Bill Pollock

Mizzou women grab first NCAA tournament win since 2001. Tigers play Texas Monday at 8:15

March 20, 2016 By Bill Pollock

photo/Mizzou Athletics

Mizzou (22-9) shot 57 percent from the field as the 10th-seeded Tigers defeated seventh-seed BYU (26-7) 78-69, Saturday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the University of Texas at Austin.

Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) led the Tigers with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals while Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) added 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

The Tigers shot 57 percent from the field, their highest ever in NCAA Tournament game.

Head coach Robin Pingeton earned her first career NCAA Tournament victory as a head coach. She is 1-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament after previously leading Illinois State to two appearances.

The Tigers improved to 5-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

Mizzou will face second-seeded Texas on Monday at 8:15.

J’den Cox becomes Mizzou’s second, 2-time wrestling national champion

March 20, 2016 By Bill Pollock

J’den Cox is national champ for the second time in three years (photo/Mizzou Athletics)

Junior J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) became the second-ever two-time NCAA National Champion in Mizzou Wrestling history with a 4-2 win over Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y. on Saturday. Cox joined Ben Askren (2006, 2007) as the only Mizzou grapplers to finish a season atop of their weight class twice during their career.

Cox and McIntosh, two of arguably the most technical wrestlers in the nation, finished the first period scoreless. Cox nearly had a takedown near the end of the period, but McIntosh escaped Cox’s grasp and got out of bounds for a restart. Cox and McIntosh traded escape points to start the second and third periods, respectively. McIntosh escaped with under a minute left in the match, tying the score, 1-1. At the time of the escape, Cox had just under a minute of riding time. With the buzzer nearing, Cox got both of McIntosh’s legs to secure the takedown and the victory, 4-2 (point for riding time).

Mizzou finished the tournament sixth overall in the team standings.

Top-10 Team Scores
1. Penn State, 123.0
2. Oklahoma State, 97.5
3. Ohio State, 86.0
4. Virginia Tech, 82.0
5. Iowa, 81.0
6. Mizzou, 74.5
7. Cornell, 67.0
8. Nebraska, 58.0
T9. Illinois, 50.5
T9. Michigan, 50.5

Story–Mizzou athletics

Benton perfection and Vashon back on top in Class 4

March 20, 2016 By Bill Pollock

After a ten-year hiatus from the MSHSAA Final Four, Vashon is back and can boast another state championship in the Class 4 Boys basketball.

Vashon battled back from an early first quarter deficit against Lafayette/St. Joe to win 69-58 win in the final game at Mizzou Arena on Saturday night. It is the ninth state title for Vashon.

The Irish outscored Vashon by two over three quarters of play, but it was the second quarter that was the difference.

Lafayette was up 15-9 with 1:51 left in the first, but turned the ball over seven times for the rest of the half and were outscored 28-12 to close out the final near 10 minutes. Vashon led 38-27 at the half.

Danile Farris led Vashon with 22 points and Mario McKinney scored 13 as Vashon shot a blistering 62% for the game.

The Benton Cardinals had to play an extra eight minutes to cap off their perfect season, but they held on for a 41-34 win over MICDS in the Girls Class 4 finals in double OT.

MICDS was coming off an emotional win the day before against rival Incarnate Word. MICDS beat IWA for the first time in school history after 11 successive losses dating back to 1995.

[Read more…]

Missouri State comes up short in loss to A & M #MarchMadness

March 19, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Photo/MSU Athletics

Missouri State’s 14th NCAA Tournament appearance ended in the first round Saturday afternoon with a 74-65 setback to fourth-seeded and 18th-ranked Texas A&M inside Reed Arena. The 13th-seeded Lady Bears (24-10) trailed the Aggies (22-9) by two points at halftime before the home team connected on 13 of 18 shots in the third quarter separate themselves with a 54-37 lead entering the final period.

Missouri State led for more than four minutes in the first half despite shooting 25 percent from the floor, and led 22-21 with under three minutes to play thanks in large part to forcing 17 A&M turnovers.

Texas A&M scored with 23 seconds before intermission to take the lead for good at 25-23, and pushed the margin to double figures at 38-28 with 5:50 left in the third quarter. Liza Fruendt knocked down her 100th career 3-pointer 38 seconds later, but the Aggies closed the period on a 14-4 run after making their final five shots.

The Aggies shot 29-of-63 (.460) in the game compared to 24-for-71 (.338) for the Lady Bears, and owned a 55-35 rebounding edge thanks in large part to Anriel Howard’s NCAA Tournament-record 27 boards.

