Kearney coach Gary Belcher’s game plan going into Saturday’s Kearney Bulldog Classic boys basketball tournament championship game wasn’t about to change from any other outing his Bulldogs compete in throughout the year.
So when he entered the locker-room at halftime leading St. Joseph-Lafayette 26-15, his second-half instructions wouldn’t be altered either. He just kept them simple.
"I just told the guys to keep them (Lafayette) on that same number for as long as they could," Belcher said after the Bulldogs held the Fighting Irish to 15 first-half points by displaying their typical stifling defense. "Then when they make that next basket, hold them there for as long as you can. When they score again, hold them to that score as long as you can.
"We didn’t want them to get any closer. When you maintain a double-digit lead it becomes very demoralizing for the team that’s trying to come back. But if they can get back to within single digits the game becomes much more manageable for them."
The second-ranked Bulldogs closed the first half with a 12-3 run over the final four minutes of the second quarter to open up the 11-point halftime advantage. Then Kearney began the third quarter with a 10-0 spurt to build an insurmountable 36-15 lead more than halfway through the third quarter.
In all, the Bulldogs outscored the Fighting Irish 22-3, including the final 14 points of the run, during that nine-minute stretch.
Kearney took a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter following Alex Klonowski’s 3-pointer at the buzzer to conclude the third quarter. With Saturday’s win, Kearney secured its second tournament championship of the season. The Bulldogs knocked off Raymore-Peculiar and Liberty during their title run at the William Jewell Classic basketball tournament.
"We’ve been on the big stage before," Belcher said in reference to playing St. Francis Borgia in last season’s Class 4 title game at Mizzou Arena. "We are prepared to get everybody’s best shot this season; I think the kids kind of relish that idea. It makes us compete even harder."
A season ago, Kearney struggled through its final 10 regular-season contests without the services of Dillon Starzl. Saturday, the 6-foot-9 senior forward tallied 11 points, 13 rebounds and a pair of steals to make sure the Bulldogs remained behind undefeated and top-ranked St. Francis Borgia in the latest poll.
Alex Klonowski led the way offensively for Kearney against the Fighting Irish with 12 points. Nathan Bitner and Ryan Zech added 11 and 10 points, respectively. St. Joseph-Lafayette’s Taylor Deayon led all scorers with 17 points, while Tim Nelson tallied 10 in the rematch of last season’s sectional contest, won by the Bulldogs 55-43.
Below is a look at the state’s leading scorers last weekend, as well as the latest boys and girls basketball rankings.
Last weekend’s scoring leaders
Boys
Brier West of Soldan scored 40 points in a 55-44 win over Miller Career Academy…Chaminade’s Bradley Beal poured in 35 points in a 78-67 loss to Springfield-Hillcrest at the Bass Pro Tournament held in Springfield…Jason Anderson of Greenfield ripped the cords for 35 points in a 72-58 loss to Marion C Early…Springfield-Hillcrest’s Taylor Sade scored 34 points in a 78-67 win over Chaminade…Brendan Borman of North Callaway poured in 33 points in a 68-52 win over Harrisburg…Duchesne’s Jordan Genenbacher ripped the cords for 32 points in a 53-51 win over Jennings…Dillon Deck of Smithville scored 32 points in a 67-50 win over Clinton…Galena’s Aaryn Ricket poured in 31 points in a 78-64 win over New Covenant Academy…Bradley Beal of Chaminade ripped the cords for 30 points in a 78-57 loss to Milton (Ga.) at the Bass Pro Tournament in Springfield.
Girls
Hannah Wilkerson of Miller scored a school record 50 points in an 88-59 win over Diamond…William Chrisman’s Brittany McQuain poured in 37 points in a 67-63 loss to Raytown South…Anna Clark of Springfield-Glendale ripped the cords for 32 points in a 66-21 win over Gateway Tech…Raytown South’s Tanchelle Hollingsworth scored 32 points in a 67-63 win over William Chrisman…Anna Vogt of Pacific poured in 30 points in a 60-51 win over Mehlville…Cor Jesu Academy’s Meg Riley ripped the cords for 28 points in a 64-51 win over Cape Girardeau Central…Taylor Johnson of Platte County scored 28 points in a 68-61 win over Staley…Incarnate Word Academy’s Jazmin Hitchens poured in 27 points in a 73-30 win over Ursaline…Caitlin Wagner of Parkway South ripped the cords for 26 points in a 65-58 win over Lafayette-Wildwood…DeSoto’s Shelby Cable scored 25 points in a 75-29 win over Festus…Samantha York of Elsberry poured in 25 points in a 67-41 loss to Bowling Green…Notre Dame-St. Louis’ Michelle Auer ripped the cords for 25 points in a 68-56 win over Whitfield…Sharne Morris of Valley Park scored 25 points in a 55-50 win over Valmeyer.
