By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’s not always how you start, but how you finish.
And, in Webb City’s case, that ability to finish – specifically at the end of quarters – led to the Cardinals escaping with a 63-53 win over host Lamar on Tuesday night.
Jason Horn, entering his second season at Webb City, watched as his team mounted rallies in the closing minutes of the game’s first three quarters, which in the end favored the Cardinals 28-6.
The most devastating came at the end of the first and second quarters, each answering deficits.
Webb City ended the first quarter with a 12-2 run and the first half with a 10-4 spurt, the latter turned a 23-20 deficit into a 30-27 halftime lead.
Senior Alex Pickett scored eight of Webb City’s 10 points as part of that run. The 6-foot-4 wing finished with a game-high 24 points, 10 of which came in the second quarter.
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“They’re all tough defend because they can handle and shoot it, but especially Pickett,” said Lamar coach Tyler Ryerson. “He can truly score at all three levels, which is tough for any big man to guard.”
Lamar was able to make a push in the third quarter, cutting Webb City’s 13-point lead to five, 46-41. But, the Cardinals scored the final six points of the quarter to extend the lead back to double digits.
By the middle of the fourth quarter the run ended at 17-6, with Webb City holding a 63-47 advantage.
Sparking the second-half run was WC’s defense. The Cards, and foul trouble, helped limit Lamar leading scorer Ian Moore to just four points in the final 16 minutes. This after scoring 12 points in the first have despite sitting out extended time with two fouls.
“He’s a great player, we just did a better job of locating him and providing help to our primary defender in the second half,” said Horn. “We were also able to apply some pressure which forced turnovers and got us out in transition for some easy scores.”
Senior guard Garrett Morey finished with 13 points for Lamar, knocking down at least three 3-pointers for the second straight game.
Webb City received 13 points from senior Grant Ellis. Junior guard Alex Gaskill added 11.
For Horn, the opener went about as expected, which is a good sign for a team that returns several key pieces from a district championship team and hopes to again be playing well into March.
“There were some nerves, some jitters and a little bit of rust, but I’m pleased with the effort,” said Horn. “We want to build on last season and I believe we saw some signs of that tonight. Our guys did a great job of sticking to the scouting report and absorbing that information, which we struggled with last week. We’ve only had a few practices so we’re still learning.”
Lamar moves to 3-1 on the season and like Webb City, the Tigers have only had a few practices as a complete team due to winning a state championship in football.
But, after losing last year’s meeting by nearly 40 points, 79-46, Ryerson was also pleased with the fight his team showed.”
“Honestly, I told people today that I just wanted to see our kids come out and compete,” said Ryerson. “We did not compete last year at their place. We’ve had four full practices and four games so a game is almost like a practice because we’re still adjusting and playing 12 players.
“We struggled to knock down shots tonight but I’m pleased with how well we competed.”
Lamar is idle until Tuesday when the Tigers host Liberal. Webb City will be in action Thursday-Saturday in Rogers (Ark.) Arvest Hoopfest.
Webb City 63, Lamar 53
Webb City 15-15-22-11 – 63
Lamar 9-18-14-12 – 53
Webb City (1-0) – Pickett 24, Ellis 13, Gaskill 11, Nichols 6, Rogers 5, Young 4.
Lamar (3-1) – Moore 16, Morey 13, Danner 8, King 6, Bishop 5, Hardman 3, Venable 2
