Mt. Vernon falls in district championship game, Lady Mt’neers drop district semifinal game

The Mt. Vernon High School boys basketball team traveled to Nevada last week to take part in the Class 4, District 12 tournament, coming home with a second place finish.
 
On Saturday, March 7, the Mt’neers lost to Nevada in the district tournament championship game, 59-42.
 
The Tigers led 18-14 after the first quarter and then clamped down on defense in the second quarter, allowing Mt. Vernon just eight points, while scoring 15 points of their own to take a 33-22 halftime lead. The Mt’neers outscored the Tigers 12-11 in the third quarter to cut a little bit off of the lead, trailing just 44-34. In the final quarter of play, the Tigers once again played good defense, allowing just eight points to Mt. Vernon to close out the 17-point victory.
 
Lucas Schoen led Mt. Vernon with 13 points.
 
Mt. Vernon reached the championship game by defeating East Newton, 68-63 in the semifinals on Thursday, March 5.
 
The Mt’neers were hitting on all cylinders in the game, scoring 19 points in the first quarter to lead, 19-13 at the end of the quarter. A good defensive effort in the second quarter only allowed the Patriots nine points, while Mt. Vernon put up 15 points to increase their lead to 32-22 at the half. East Newton woke up a bit in the third quarter, scoring 20 points, while limiting the Mt’neers to 13 points to cut the lead to 46-42. It took every bit of the 22 points that Mt. Vernon scored in the fourth quarter to put away a pesky East Newton team, as the Mt’neers outscored the Patriots 22-21 to win the game by five points.
 
Griffin Cordray led Mt. Vernon with 24 points, Hunter Dawson had 13 points, and Schoen ended the game with 11 points.
 
On Tuesday, March 3, Mt. Vernon defeated Seneca in an opening round game, 59-27.
 
The Mt’neers jumped out to a 20-6 first quarter lead and never looked back, leading 37-19 at the half. A 17-point third quarter pushed the Mt’neer lead to 54-26. In the final quarter of play, Mt. Vernon scored just five points, but Seneca could only manage one point, allowing the Mt’neers to win the game by 32 points.
 
Huner Conway and Dawson led Mt. Vernon with 12 points each.
 
“We were able to play quite a few guys in this one which allowed everyone to contribute to this win,” said head coach Ryan Worley. “At this point in the season, having the ability to play multiple guys is nice because it keeps our team morale high, creating both enthusiasm for practices and the next game prep. I thought we came out focused defensively and set the tone early with how hard we played on both ends of the floor. Offensively, we did a great job of taking care of the ball finishing with only six turnovers while also moving the ball really well, resulting in 15 assists. We have multiple guys who can shoot or score the ball so when the ball moves, allowing everyone to get a touch on offense it usually leads to finding the best shot for our team. This showed in the stats through our balanced scoring and points per possession being at 1.15. If there is one area that was exposed in this specific game it's that we didn’t get to the free throw line enough, only getting there five times.” 
 
The Mt’neers end their 2025-26 season with a 17-12 record.
 
Girls Basketball
 
The Lady Mt’neers also made the trip to Nevada to play in the Class 4, District 12 tournament last week and fell in the semifinals.
 
Mt. Vernon lost to Cassville, 59-49 on Wednesday, March 4.
 
Cassville led 17-12 after the first quarter and 32-21 by halftime. A 17-point third quarter cut the Lady Wildcats lead to 44-38 heading into the final quarter of play. Cassville would put the game away with a 15-point fourth quarter to win the game by 10 points.
 
Emmie Schubert ended the game with a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, Elli Eddington led Mt. Vernon with 19 points in the game.
 
“It was a heartbreaking loss, but we fought until the very last whistle,” said head coach Alexis Cauthon. “While we struggled with their full-court press in the first half, the second half was a different story—our girls showed incredible grit and never backed down. I am beyond proud of this group and how far we’ve come. Our entire goal this year was progress and improvement, and we truly demonstrated that from start to finish. This team has built a foundation of resilience, and there is such a bright future ahead for this program.”
 
Mt. Vernon opened the tournament with a 58-37 win over Seneca on Monday, March 5.
 
The Lady Mt’neers started out strong with a 16-point first quarter, coasting to a 16-9 lead. The second quarter was almost a carbon copy of the first quarter, as Mt. Vernon added 15 more points to their total and held a commanding 31-17 halftime lead. The Lady Indians did manage to outscore Mt. Vernon 13-11 in the third quarter but still trailed 42-30. In the final quarter of play, but the Lady Mt’neers turned up the defense once again, allowing just seven points and putting the game out of reach with 16 points, to win by 21 points.
 
Eddington and Schubert both ended the game with double doubles, with Eddington scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds and Schubert scoring 13 points and pulling down 10 boards.
 
“It was a total team effort to get this first-round district win,” said Cauthon. “What impressed me most was our composure—the girls really stayed level-headed through the game’s natural highs and lows, which is a huge sign of our maturity. They met the challenge head-on and didn't let the pressure dictate their play. Now, our focus shifts entirely to Wednesday for a rematch with a very tough Cassville squad.”
 
The Lady Mt’neers finished their season with a 10-16 record.