Mt’neer basketball wins Stockton Tournament championship

Lady Mt’neers defeat visiting East Newton Lady Patriots, look to battle Cassville tomorrow night
 
The Mt. Vernon boys’ basketball team had a busy week last week, playing three games, including the championship game of the Stockton Tournament that started a few weeks back.
On Friday, Feb. 6, the Mt’neers hosted East Newton on homecoming night but lost to the Patriots in a close game, 53-50.
Mt. Vernon led 14-13 after the first quarter and 25-22 at the half. In the third quarter, East Newton began to make their comeback, scoring 12 points, while just allowing nine points to tie the game 34-34. A 19-point fourth quarter by East Newton was enough to hold off Mt. Vernon and their 16 points to secure the three-point win.    
Hunter Conway and Luca Schoen both led Mt. Vernon with 11 points and Hunter Dawson had 10 points in the game.
“East Newton came in with a great game plan and controlled the pace of the game from the tip,” said head coach Ryan Worley. “We give them a lot of credit for how they competed tonight and out executed us down the stretch. We knew that this game had the potential to come down to a one possession game. As we continue to be in these kinds of environments we’ll grow in our understanding of staying engaged and connected in every possession. We had a great crowd and while we were obviously disappointed with the outcome, it’s a game that we can learn a lot from. We’ll go back to the film and use it as an opportunity to get better.”
The Mt’neers traveled back to Stockton on Wednesday, Feb. 4 to finish up the Stockton Tournament, playing the host in the championship game, and won the game 62-44.
Mt. Vernon jumped out to a 19-10 first quarter lead and left no doubt in the game, scoring 18 more points in the second quarter to take a 37-21 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Mt. Vernon scored 14 points to increase their lead to 51-31. Stockton and the Mt’neers would both score 13 points each in the fourth quarter, but Mt. Vernon would win the game by 20 points.
Griffin Cordray would lead Mt. Vernon with 21 points, Dawson would add 16 points, and Conway would end the game with 15 points.        
“We played focused and connected basketball on both ends of the floor tonight,” said Worley. “The coaches couldn’t be prouder of this team and how they came out ready to play considering it was our second game on the road in back-to-back nights. We felt like we had a good game plan and the players did a great job of executing it throughout the game while making the needed in-game adjustments. For as many tournament championships that we’ve been able to be involved in over the last two years, this is the first championship that this group has been able to win at the varsity level.”
Mt. Vernon started their week by traveling to McDonald County but would lose to the Mustangs, 75-64.
The Mt’neers led 18-15 after the first quarter and then lit up the scoreboard for another 20 points in the second quarter to take a 38-29 lead into the half. McDonald County came out on fire in the third quarter, torching the nets for 27 points to take a 56-52 lead into the final quarter of play. In the fourth quarter the Mustangs added 19 more points to win the game by 11 points.
Schoen paced Mt. Vernon with 25 points, Dawson chipped in 12 points and Cordray ended the game with 11 points.
“We like to stress to the team that our defense travels,” said Worley. “Winning on the road is tough due to playing in a different environment. Playing on the road usually has an impact on a team’s shooting which can cause some offensive struggles. Tonight, we scored enough to get a road win but just couldn’t quite get enough stops in the second half to pull this one out. We felt like our guys came out ready to compete and liked the aggressiveness they had on both ends of the floor. We knew how fundamentally sound Mac Co. could be on defense but probably underestimated their ability to be so explosive on offense. We want to give them all the credit for the adjustments they made at half-time. They had multiple guys step up and hit big shots for them. Once momentum swung their way it was challenging for us to get any going in our favor before the game got away from us.  We are proud of the guys’ effort in this one and will look to learn from it so that we are better down the road. “
Mt. Vernon is 11-10 on the season and were scheduled to travel to Lamar last night before hosting Cassville on Friday night.

Girls basketball
The Lady Mt’neers hosted East Newton on Thursday, Feb. 5 and were able to defeat the Patriots 50-38.
East Newton led 13-11 after the first quarter but that would be the last time they would end a quarter with the lead. Mt. Vernon jumped all over the Patriots in the second quarter, outscoring East Newton 20-3 to take a commanding 31-14 halftime lead. The Patriots were able to outscore Mt. Vernon 13-11 in the third quarter and 8-7 in the fourth quarter but it would not matter as the Lady Mt’neers would win the game by 12 points.
Emmie Schubert led Mt. Vernon with 24 points and nine rebounds.    
“This was a great district win for us,” said head coach Alexis Cauthon. “We’re showing a level of improvement and fight that is really exciting to see this late in the season. Our defensive intensity was exactly what we’ve been working toward, and we were much more disciplined with the basketball. Schubert had a fantastic game—her play really propelled us and helped set the tone for the rest of the group.”
Mt. Vernon opened the week by traveling to Class 5, third ranked McDonald County, on Monday, Feb. 3 and lost to the Mustangs 69-44.
McDonald County led 12-9 after the first quarter and 31-16 at the half. The Lady Mt’neers found their shooting touch in the third quarter, scoring 18 points, but the Mustangs bettered them by scoring 20 points to increase their lead to 51-34. McDonald County would add 18 more points in the fourth quarter to close out the game.
“This was another tough test against a high-caliber, state-ranked opponent, but the final score doesn’t tell the whole story,” said Cauthon. “We showed a fighting spirit tonight that we’ve been looking for all season. We really frustrated them in several stretches and fought back to within eight points in the third quarter. It’s exciting to see that growth and improvement translate onto the court. We’re becoming a team that can push the best in the state.”
Ellie Eddington led Mt. Vernon with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Schubert ended the game with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Mt. Vernon is 5-13 on the season and were scheduled to travel to Lamar on Monday before coming home to play Cassville tomorrow night.