Mustangs Can’t Hold Off Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon held off a pair of McDonald County comeback attempts to post a 76-60 win on Feb. 19 at McDonald County High School.
“I felt like we beat ourselves. The first quarter, we missed a lot of easy shots. From there we had to dig out of a hole and that’s hard to do
against a solid team.”
Mount Vernon held off a pair of McDonald County comeback attempts to post a 76-60 win on Feb. 19 at McDonald County High School.
Mount Vernon jumped out to a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and stretched the margin to 35-24 at halftime.
McDonald County opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 37-32, but the Mountaineers’ Mason Ballay hit three consecutive three-pointers to extend the margin to 46-34 with three minutes left in the quarter.
But Pierce Harmon and Cross Dowd hit three-pointers for the Mustangs and Eli McClain added an old-fashioned three-point play in a 9-1 McDonald County run to cut the margin to 47-43 before Mount Vernon’s Dominic Dawson scored from down low to give the Mountaineers a 49-43 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Mount Vernon opened the fourth quarter with a 9-1 run as the Mustangs shot themselves in the foot from the free-throw line. McDonald County missed three front ends of one-and-ones and another on a two-shot foul.
Forced to foul down the stretch, McDonald County put Mount Vernon on the line 18 times in the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers were up to the challenge, hitting 15 of those attempts, including a 10 of 12 performance by Kai Brown.
“They have three guys that can shoot the ball,” said coach Brandon Joines. “We have only practiced three times over the last two weeks and it showed. However, this is one I think we are going to want back because we know that team isn’t better than us. I felt like we beat ourselves. The first quarter, we missed a lot of easy shots. From there we had to dig out of a hole and that’s hard to do against a solid team. Mount Vernon knows how to win and they are coached well. They hit shots and made their free throws.”
McDonald County was led by Dowd with 15 points, Harmon 14 and Cole Martin with 10. Rounding out the scoring for the Mustangs were McClain with seven, Teddy Reedybacon six and Garrett Gricks and
Coach Brandon Joines
MCHS Basketball Coach
Irael Marcos with four each.
Ballay finished with 33 points and Brown 26 to lead Mount Vernon.
McDonald County won the junior varsity game, 65-29, behind 16 points from Destyn Dowd. Rounding out the scoring for the Mustangs were Dalton McClain, Toby Moore and Weston Gordon with eight each, Isaac Behm and Levi Malone six each, Josh Pacheco four, and Jaxson Harrell, Sam Barton and Tucker Walters three each.
Nevada
The Nevada Tigers scored the first 13 points of the game and cruised to a 78-53 win over McDonald County on Feb. 22 at Nevada High School.
Nine of those 13 points came on three-pointers, a portent of things to come.
McDonald County cut the lead to eight points at 17-9 late in the first quarter, but the Mustangs would get no closer the rest of the way.
Nevada led 19-9 at the end of the first quarter, 41-18 at halftime and 66-41 after three quarters.
Nevada hit 12 three-pointers in the game, including 10 by Logan Applegate, several seemingly just as he crossed half-court, on his way to 37 points.
McDonald County hit nine threes of its own. Cross Dowd and Pierce Harmon each had four, while Sterling Woods had one.
Dowd finished with 15 points and Harmon 12 to lead McDonald County, followed by Eli McClain with 10, Teddy Reedybacon eight, Woods three, Irael Marcos and Garrett Gricks two each and Jackson Clarkson one.
McDonald County avoided a sweep with a 57-42 win in the junior varsity game.
Colton Ruddick scored 13 points, Devin Swanson added 11 and Dalton McClain had 10 to lead the Mustangs, followed by Isaac Behm with eight, Hunter Leach five, Destyn Dowd and Weston Gordon four each and Levi Malone two.
The McDonald County freshmen were outscored 5-2 in overtime to drop a 50-47 decision.
Toby Moore led McDonald County with 20 points. Josh Pacheco had 11, Sam Barton nine and Destyn Dowd seven.
McDonald County falls to 7-13 overall, 3-3 in conference action, before heading to Aurora on Feb. 23. The Mustangs close out their regular season on Feb. 26 at Springfield Catholic.