The Nevada Tigers came out a little shaky in the 1st quarter with some quick turnovers from the Harrisonville half-court trap and starting 0 for 5 from behind the arc, but as they have shown all season, they are resilient and don’t hang their heads in frustration, they instead choose to rise up to the occasion. Kellen Braden would start the scoring from the free throw line knocking down his first two attempts, but Harrisonville crashed the boards on both sides and took a 15-12 lead after 8 minutes of play.
Nevada came out ready to go in the 2nd quarter with Mason Majors opening up the scoring with a 3-pointer from the right corner giving Nevada the lead 18-17. Back-to-back 3’s by Gabe Smith and Jack Cheaney would force Harrisonville to take a time-out as it became obvious that the Tigers were coming in hot. The Wildcats would come back to tie the game at 24 all, but another trip down the court and Jack Cheaney hit one of his 5 three’s of the quarter putting Nevada up 27-24. Harrisonville would go back down the court with a 3-pointer of their own, knotting the game back up with just over 2 minutes left in the quarter. A bucket and a free throw would give Harrisonville a 30-27 lead, but on the other end of the court, Brice Budd would get fouled while shooting a 3-pointer that would still fall for a 4-point play and a lead that the Tigers would never give back up. Jack Cheaney would hit two long-range 3’s to increase the Nevada lead, but Harrisonville also showed some grit by running the full length of the court in the final seconds of the half for a wide-open lay-up to set the score going into the locker room at Nevada 39, Harrisonville 34. Nevada finished the quarter going 8 for 9 from behind the arc.
The Nevada defense came out with a statement of their own in the 3rd quarter, turning the Wildcats over on the opening play. Jack Cheaney would start his scoring frenzy where he finished with a quick dribble and drive from the top of the key. The Wildcats continued to battle back by beating Nevada on several offensive rebounds giving them multiple attempts to get their shots to fall, and would even cut the lead to 1, at 41-40. Gabe Smith decided it was his turn to put the ball in the bucket and went on his own 5-0 run with a 3-pointer and lay-up after a steal on the defensive end. The Tigers would continue to drive to the bucket and finally find their groove from the free-throw line, continuing to build up space and crush any momentum the Wildcats might try to find. The 3rd quarter would end with Nevada up 61-54.
To start the 4th quarter, Gabe Smith would get going again by hitting a corner 3-pointer and giving Nevada their first double-digit lead. With very physical play from both teams, there would be quite a few free throws shot as both teams were in the bonus by the 3:10 mark of the quarter. The Tigers would win this battle, going 24-27 on the night, which has been a point of emphasis to work on in these early season games. Brice Budd would give the Tigers their first 20-point lead from the free throw line, where he went 12 of 14 on the night. Nevada would put their subs in at just over two minutes, but a quick 3 by Harrisonville would find the starters back out on the court. After another minute of play and the Tigers holding on to the large advantage, Coach Gray would clear the bench at just over a minute to play and the Tigers would pass the ball around until the clock ran out.
Jack Cheaney led the Tigers in scoring with 32, while Brice Budd added 21, Gabe Smith pitched in 17, Riddick Shook had 7, Kellen Braden had 5, and Mason Majors had 3. Cheaney and Smith both had five 3-pointers a piece in the collective effort.
After the game Coach Gray said “Our guys shared the ball well and found the open man all night. We guarded well in the ½ court and when we started rebounding better that’s when the game turned. This was a great win to send us into the break, we can enjoy a few days off to recharge and then get back to the grindstone in an effort to keep building. This group is hungry to find its ceiling and we know it will take a lot of hard work to get there.”
The Tigers, now 5-5, will have until January 2, 2024, before they return to the court to take on Clinton at home. With a whirlwind to the start of the season after many boys were late getting to practice after an extended football season, and then immediately going to 3-4 games a week they will have the opportunity to sit down and focus on the areas they saw some deficiencies, as well as build on their strong points.
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