Missouri boys basketball rankings
Top 10
1. Webster Groves (15-0)
2. St. Francis Borgia (13-0)
3. McCluer North (11-0)
4. Hazelwood Central (11-2)
5. Columbia-Rock Bridge (12-3)
6. Kearney (13-0)
7. O’Hara (12-1)
8. Raymore-Peculiar (12-1)
9. McCluer (12-2)
10. Branson (13-1)
Class 5
1. Webster Groves (15-0)
2. McCluer North (11-0)
3. Hazelwood Central (11-2)
4. Columbia-Rock Bridge (12-3)
5. Raymore-Peculiar (12-1)
6. McCluer (12-2)
7. Branson (13-1)
8. Nixa (15-1)
9. Rockhurst (12-2)
10. Truman (12-2)
Class 4
1. St. Francis Borgia (13-0)
2. Kearney (13-0)
3. O’Hara (12-1)
4. Sikeston (12-1)
5. Soldan (12-3)
6. Notre Dame-Cape Girardeau (11-4)
7. Kansas City-Center (10-3)
8. Clayton (11-5)
9. Miller Career Academy (9-4)
10. MICDS (11-3)
Class 3
1. Maryville (10-0)
2. Arcadia Valley (17-0)
3. Cardinal Ritter (10-4)
4. Macon (9-1)
5. Whitfield (10-7)
6. Blair Oaks (8-1)
7. Kennett (11-3)
8. Hogan Prep (7-5)
9. Schuyler County (10-0)
10. Strafford (11-2)
Class 2
1. Sturgeon (13-0)
2. Penney (10-0)
3. Wellington-Napoleon (10-0)
4. Spokane (12-2)
5. Stoutland (11-1)
6. Bernie (13-1)
7. Mid-Buchanan (9-1)
8. Wellston-Eskridge (8-5)
9. Adrian (8-0)
10. Laquey (12-2)
Class 1
1. Scott County Central (12-1)
2. Meadville (11-0)
3. Dadeville (10-0)
4. Glasgow (10-1)
5. Richland (9-2)
6. Leopold (10-3)
7. Pilot Grove (12-1)
8. LaPlata (9-0)
9. King City (9-1)
10. Jefferson (9-2)
Missouri girls basketball rankings
Top 10
1. Incarnate Word Academy (15-0)
2. Nixa (13-2)
3. St. Joseph-Benton (13-0)
4. St. Joseph’s Academy (12-3)
5. Fort Zumwalt West (13-1)
6. Webb City (15-1)
7. Columbia-Rock Bridge (11-2)
8. Hickman Mills (12-3)
9. Eureka (14-0)
10. Platte County (12-1)
Class 5
1. Incarnate Word Academy (15-0)
2. Nixa (13-2)
3. St. Joseph’s Academy (12-3)
4. Fort Zumwalt West (13-1)
5. Columbia-Rock Bridge (11-2)
6. Eureka (14-0)
7. Springfield-Kickapoo (8-4)
8. Lee’s Summit North (10-2)
9. Liberty (10-4)
10. Blue Springs (11-2)
Class 4
1. St. Joseph-Benton (13-0)
2. Webb City (15-1)
3. Hickman Mills (12-3)
4. Platte County (12-1)
5. Pacific (13-1)
6. St. Clair (13-1)
7. Notre Dame-Cape Girardeau (10-2)
8. St. Francis Borgia (9-2)
9. St. Dominic (11-3)
10. Moberly (12-2)
Class 3
1. Cardinal Ritter (11-1)
2. California (12-0)
3. South Shelby (10-0)
4. Mount Vernon (12-1)
5. Hermann (12-1)
6. St. Pius X-Festus (12-0)
7. Cuba (10-0)
8. Maryville (8-2)
9. Conway (12-2)
10. Fair Grove (13-3)
Class 2
1. Penney (10-0)
2. Harrisburg (11-0)
3. Sparta (12-2)
4. Neelyville (14-0)
5. Miller (11-2)
6. Concordia (13-0)
7. Laquey (13-1)
8. Salisbury (11-1)
9. Adrian (9-1)
10. Osceola (8-2)
Class 1
1. Montrose (10-0)
2. Marion County (8-3)
3. Jefferson (10-1)
4. Mercer (10-0)
5. Walnut Grove (11-1)
6. Meadville (11-0)
7. Northeast Nodaway (10-1)
8. Eminence (8-1)
9. Southwest-Livingston (10-2)
10. South Nodaway (7-2)
