The mood was not unlike an August gathering on the fairgrounds, with 16 teams from nine towns meeting to celebrate milestones and compete in a tournament at State Fair Community College in Sedalia.
Day two of the 2017 Kaysinger Conference Basketball Tournament Sponsored By W-K Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac began at 10 a.m., Saturday Feb. 4 at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.
Sacred Heart boy’s basketball, seeking its fourth consecutive tournament championship, started the day with an 80-33 victory over Otterville. Trent Lyles scored 20 points, Colby Young added 18 and Micah Tanguay finished with 16 points.
The Eagles advanced to Saturday’s game with a 75-65 victory against the better-seeded Tipton at Smithton High School in Smithton. Head coach Scott Gemes said Otterville is locked in on the consolation trophy.
“As the nine seed coming in, we’ve already beat expectations,” Gemes said. “Now our goal is to come out with a trophy.”
In a 14-point performance, senior Eagles guard Jake Neal scored his 2,000th career point on a free-throw.
Neal said despite the score, his benchmark moment was exciting.
“It’s still a great experience,” Neal said. “I’ve had a lot of support. A lot of people care about me. That really contributes to how great this experience is.”
The top-seeded girl’s team also advanced when Tipton shut down Otterville, 55-22. Abby Backes had 20 points and five assists, while Alyson Brant scored nine points with 12 rebounds.
In the third quarter, Tipton’s full-court press limited the Lady Eagles to two points — an Ava Norman field goal.
Smithton provided the day’s only two upsets. The boy’s team lost in overtime 77-70, while the girl’s team defeated Stover, the defending tournament champs, 44-35.
Ryan Dove led Green Ridge with 31 points and scored his 1,000th career point in overtime.
Green Ridge head coach Jason Cannon said two close wins and an overtime loss earlier in the season primed the Tigers for a poise overtime period.
“We’ve been in a lot of close games this year,” Cannon said. “A lot closer games than we’ve had in the last couple years. So, our late-game situations, we’ve had a chance to work on this year.
“Our kids understand, we can’t walk into a gym and expect people to lay down for us.”
The Smithton Lady Tigers were steady amid Stover’s pressure in its 9-point victory.
Down 10-8 after the first quarter, Smithton allowed just two points before halftime and led 23-12 at the break.
Each hitting a trio of threes, Juno Nausa scored 11 and Hannah Eisenbarth scored 10 for Smithton.
Windsor boy’s and girl’s basketball took losses to Lincoln and Cole Camp, respectively.
The No. 2 seed Cardinals ran away with a 58-29 victory against the Greyhounds, getting points from nine players. Lincoln was up 31-9 at halftime and Boone Kroenke led the team with 17 points.
Cole Camp defeated the Lady Greyhounds 43-26 in the late game, and advance to face Sacred Heart in the semifinals.
The Lady Gremlins scored 23 points in the fourth quarter of a 51-40 win against Lincoln. Elayna Ebers led Sacred Heart with 16 points. McKenna Beeler and Grace Goodwin scored 14 apiece.
Sloan Swearngin led Lincoln with 12 points.
The Kaysinger Conference Tournament continues 6 p.m. Monday at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center in Sedalia with La Monte and Green Ridge girl’s basketball. Northwest and La Monte’s boys are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
SCOREBOARD
BOYS
Sacred Heart 80, Otterville 33
Green Ridge 77, Smithton 70 (OT)
Cole Camp 69, Stover 47
Lincoln 58, Windsor 29
GIRLS
Tipton 55, Otterville 22
Smithton 33, Stover 35
Sacred Heart 51, Lincoln 40
Cole Camp 43, Windsor 26
