Mt. Vernon slams Houn' Dawgs

The Mt. Vernon High School boys basketball team won both their games last week, defeating Aurora and Buffalo.
 
The Mt'neers hosted Aurora on Wednesday, Feb. 25 and on the game going away, 84-54.
 
It was a close first quarter, as Mt. Vernon held a slim 22-19 lead. The second quarter was almost like the first quarter as the two teams traded baskets, but the Mt'neers were able to outscore the Houn' Dawgs, 14-10 to take a 36-29 halftime lead. Mt. Vernon exploded for a 26-point third quarter, but Aurora stayed right with them, scoring 20 points of their own to enter the fourth quarter only trailing 62-49. The fourth quarter proved to be the deciding quarter, as Mt. Vernon clamped down on defense, allowing just five points, while scoring 22 points to put the game out of reach.
 
Hunter Dawson and Griffin Cordray paced Mt. Vernon with 23 points each and Lucas Schooen added 13 points in the win.
 
“Aurora has been playing some of their best basketball as of late so we knew that they would be ready for this game,” said head coach Ryan Worley. “Aurora likes to score early and quick in transition by getting into the paint and finding their shooters for open looks. I thought we did a great job of getting our defense set on each possession, limiting them to only three pts in transition. We obviously had a great night offensively which showed in our scoring 84 points, but our defense set the tone for us. The players did a great job of attacking the basket and not just settling for threes early in our possessions resulting in 56 of our 84 points coming in the paint. If we can continue to maintain our offensive efficiency to go along with our consistent defensive effort, then we should be a competitive group going into the post season. We were excited for the guys to earn this win at home in a rivalry game and in front of a great crowd.”
 
The Mt'neers started the week by traveling to Buffalo on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and came home with a 68-58 win. 
 
A 27-point third quarter is what sealed the game for Mt. Vernon as the game was just a four-point lead for the Mt'neers at the half, 28-24. By the end of the third quarter, Mt. Vernon had stretched that lead to 53-41. Buffalo would outscore Mt. Vernon 17-15 in the fourth quarter but it would not matter as the Mt'neers would win the game by 10 points.
 
Dawson led Mt. Vernon with 23 points, Cordray would add 16 points and Schoen would finish the game with 11 points.
 
“This was a good win on the road for us,” said Worley. “Buffalo is playing well right now and had a great environment for our game. We started the game a little slowly with five turnovers in the first quarter but cleaned it up moving into the rest of the game, finishing with only 11 total turnovers. The coaches liked our defensive focus and effort and thought the guys did a great job of making game adjustments. Offensively by taking care of the ball it should allow us to compete at a higher level when we are on the road. We are proud of the way this group has come together late in the season, going 10-3 in our last 13 games. Considering we started the season off 4-8 it would have been easy for the players to check it in. Instead, they stayed the course, trusted each other and showed up each day with a mindset of getting better each day. That resiliency shows the great leadership and character that this group has on the court and in the locker room.”
 
Mt. Vernon is 15-11 on the season and were scheduled to play against Seneca in an opening round game of the Class 4, District 12 tournament at Nevada on Tuesday night. The tournament will run through Saturday.
 
Girls basketball
 
The Lady Mt'neers had a good week as well, winning both of their games over Aurora and Clever.
 
Mt. Vernon hosted Aurora on Thursday, Feb. 26 and defeated the Lady Houn's, 44-33.
 
Aurora led 13-12 after the first quarter, but that would be the only quarter that they would lead in the game. In the second quarter, the Lady Mt'neers played good defense and shot the ball well, scoring 15 points, while giving up just seven points to take a 27-20 halftime lead. Both teams combined for just 11 points in the third quarter, but it was enough for the Lady Mt'neers to increase their lead to 34-24 by the end of the quarter. Mt. Vernon outscored Aurora 10-9 in the final quarter of play to win the game by 11 points.
 
Ellie Eddington led with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Emmie Schuber had seven points and eight rebounds in the win.
 
“This was a great win and a perfect way to cap off the regular season against a quality rival,” said head coach Alexis Cauthon. “Our defense is truly the heartbeat of this team right now; it’s what anchored us tonight and ultimately led us to this victory. We’ve built a lot of momentum, and now our focus shifts entirely to the postseason. We’re prepped, locked in, and ready to take on Seneca in the first round of districts on Monday.”
 
The Lady Mt'neers hosted Clever on Monday, Feb. 23, defeating the Lady Jays 55-43.
 
The Lady Mt'neers led 14-12 after the first quarter and 28-23 at the half. Another 14-point third quarter saw Mt. Vernon increase their lead to 42-33. In the fourth quarter Mt. Vernon added 13 points to win the game by 12 points.
 
Schubert paced Mt. Vernon with a double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 15 rebounds, Eddington added 14 points, five rebounds and four steals in the win.
 
“This was a great win that truly showed how far we’ve come,” said Cauthon. “It was a total team victory that reflected our ‘Sisterhood’ culture perfectly. Our defense anchored us throughout the night, while our unselfishness on offense led to consistent scoring across the board. We need to bottle this energy and use it as momentum to finish the regular season strong this Thursday and carry it straight into districts next week.”
 
Mt. Vernon is 9-15 on the season and were scheduled to play against Seneca in an opening round game of the Class 4, District 12 tournament at Nevada on Monday night. The tournament will run through Friday.