With two schools that are often even-matched in many different sports, a Nevada and McDonald County match-up is always going to be competitive and Friday night in Anderson was no different. After watching the Lady Tigers fall in the game before them, the Tigers knew that the task ahead wouldn’t be easy, but as they have shown all season, grit and resilience are at the core of this group of young men, and they would need every ounce of it to come out on top of this one.
Nevada would get the opening possession and move it around well, but would ultimately come up empty and McDonald County would take advantage on their first possession and find the bucket and get their first lead of the game. Jack Cheaney would line up right in front of the Mustang student section and nail a 3 from well behind the arc and just like that the Tigers were out in front. The Mustangs would use their size advantage and get the next two buckets in the lane before Brice Budd would knock down a 3 of his own and tie everything back up at 6. McDonald County would get two more before Cheaney would line up on almost the same exact spot as before and drill another 3 to put the Tigers back up by 1 at 9-8. Riddick Shook would stand his ground for a charge against the much larger Mustang post man, which would prove to be crucial later in the game as he would sit for a long period of time with 4 fouls. McDonald County would use some Nevada turnovers to drop in some buckets before Cheaney would nail another one, and just like that the 1st quarter was over and the Tigers were down 14-12, with all of their scoring coming from behind the arc.
The Mustangs would get the ball first in the 2nd quarter, continuing their plan of attack inside the paint and would draw a Nevada foul converting 1 of 2 from the line. They would then get a defensive stop and another bucket quickly taking their lead up to 5. Mason Majors would come in off the bench and knock down a 3 to get the Tigers back into the scoring column with 6:13 to go in the quarter. McDonald County would be off the mark on their 3-point attempt and a Nevada rebound would lead to a Brice Budd long-range 3 and the Tigers would retake the lead. Budd would then steal the ball from the Mustangs, push the pace down the floor, and bounce pass to a following Jack Cheaney who would continue his hot shooting spree from the 3-point line with nothing but net. The Mustangs continued to pound the ball inside getting buckets to tie everything back up before Cheaney would connect again from his favorite spot in front of the student section for the fourth time in the half and giving the Tigers back the lead. With 1:30 to go in the 2nd quarter McDonald County would get more points in the paint before Uche Mba would find Brice Budd for another 3-ball as the Tigers hit 9 from beyond the arc for the total scoring in the half. With 16 minutes down and 16 minutes to go the Tigers would find themselves up by 2 at 27-25.
The 3rd quarter would start out with a lot going on, including a Nevada turnover, a Brice Budd steal, and McDonald County blocking two Nevada shots in a row before the Tigers would collect themselves a bit, and Jack Cheaney would get fouled on a shot and step up to hit both free throws. The Mustangs would answer with a bucket in the paint, a defensive stop, and a 3-pointer to quickly retake the lead at 30-29. The Tigers began working the ball inside the Mustang zone and Cheaney again went right at the Mustang defender getting the bucket, the McDonald County foul, the free throw, and Nevada’s lead back. A Brice Budd steal on the press would give the Tigers the opportunity to reset in the halfcourt where Jack Cheaney would find an open Kellen Braden for the 3, increasing the Tiger lead to 35-30, but the Mustangs would turn around and quickly break the press on their next possession for an easy lay-up. A 3-pointer on the next Mustang possession tied things right back up at 35 all, but at the 2:42 mark in the quarter, McDonald County would pick up their 5th foul of the quarter sending the Tigers to the free throw line to shoot two each time for the remainder of the quarter. The Tigers would convert 1 of 2 from the line but then would foul the Mustangs on the other end giving them the opportunity to get the lead back at 37-36. Another Budd steal would set up an assist from Jack Cheaney to an open Uche Mba behind the defense and the Tigers were right back in front at 38-37 with under a minute to go in the frame. A Nevada foul on the Mustangs would send them back to the line where one of their seniors would step up and hit both giving McDonald County back the lead as the rollercoaster continued between the two rivals. Nevada would move the ball around in the halfcourt on their next possession before Mason Majors would find Gabe Smith in the corner to hit the 3 and put the Tigers back out on top. The Mustangs would get the ball down the court quickly nailing a straightaway 3 from the top-of-the-key as the final seconds ran off the clock, putting themselves back in the lead at 42-41 with 8 more minutes of basketball to play.
The way the game was going many of the fans weren’t sure if this game would end in regulation, but the Tigers came out in the 4th and put the hammer down outscoring the Mustangs in this frame 22-12, showing they were not giving the Mustangs any extra time to come back. The Tigers would get their first points from Uche Mba who got fouled in the act of shooting and stepped up to hit both free throws. Each team would then trade empty possessions before Brice Budd would find Jack Cheaney for the corner 3 and just like that the Tigers were up by 4 at 46-42. McDonald County continued to work in the paint getting a jumper to fall, but Brice Budd would get fouled on the other end and hit 1 of 2 from the line. A Nevada defensive stop and pushing the ball up the court would give Mba a chance to drive to the bucket where he would connect for the old-fashioned 3-point play, but as the night had gone up to this point, the Mustangs would convert in the same way on their end and the game was back within 1 at 50-49. A Kellen Braden steal while playing great defense would give Brice Budd the opportunity to back down the defense, pump fake, and lay the ball in, but the Mustangs would answer with a long-range 3 and tie the game back up at 52 all with just over 3:30 to play in regulation. Budd would attack the Mustang defense again and although his shot didn’t fall, Mba would grab the offensive rebound and while still in the air get the putback, the Mustang foul, and convert on the free throw line. Each team would then trade empty possessions before the Tigers would get the ball back with 2:00 to play before Brice Budd would find Jack Cheaney from an inbound play where he would get the lay-up and a Tiger 5-point lead. The Mustangs would convert on 2 free throws before Budd would find a cutting Gabe Smith at the basket for 2 more Nevada points with just under a minute to play. The Mustangs would send Budd to the line where he would knock down both free throws and Uche Mba would steal the ball on the other end and run out for a lay-up putting the Tigers up 63-54 with 14 seconds to play. The Mustangs would get the ball down the court and attempt a 3-pointer, but that would be blocked by Budd and the Tigers would leave Anderson with a hard-fought win.
One of the emphases of this season is to not “live and die by the 3”, but after the game Head Coach Shaun Gray stated that “The McDonald County packed in zone with several long and big wide bodies made inside buckets hard to come by, fortunately our 3-point shooting was successful in the first half. Jack Cheaney and Brice Budd led the barrage of triples and I’m not sure that I’ve seen a team ever only score 3-point buckets in a half, but our 9 3’s were enough to give us a 2-point halftime lead.” He also added that “in the 2nd half we found more balance and our ability to get to the free line proved huge. Jack Cheaney, Brice Budd, and Uche Mba drawing fouls inside and getting MC Center Toby Moore in foul trouble was key, as was the charge that Riddick Shook drew on him in the 1st half. Converting 11 of 13 second-half free throws was key.”
When talking about his team Coach Gray said “Jack’s 26 points and his onslaught of 3-pointers were huge for us. Brice Budd attacking and finishing inside amongst the trees was big in the 4th quarter. Gabe Smith’s corner 3 was a big spark, and Uche Mba with a career-high 12 points all in the 2nd half was really big as he scored inside and at the free throw line.”
The Tigers will be back in action at Wynn Gymnasium on Tuesday, February 13th, against the Wolves of Reeds Spring and it will also serve as Senior Night for Brice Budd, Riddick Shook, and Derek Hoffman, who are all 4-year Nevada Tiger basketball players. Coach Gray said, “We hope to continue the strong play into our Senior Night on Tuesday vs. Reeds Spring.”
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