Missouri State swiped 14 steals and forced 24 turnovers while committing only 12 of its own.

For MSU’s seniors, Williams finishes her career ranked seventh in school history with 1,645 points. Snow owns both the career (352) and season (109) steals records while finishing ninth in scoring with 1,611 points. Chvatal ends her career ranked 14th in rebounding 629 boards and 12th with 59 blocked shots.

Story: MSU Athletics

Kickapoo girls set a record, Tatum denies a Chiefs sweep in Class 5 #MSHSAA finals

March 19, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Jordan Sanders (left) is guarded by Jordan Roundtree

The Kickapoo girls set a state record by hitting 37-of-53 free throws to help claim the Class 5 championship with a 63-53 win over Kirkwood on Saturday at Mizzou Arena.

Jordan Sanders led Kickapoo with 20 points and 15 rebounds, bouncing back from personally tough semifinal game that saw her battle foul trouble. Her free throws with just over a minute to play in the first half put the Chiefs up 27-26, a lead they would never relinquish.

Audrey Warren also finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Wersinger scored 14 and Laura Vierkant scored 12. Kickapoo claims their sixth state championship, finishing the year 29-3.

Kirkwood was led by sophomore Jayla Everett who scored 24. Jordan Roundtree added 16. The Pioneers finished 26-5.

Coach Jim Pendergrass, Audrey Warren and Jordan Sanders

Jayson Tatum walks the ball up the court against a Kickapoo defender

Chaminade’s Jayson Tatum, a Red Devil who will become a Blue Devil under Coach K at Duke, scored 40 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to hold off the Chiefs in the Boys Class 5 championship in a 72-59 final.

Chaminade saw a 15-point halftime lead cut to one, but Kickapoo was never able to get over the hump late in the fourth quarter. Michael Lewis drained back-to-back three’s to build a 64-56 lead. Chaminade ended the game on a 14-3 run.

Three Chiefs scored in double figures. Cameron Davis had 17 to lead Kickapoo, who finishes the year 29-3.

Chaminade had 57 of their 72 points come from Tatum and Tyler Cook who added 17 in his game high 32 minutes.

Mizzou’s Mayes finishes third at NCAA wrestling, J’den Cox goes for 197 title Saturday night

March 19, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Mizzou Wrestling redshirt junior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes placed third at the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships, defeating Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State), 3-2, in the third place match. Mayes closes out the season with a remarkable 32-3 record, finishing with All-American status for the second straight season. Following the medal round session, Mizzou sits in sixth place with 70.5 team points.

Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Daniel Lewis and redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Willie Miklusplaced in the medal round for Mizzou, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.

Match-By-Match Results
149:
Consolation Semifinals:
#3 Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) def. #5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) by fall (2:49)
Third Place:
#3 Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) def. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) by 3-2 decision
165:
Consolation Semifinals:
#4 Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) def. #6 Steven Rodrigues (Illinois) by fall (3:50)
Third Place:
#3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) def. #4 Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) by 9-7 decision
184:
Consolation Semifinals:
#8 Nolan Boyd def. #14 Willie Miklus (Mizzou) by 6-0 decision
Fifth Place:
#9 Matthew Miller (Navy) def. #14 Willie Miklus (Mizzou) by 4-2 decision

For the second time in three years, junior 197-pounder J’den Cox will wrestle for the 197-pound National Championship after securing a fall over Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) in the semifinal. No. 2-seeded Cox will face top-seeded Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Class 4 finals set for Saturday. MICDS girls pull off an upset, Vashon boys survive OT

March 18, 2016 By Bill Pollock

MICDS and Incarnate Word battle in semifinal action

The finals for the Class 4 Boys and Girls championships are set following exciting semifinal action on Friday afternoon and evening at Mizzou Arena. MICDS achieved redemption from last year’s final loss to Incarnate Word and will face undefeated Benton in the Girls’ final at 6:20 on Saturday.

MICDS has suffered two of their four losses this season to ICW, but won 60-51 and pulled away in the fourth quarter outscoring the Red Knights 21-8. The Rams were led by Taylor Iverson Baur who scored 24 and pulled down 13 rebounds. Rachel Thompson added 13.

For the 15th time in 30 wins, the Benton Lady Cards held an opponent to 25 points or fewer in their 37-25 win. Head coach Brett Goodwin call it his team’s “best defensive performance of the year.” Benton held Owensville’s top player Hailey Diestelkamp to 13 points, 11 under her season average on 3 of 11 shooting.

