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Ladies and gentlemen, Ethan Murray.
The Neosho Wildcats’ senior guard scored 42 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and had seven steals to lead his team to a 62-51 win over Springfield-Central Thursday in the second round of the Carthage Invitational.
“I can’t say enough about Ethan,” Neosho coach Ben Ponce said. “The way he was stepping up and knocking down shots for us (was great). He got hot and he wanted the ball and Central just didn’t have an answer for him tonight so we just said ‘let’s keep giving it to him.’”
Dustin Flory didn’t have gaudy scoring numbers, but his contribution was just as impressive. The senior forward finished with a team-high 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and drew two charging fouls. He also scored six points.
“I am proud of all of our bigs. They did a great job stepping out and playing defense,” Ponce said. “Dustin Flory took two charges for us tonight and really set the tone for us on defense. He was also a huge beast on the boards for us.”
In the first quarter, Neosho had trouble scoring points out of their half-court sets. Murray was able to score when plays broke down and the Wildcats got a couple of points at the free throw line and the score was tied at 12 after one.
In the second quarter, Murray cooled off. He only scored four points in the frame — his lowest output per quarter of the game. However, the rest of the team had their most productive quarter and Neosho carried a 27-25 lead into the locker room.
The biggest thing keeping Central alive in the game at the half was its free throw shooting. Of the 25 points the Bulldogs scored, 10 of them came from the charity stripe.
In the third quarter, the light really switched on for Murray. He scored 16 points in the third and Neosho took control of the game.
“Central did a great job of coming out with high intensity,” Ponce said. “We jumped out off the bat, but then they did a great job of coming back and setting the tempo in the first half. We had a good second half defensively and then, of course, Ethan got hot there for us. They kept fouling him, so that helped us too.”
Neosho sank 13 free throws in the fourth quarter to ice the win. Murray finished the game 19-for-19 from the charity stripe and as a team, Neosho shot 72 percent from the line.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ethan Murray.
The Neosho Wildcats’ senior guard scored 42 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and had seven steals to lead his team to a 62-51 win over Springfield-Central Thursday in the second round of the Carthage Invitational.
“I can’t say enough about Ethan,” Neosho coach Ben Ponce said. “The way he was stepping up and knocking down shots for us (was great). He got hot and he wanted the ball and Central just didn’t have an answer for him tonight so we just said ‘let’s keep giving it to him.’”
Dustin Flory didn’t have gaudy scoring numbers, but his contribution was just as impressive. The senior forward finished with a team-high 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and drew two charging fouls. He also scored six points.
“I am proud of all of our bigs. They did a great job stepping out and playing defense,” Ponce said. “Dustin Flory took two charges for us tonight and really set the tone for us on defense. He was also a huge beast on the boards for us.”
In the first quarter, Neosho had trouble scoring points out of their half-court sets. Murray was able to score when plays broke down and the Wildcats got a couple of points at the free throw line and the score was tied at 12 after one.
In the second quarter, Murray cooled off. He only scored four points in the frame — his lowest output per quarter of the game. However, the rest of the team had their most productive quarter and Neosho carried a 27-25 lead into the locker room.
The biggest thing keeping Central alive in the game at the half was its free throw shooting. Of the 25 points the Bulldogs scored, 10 of them came from the charity stripe.
In the third quarter, the light really switched on for Murray. He scored 16 points in the third and Neosho took control of the game.
“Central did a great job of coming out with high intensity,” Ponce said. “We jumped out off the bat, but then they did a great job of coming back and setting the tempo in the first half. We had a good second half defensively and then, of course, Ethan got hot there for us. They kept fouling him, so that helped us too.”
Neosho sank 13 free throws in the fourth quarter to ice the win. Murray finished the game 19-for-19 from the charity stripe and as a team, Neosho shot 72 percent from the line.
“I do (think free throw shooting can be a strength) for us,” Ponce said. “I wasn’t sure how that would be this year. We shot 75 percent Monday and when I looked, we shot 9-of-16 in the second half (in that game).”
Other scorers for Neosho were: Tyrell Hembree 7, Logan Davidson 3, Johnny Lowe 2, Luis Vargas 2.
“Our goal coming into this tournament was to either win it or go 2-1,” Ponce said. “We still have an opportunity to do that. But we are going to face a good Seneca team on Saturday. I think it’s good for us to get out of practice and play.”
SENECA- 47
MONETT- 41
Dalton Lindsey had a double-double and the Seneca defense stifled the Cubs from start to finish as the Indians earned a 47-41 win over Monett in the second consolation semifinal Thursday night in Carthage.
Lindsey had 14 points and 10 boards to lead Seneca.
“It feels good to get the first win,” Seneca coach Will King said. “Coach (Ryan) Stokes and I have been talking about that lately. And it feels good. It’s good for our confidence and hopefully we’ll build on it. Now we have to get ready for Neosho.”
Other scorers for Seneca were: Zack Kelly 7, Daniel Noah 6, Kyler Ng 6, Bradley Jumper 3, Logan St. Clair 2, Elias Roelfsema 2, Payton Rawlins 2 and Chance Smith 2.
“We are going to have our hands full with Neosho,” King said. “Ben Ponce does a great job and Ethan Murray had a ton of points tonight. He’s a great kid. I know he’s a hard worker. It’s going to be a battle.”
Seneca and Neosho will tip off Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
