BY JASON PEAKE
William Chrisman and Nevada both secured spots in the semifinals of the Kaminsky Classic with their respective victories on Thursday night at Joplin High School.
However, the Bears and Tigers won in completely different ways.
William Chrisman did just enough down the stretch to earn a 70-67 win over Webb City. On the other hand, Nevada rolled from the start in a 61-35 victory over the Joplin junior varsity.
William Chrisman and Nevada will meet at 9 tonight with a spot in the title game on the line.
"It should be a good one," Nevada coach Shaun Gray said. "They're as
quick from end to end as you'll find. They can shoot and attack, and we know they'll use a pressure defense. We run into teams like Grandview and Ruskin in the postseason, and Chrisman is a similar team with a lot of athleticism. It should be a good battle. No matter what happens, it should be good for our guys."
Webb City meets the Joplin JV at 6 in the consolation semifinals.
WILLIAM CHRISMAN, 70-67
In a game that featured eight ties, the Bears outscored the Cardinals 24-19 in the fourth quarter to pull out a close one.
"It wasn't our best game, but sometimes you have to win like that," William Chrisman coach Jake Kates said. "When we get a lead, we're pretty tough because we have so many guards who can handle the ball and make free throws. We feel fortunate to win this one and move on, and we know we'll play a tough team tomorrow night."
Webb City coach Jason Horn noted his team didn't make enough winning plays in the fourth quarter.
"We got a little loose with the ball and we just didn't execute like we needed to," Horn said. "We have to do a better job of valuing the ball and looking for a good shot. There were possessions where we got out of sorts and they made us pay."
Three players scored in double figures for the Bears, as Isaiah Jackson had 22, Alex Calhoun added 12 and Zachery Rowe chipped in 11.
William Chrisman hit 22-of-48 field goal attempts (46 percent). The Bears (7-2) out-rebounded the Cardinals 41-34. Webb City junior guard Nickhai Howard scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 8-of-12 free throws. The 5-foot-11 Howard also grabbed nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Cohl Vaden added 13 points off the bench for the Cardinals, while senior guard Tanner Rogers scored eight.
Webb City, in its first action since Dec. 21, made 21-of-59 field goal attempts (36 percent). The Cardinals (2-5) were just 5-of-20 from long range.
In a back-and-forth first half, Terrell Kabala's two-handed dunk off a feed from Colton McKee gave Webb City a 21-19 lead.
The Bears led for most of the second quarter, but the Cardinals scored the final seven points of the half, as Rogers converted a steal into a layup and hit a trey before Mekhi Garrard made two free throws, giving Webb City a 32-28 halftime advantage.
The Bears used a 13-2 run early in the third period to take a 41-34 lead, but Webb City received seven points from Vaden late in the quarter to go up 48-46.
William Chrisman took the lead for good early in the final frame with a 9-2 surge. After trailing by seven, the Cardinals cut their lead to three on three occasions. But the Bears made 18-of-22 free throws in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Kates noted taking care of the basketball in the second half was crucial.
"We had 13 turnovers at halftime and we usually don't turn the ball over," Kates said. "We played sloppy in the first half. But we only had six turnovers in the second half. That was big for us. We attacked the rim and got to the freethrow line."
Horn noted there were positives in the loss.
"I thought our guys played well and did some good things, but we're still a work in progress," Horn said. "I was pleased with our effort. We're only going to get better."
Joplin Globe 01/10/2020