REPUBLIC, Mo. — A fast start coupled with a strong perimeter game sent the Joplin boys basketball team to a 67-46 win over Carthage in the opening game of the Class 5 District 12 tournament on Saturday.
Joplin (14-12) opened the game with the first eight points and took a 12-4 lead into the second quarter when the 3-ball showed up for the Eagles. Joplin sank five triples in the period, building a 33-17 lead by the intermission. The Eagles never allowed the Tigers to claw back into the game, keeping pace in the win.
"It's very hard, especially against a team like Carthage that is so prepared by Coach (Steve) Ray, to get a lead," Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. "We knew we had to have a very good start, and we did, but we were only up eight. I was proud of the way we stuck with it and then we started making some shots to loosen things up."
Carthage's season ends with an 11-15 record. The Tigers graduate
Tucker Downing as the lone senior.
"There are a lot of lessons to be taken from this season," Carthage coach
Steve Ray said. "For our underclassmen, there is no better motivation than disappointment. I know the guys are disappointed in how the season ended. Hopefully, that makes them hungry and want to get back and advance in this tournament next year."
"Tucker is such a solid kid, one of those kids you don't have to worry about as a coach," Ray said of his senior. "He has infectious energy, and I think that is one of the best compliments you can give a kid. I am super proud of him and what he has accomplished here."
After Carthage's
Marcus Huntley opened the second period with a 3-pointer to trim Joplin's lead to five, 12-7, Evan Guillory and Blake Tash, who closed with nine points, knocked down 3-pointers of their own on consecutive possessions to put the Eagles on top 18-7.
Huntley responded with a scoring drive, but Guillory, who had 10 of his team-high 16 points in the second period, stepped into another 3-pointer and followed up with a second-chance inside score on the next possession to give Joplin a 23-9 advantage with 4:17 to play in the first half.
Guillory added a mid-range and Tash sank two more triples to send Joplin into the intermission with a 33-17 lead.
"I was very pleased (with our outside shooting)," Hafer said. "Blake is a good shooter, he just doesn't take that many shots because he is doing so many other things for us. He stepped up for us tonight, and then Evan got going in the second quarter to help us separate."
The long-range conversions continued for Joplin in the second half, as Andreis Gaines connected on a 3-pointer midway through the third to put Joplin up 19. Gaines chipped in nine points for Joplin, which had nine different players score in the win.
Always Wright, who finished second in scoring with 15, sank his first of five second-half 3-pointers with two minutes to play in the third to give the Eagles their first 20-point lead, 45-25. Wright drilled four more 3-pointers in the fourth to account for 12 of Joplin's 22 points in the period.
"When Always gets his feet set, he is a terror to see behind the 3-point line," Hafer said. "Our guys did a great job finding him."
Alex Martini led Carthage with 13 points, while Huntley finished with 11.
Joel Pugh added nine.
Joplin advances to take on top-seeded Republic (20-6) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the Class 5 District 12 tournament.
"They've beat everybody in the league, including us," Hafer said. "We played them tough (in Republic), but they won the league and are No. 1 in the district for a reason. It's a challenge, but our kids our anxious to see how we stack up against them."
-Lucas Davis, Joplin Globe Sports
(4) Joplin 67, (5) Carthage 46
Carthage 4 13 11 18 - 46
Joplin 12 22 11 22 - 67
Individual Scoring
Joplin: Gaines 16, Unlisted Eagle #14 15, Bruggeman 9, Davis 9, Unlisted Eagle #20 6, Rader 4, Campbell 3, S. Jones 2, Westmoreland 2, Unlisted Eagle #33 1
Carthage: Martini 13, Huntley 11, Pugh 9, Frisinger 4, Carlton 3, Downing 2, T. Jackson 2, Templeman 2
3PFG: Unlisted Eagle #14 5, Bruggeman 3, Pugh 3, Gaines 2, Huntley 2, Davis, Rader
