With 3 players in double-digits and 8 players scoring, the Nevada Tigers kicked off their basketball season with the same mentality that pulled a majority of them through a very successful football run, and that is putting the team first. One would never have known that these players have less than a week of practices together as they moved the ball well on offense presenting multiple different opportunities to score.
A Kellen Braden 3-pointer from the far corner started the game and by the end of the 1st quarter Nevada was leading 25-12. Jack Cheaney picked up 9 of his 20 points in the 2nd quarter off a mix of long-range 3’s and dribble and drive lay-ups. Nevada would take a 46-26 lead into the locker room at halftime with all 8 players that stepped foot on the court in the first half contributing to the team’s total.
The 3rd quarter showed a little bit of the wear-and-tear that Nevada players’ bodies were still recouping from after a very long and physical football season with Neosho outscoring the Tigers 18-17, but thankfully, they had built themselves a large enough cushion to stand on.
The 4th quarter gave every Nevada Tiger dressed out on the bench an opportunity to see at least a few seconds of Varsity minutes. After a couple of seasons in a row of having some less-than-stellar records before Christmas break this was a great way to get the 23-24 basketball season started.
Coach Shaun Gray had mentioned in Tiger Talk earlier in the week that the boys were working on getting back into basketball shape as it is a different type of cardiovascular challenge, and that this group would be fun to watch once they were able to get that completed. If this is what this team looks like with some rusty edges, it could lead to a very exciting basketball season for Nevada Tiger fans.
A quick run-down of scoring for the balanced Tigers includes Jack Cheaney with 20, Brice Budd with 16, Uche Mba with 10, Riddick Shook with 8, Gabe Smith with 7, Kellen Braden with 6, Mason Majors with 5, and Alex Ast with 3.
The Tigers get right back on the court Friday, December 1st against the Frontenac Raiders.
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