BY JASON PEAKE

Junior guard Evan Guillory poured in 21 points to lead Joplin (7-8). Three others reached double figures, as Isaiah Davis had 15, Andreis Gaines scored 13 and Zach Westmoreland had 10.

Terrell Kabala led Webb City (7-5) with 17 points, while Austin Bash and Alex Gaskill contributed 11 points apiece.

A midrange jumper from Davis gave Joplin a 17-14 lead at the end of the

opening frame. Treys from Gaines and Always Wright pushed Joplin's lead to 23-16 early in the back and forth second quarter, but Webb City responded, as hoops by Bash and Nickhai Howard kept the Cardinals within striking distance.

James Moman scored five straight points for the Eagles and buckets from Guillory and Gaines gave Joplin a 38-30 halftime advantage.

Pushing the pace and getting out in transition, Joplin put together a 16-2 burst in the third period. Westmoreland's fast-break dunk and a hoop from Davis extended Joplin's lead to 54-36 with two minutes remaining in the quarter.

Kabala hit a 3-pointer for the Cardinals, but Guillory grabbed a steal and threw down a two-handed dunk for a 56-39 lead with 1:30 left in the third period.

Just when the hosts appeared on the brink of being blown out, Webb City used a 10-2 run to trim its deficit to 10 entering the final frame. However, the Cardinals were never able to get within single digits the rest of the way.

"We didn't make plays, and some of that is on us and some of that's because of them," Horn said. "We missed some bunnies around the basket that we don't normally miss. We weren't sharp offensively. We were a little out of sync."

Joplin Globe 1/9/2019 (Used by permission)