Daejah Bernard led Benton with 13 points, Kylee Williams added 11.

Saturday’s Schedule – Live Stats
11:00 a.m. C4 Girls Third-Place Incarnate Word Academy vs. Owensville
12:50 p.m. C4 Boys Third-Place Sikeston vs. Helias Catholic
2:40 p.m. C5 Girls Championship Kirkwood vs. Kickapoo Watch
4:30 p.m. C5 Boys Championship Chaminade vs. Kickapoo Watch
6:20 p.m. C4 Girls Championship MICDS vs. Benton Watch
8:10 p.m. C4 Boys Championship Vashon vs. Lafayette (St. Joe) Watch

[Read more…]

Columbia College bounced in the second round of the NAIA Tournament

March 18, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Photo/NAIA.org

No. 3 seed William Penn (Iowa) continued its successful debut at the 2016 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship with an 86-68 win over second-seeded Columbia (Mo.). The Statesmen take on No. 1-seeded Georgetown (Ky.) in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. CDT.

William Penn fired off the first spark of the opening half, reeling off a 9-0 run to construct a double-digit lead, 16-5, with six minutes completed. The Statesmen held a 21-10 advantage at the midway point and carried a 40-27 advantage into intermission after shooting 43.8 percent from the field, while holding the Cougars to 31.3 percent shooting and posting a 28-14 edge on the glass.

[Read more…]

Kickapoo girls and boys will play for Class 5 basketball titles on Saturday

March 17, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Kirkwood and Francis Howell play in the Girls Class 5 semifinal

Kirkwood outscored Francis Howell 26-6 in the second quarter to pull away for a 66-55 win in the first Class 5 Girls semifinal at the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown on Thursday at Mizzou Arena.

Lauryn Miller scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-5 from the free throw line to lead Kirkwood, who makes their first ever appearance in the state championship final.

———————————————————————————–

Kickapoo outscored Liberty 36-18 stretch over a near 20 minute stretch to grab a 12-point late into the third quarter of the second Class 5 Girls semifinal. The Chiefs turned a ten-point deficit into a lead and went on for a 55-49 win.

Jordan Wersinger led Kickapoo with 26 points. Morgan Fleming scored 16 for Liberty and Taylor Gernster had a double-double of 12 points and ten rebounds.

Kirkwood and Kickapoo will play for the Class 5 championship on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. The third place game is Friday at 11:00 a.m.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Jayson Tatum (22) of Chaminade will go for the Class 5 boys title against Kickapoo

Chaminade went 15-for-19 at the free throw line in the first half as SLU High was whistled 15 times in the first half. That helped build a 13-point halftime lead and eventual 75-49 win in the first Class 5 Boys semifinal.

Chaminade finished 28-of-40 from the free throw line and shooting a blistering 63% from the field.

Jayson Tatum led Chaminade with 28 to pass Bradley Beal as the all-time scorer in school history as they beat the Jr. Bills for the third time this season.

———————————————————————————–

Kickapoo shot over 57% early into the fourth quarter, handing Lee’s Summit their first loss of the season to a school from Missouri in the second Class 5 Boys semifinal as the Chiefs pulled away for an 85-81 win.

The Chiefs outscored the Tigers 19-11 in the third as Lee’s Summit cooled off hitting just 1-of-6 from three-point range in that quarter, turning a 40-39 game into a double-digit lead. Lee’s Summit made a run in the fourth quarter after Kickapoo’s lead grew to 18, but the Tigers had too little, too late.

Kickapoo and Chaminade will face each other in the Class 5 final on Saturday at 4:30. The boys third place game will tip at 12:50 on Friday.

Central Methodist out after first round loss in NAIA D-I tournament

March 17, 2016 By Bill Pollock

photo/NAIA.org

No. 5-seed Great Falls advances to the second round for the second-straight year as the Argos defeated No. 4-seed Central Methodist 70-58 in first round action at the 2016 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship in Independence, Mo on Thursday afternoon.

Central Methodist falls to 0-2 all-time in championship history. Hale led the Eagles with 24 points. She has scored at least 20 points in 16 games this season. Cooper-Johnson – who is averaging 19.5 points per game in her last two games, 7.8 points per game better than her season average (11.7) – poured in 17 points. Moe added 11 for the Eagles. Cooper-Johnson grabbed 16 boards and Moe recorded 10 rebounds.