Joomla Login LightBox powered by WowJoomla.com

A pair of valiant comeback efforts fell just short for both Smithville basketball teams on Wednesday in their respective holiday tournaments.

Locked in a fourth-quarter stalemate, the Warriors’ girls couldn’t muster enough offense down the stretch against Hickman Mills during their 41-37 loss to the Cougars in the final of the Penn Valley Tournament in Fred A. Pohlman Fieldhouse.

Kelicia Edwards’ free throw with 3 minutes, 26 seconds remaining tied the contest at 35-35, but the Cougars reeled off a 6-0 run that proved to be the difference.

In the midst of that stretch, Polly Harrington – Hickman Mills’ Louisville-bound forward – fouled out on an over-the-back call with 1:53 remaining. Her absence left the team without its dominant inside presence, but Smithville (7-3) couldn’t take advantage and didn’t manage a field goal the rest of the contest.

Edwards led her team with 11 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Maddie Nelson chipped in with 10 points of her own. Harrington led all scorers with 18 points, while Cierra Akers’ nine rebounds helped the Cougars win the rebounding battle, 27-23.

After the game, junior Sydney Catlett earned all-tournament team honors by averaging 10 points and more than 4 rebounds per game in her team’s runner-up effort.

Smithville’s boys staged a dramatic comeback of their own during the consolation final of the William Jewell Tournament’s Nelson Division.

The Warriors trailed by 11 points midway through the fourth frame and roared back against the Class 5 Blue Jays thanks to an effective trapping, zone defense.

In the final 4 1/2 minutes, Smithville went on a 13-4 run that included three steals and scoring contributions from three different players. The Warriors even had a chance to win or tie in the final seconds after forcing a bad-pass turnover with 5.9 ticks remaining.

As Raytown swarmed to cover dominant forward Dillon Deck, senior Jake Butterworth found himself wide open for an uncontested 3-point shot that just missed its mark. Deck came away with the offensive rebound but missed the putback as time expired.

Deck once again turned in an astounding performance inside with 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocks – all while battling foul trouble throughout the game. Austin Frerichs and Andrew Townsend also chipped in with six points apiece, as seven different players scored for the Warriors – who committed a season-low nine turnovers.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed