CARL JUNCTION BOYS 84, BRANSON 77
Carl Junction boys basketball defeated Branson in the second round of the Forsyth Tournament on Friday to clinch a berth to the title game.
Brody Pant led the Bulldogs with 30 points, while Cooper Vediz had 19 and Wyatt McAfee had 16.
The Carl Junction boys went on to defeat Forsyth in the title game 74-73. No other stats were made available.
JOPLIN 66, PITTSBURG 53
Joplin built an eight-point advantage after the first quarter and held onto that pace through the half before adding on down the stretch for the win.
"I thought there were a good deal of positives this evening and it is always nice to get off to a successful start,” Joplin coach Nicholas Pfeifer said. “Defensively, we were active and rebounded well but not super disciplined and fouled too much. Offensively I thought we were aggressive and then made pretty good decisions off the bounce. We also shot a pretty high percentage from three which is helpful."
Fred Taylor led Joplin with 25 points, including three 3-pointers. Collis Jones added 11 points and Aiden Scourten finished with nine.
Joplin is in the Carthage Invitational on Thursday with a matchup against Carl Junction.
NEVADA BOYS 44, NEOSHO 42
Nevada rallied to outscore Neosho 15-6 in the fourth quarter on the way to a win over the weekend.
The Tigers were led in scoring by Mason Majors’ 10 points.
Neosho’s Zack Forsythe had 11 points, while Oliver Martin had nine points and Kanten Smith with eight.
GALENA BOYS 74, THOMAS JEFFERSON 42
Galena defeated Thomas Jefferson in the third-place game of the Lockwood Tournament on Saturday.
The Bulldogs led by 10 after the first quarter and pushed the margin to 22 by the intermission before pulling away in the second half.
The Cavaliers (3-2) were led in scoring by Jack Twiss’s 17 points. Kohl Thurman had 12 points.
Thomas Jefferson hosts Purdy on Thursday.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC BOYS 47, SARCOXIE 38
The McAuley Catholic boys basketball team built a lead at the half and used a strong defensive effort in the third quarter to help pull away for the win over Sarcoxie in the second round of the Gem City Classic tournament.
Max Anreder finished with 18 points to lead the way for the Warriors, while Connor Taffner added 10 points and Tripp Miller with nine.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC BOYS 49, EL DORADO 37
McAuley Catholic boys basketball earned fifth place in the Gem City Classic on Saturday after beating El Dorado.
Michael Parrigon had 21 points to lead the Warriors. Alex Bohachick
McAuley Catholic is in action on Tuesday against Pierce City.
NEW HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN BOYS 51, EAST NEWTON 44
New Heights Christian boys basketball earned a win over East Newton on Saturday.
Jaydon Smith scored 14 and Adam Stanton had 11 to lead the Cougars.
NHCA is in action in the MOKAN Winter Classic.
CARTHAGE GIRLS 44, FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 26
Carthage blanked Fort Smith Southside in the second quarter to build a 14-point lead by the intermission on the way to a win in the Lady Tigers Invitational over the weekend.
“We had a great defensive effort tonight for all 32 minutes, highlighted by holding Fort Smith Southside to zero points in the second quarter to take a 22-8 lead into halftime,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “Our smothering defense led to good scoring opportunities for us on the offensive end.”
Lauren Choate led the Tigers with 16 points and a pair of 3-balls. Jaidyn Brunnert had nine points, while Maggie Boyd finished with eight.
BENTONVILLE GIRLS 52, CARTHAGE 32
Carthage wrapped up play in the Lady Tigers Invitational with a loss to Bentonville.
Bentonville led by 12 after the first quarter and pushed the lead to 22 by the intermission. Carthage held firm in the second half but couldn't go on a run to trim the lead.
Lauren Choate had 10 points for Carthage.