BY JASON PEAKE
WEBB CITY, Mo. — There's no place like home.
The Webb City Cardinals would likely agree with that statement.
In their respective home openers, Webb City's girls and boys basketball teams both snapped three-game skids on Tuesday night inside the friendly confines of the Cardinal Dome.
The Webb City girls came from behind to beat McDonaldCounty 52-44 in the opener of a nonconference twinbill, and the Webb City boys were in control from the start in a 79-47 rout over the Mustangs.
Playing at a quick pace and displaying their depth, Webb City's boys got well at home after three straight setbacks in Arkansas.
"We were a lot better defensively than we were last week," Webb City coach Jason Horn said. "We were able to use our defense to create offense. We got out and ran, and our kids did a good job of running their lanes and finding cutters to the rim."
Thirteen players scored in the game for the Cardinals (2-3). Speedy junior guard Mekhi Garrard scored 12 and handed out four assists, while senior guard Terrell Kabala added 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Junior Nickhai Howard added nine points and five assists, while junior Jaystin Smith and senior Colton McKee contributed eight points apiece. Three others, Tanner Rogers, Gary Clinton and Cohl Vaden, all chipped in seven points apiece for the Cardinals, who made 34-82 shots and 7-of-12 free throws.
"We have at least 10 guys we think can play and they all contributed tonight," Horn said. "They're very unselfish. Our guys did a nice job of getting the ball out ahead to the guys who were running to the rim. That just gives everybody an incentive to get out, run and play fast."
Cale Adamson was the lone Mustang to reach double figures, as he scored 14 points. Pierce Harmon added eight points and Cade Smith had a teamhigh six boards. McDonald County (2-3) hit 14-of-46 field goal attempts and 13of-25 free throws.
"I'm proud of our effort," said first-year McDonald County coach Brandon Joines. "I'm proud of our hustle and I'm thrilled at how we handled ourselves."
The Cardinals closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run, capped by treys from Rogers and Garrard. Webb City went up 32-16 on a 3-pointer from Vaden, while Howard's trey extended the lead to 43-22 at halftime. An old-fashioned three-point play by Clinton gave Webb City a 58-28 lead halfway through the third period.
"Webb City has a lot of athletes, but if you make shots it makes it harder for them to run," said Joines, who is a Webb City graduate. "If we make shots, we can set up defensively. But when we missed shots, they rebounded and were able to run and gun. We wanted to play fast, too, but the difference is they were making shots and we weren't."
The Cardinals will host Parsons at 7 on Saturday night in the finale of the 4-States Challenge. The Mustangs host Carthage on Thursday night.
Joplin Globe 12/18/2019 (Used by permission)