the first by opening the game with an 18-9 advantage over Carthage.
Monett continued to hold on to a double-digit lead by the 3:52 mark in the second quarter thanks to two made free throws by Cameron Witt capped by a three-pointer from Logan Coones. Out of a timeout with three minutes remaining in the half, Carthage shortened Monett's lead down to eight points with a 5-0 run before a Cubs 30-second timeout at 2:24 mark. The Tigers ended the first half on a high note, outscoring Monett 13-10 and trailed by just 28-22 before heading to the locker rooms at half.
In the third quarter, Monett stretched their lead out to as many as 14 points with 3:30 left to go. Then, after the third quarter buzzer the Cubs held a 44-32 lead over Carthage. Down a dozen points in the fourth, Alex Derryberry hit two quick threes to draw within single-digits of Monett at five minute mark. Carthage fought back late, but a well-composed Cubs team converted 20-30 successful free throws from the line and won 61-52.
"I thought the boys did a good job," said Monett head coach Jeremy Land. "We came out in more of a matchup zone — about midway through the first quarter — I thought we defended better the last couple of games.
"Offensively, we were a lot more patient than the last couple of games. Last week was a tough week; we played really good opponents in Mac County and Aurora. Carthage is a quality ballclub, and we knew we had to play a lot better tonight. The boys did a good job."
Land was intrigued in Besch and Coones for stepping with the loss of one of their bigs in Alex Turner. Also, Jonah Paszek was the Cub's second leading scorer with 14 points on the night.
"Defensively, we still have to get better," said Land when asked about improvements with the calendar shifting to conference play. "Transition defense we got to solidify a little bit better. We got to get better at rebounding."
For Carthage, head coach Steve Ray said the physicality of Besch and Paszek was a load to handle for the Tigers. He was proud of his team's perseverance towards the end and will have to learn to guard size with the COC-Large looming.
"I thought Monett was really good tonight," said Ray of the late comeback. "Paszek and Besch, physically, we did not respond very well. I was proud of our guys for fighting till the end, but they dominated; a dominating performance on their part.
"Every team is going to be big. We got to figure a way to guard size and bother size a little more. We got to find a way to make our lack of size an advantage. We didn't do that tonight, and that is a credit to Coach Land."
Monett (9-5) hosts Carl Junction next Tuesday. Carthage (5-10) welcomes Butler at home Friday.
Monett 61, Carthage 52
Monett 18 – 10 – 16 – 17
Carthage 9 – 13 – 10 – 20
Monett: 20-30 FT's – Kobe Besch 23, Jonah Paszek 14, Logan Coones 12, Cameron Witt 5, and Blake Moore 4
Carthage: 5-9 FT's – Alex Derryberry 22, Arkell Smith 11, Garrett McAtee 8, Chase Johnson 6, Ethan Thomas 3, and Keith Guest 2
