The Nevada Tigers would honor their three senior players prior to the tip-off of their game on Tuesday night against the Wolves of Reeds Springs. Riddick Shook, Brice Budd, and Derek Hoffman would each be announced as the crowd would learn about their future plans, along with some advice they have for their younger teammates after each being a part of Nevada Tiger basketball throughout Junior High and High School. They would hug their coaches and their parents before refocusing and taking the court for their final game in Wynn Gym as Nevada Tigers.
As is the senior night tradition for the Tigers, all 3 seniors would be in the starting line-up and while the game got off to a bit of stagnancy from both teams trading possessions and a couple of jump balls, Jack Cheaney would then tip the ball from the Reeds Spring player into the hands of Brice Budd who would find his senior teammate Riddick Shook running the court and get him the ball and the lay-up. Nevada would use intense full-court pressure to turn over the less-experienced Wolves (who didn’t have a single senior in their current line-up) and get multiple chances to take the ball to the basket. A couple of Budd free throws would be followed by a Nevada defensive stop and Gabe Smith defensive rebound where the Tigers would set up in the halfcourt and Budd would find Smith under the bucket for 2 more. Reeds Spring would get a couple of buckets in the paint, but Kellen Braden would find Brice Budd in the corner for the open 3 that would be followed by a Riddick Shook corner 3 from the opposite side on the next possession with 1:49 to go in the quarter. Jack Cheaney would close out the 1st quarter knocking down 2 free throws and at the end of 1 it was Nevada 14 and Reeds Spring 4.
Nevada’s defense would come out strong in the 2nd turning the Wolves over on their first possession resulting in a Mason Majors 3. Uche Mba would put in the extra effort to prevent a Nevada turnover and he would be rewarded when after the ball got reset Budd would find Mba for the reverse lay-up and Nevada’s first 15-point lead. The Wolves would hit one from the high post and both teams would trade long possessions against their opponents’ zone defense before Riddick Shook would find a wide open Mason Majors for his second trey of the quarter. The Wolves would block the next Nevada shot, but Mba again didn’t give up on the play and worked to get the ball back finding Jack Cheaney who would take the ball to the basket and get fouled, converting the old-fashioned 3-point play with just under a minute to play in the half. Reeds Spring would take the ball down and set up their offense getting a 3 to fall right before the buzzer rang and at halftime, the score was 28-11.
The 3rd quarter would start a little slower with almost 2 minutes going by before Brice Budd would get a steal that would lead to a Derek Hoffman assist to Jack Cheaney for the long-range 3. Cheaney would follow up on the next possession knocking one down from the other side of the court. The Tigers would continue their defensive pressure keeping the Wolves away from the basket. They also worked together moving the ball around and showcasing very unselfish play before Uche Mba would get the ball and find Kellen Braden for the teardrop jumper putting the Tigers up 36-13 about halfway through the 3rd. Another Reeds Spring turnover would set the Tigers up for a Jack Cheaney drive and lay-up, followed by another defensive stop where Uche Mba would get the offensive rebound and get the ball back out to Budd at the perimeter who would find a cutting Kellen Braden for 2 more. A Mason Majors steal and outlet pass to a running Budd would then be followed by a Wolves foul and Nevada inbound play that would set up Mason Majors for a top-of-the-key 3-pointer and a Nevada 30-point lead. Reeds Spring would get two free throws and a jump shot to end the quarter, but the Tigers were in command with a lead of 45-19 going into the final stanza.
The Tigers would get the play they were looking for in the 4th quarter when Brice Budd would find fellow senior Derek Hoffman under the basket where he would pump fake and get the bucket, creating a loud response from his teammates, coaches, the Tiger Cage and all the Nevada faithful. A Riddick Shook steal on the other end would lead to an outlet pass to Budd who came up just short on the lay-up, but a trailing Gabe Smith was there for the putback, and with 6:30 to go in the game the turbo clock began to run. Shook would hit two free throws and Budd would assist Montgomery Palmer for 3 before Coach Shaun Gray began to pull his seniors out one-by-one and give them the standing ovation they deserved in their home gym as they all 3 have shown in their own ways what it truly means to be a Nevada Tiger. Montgomery Palmer would get another 3 to fall which would get the bench back on their feet and the Tigers would roll up the Wolves with a final score of 57-22.
After the game Head Coach Shaun Gray said “Our defensive effort was superb. We mixed defenses all night and played different lineups, all the while our guys stayed locked into their assignments and never wavered from the task at hand. They showed unselfish ball movement, toughness on loose balls, great energy sprinting the floor, and great team defense. It was a great way to honor our senior class and we are hopeful our strong play continues to grow as we draw near to the postseason.” On his team, Coach Gray added, “Derek Hoffman got the senior night start with classmates Brice Budd and Riddick Shook and those guys along with their underclassmen teammates did a great job of playing Nevada Tiger Basketball at both ends of the floor.”
The Tigers had a very balanced scoring attack as they found multiple ways to score against the Wolves. Jack Cheaney would lead the way with 15, Mason Majors added 9, Brice Budd had 8, Riddick Shook had 7, Montgomery Palmer with 6, Gabe Smith and Kellen Braden had 4 apiece, and Uche Mba and Derek Hoffman each chipped in 2.
The Tigers will take some time off as their final game of the regular season will not be until Thursday, February 22nd in Carthage. They will find out after the seed meeting on Monday, February 19th when they still start district play.
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