Boys Tiger Basketball Opens New Year 1–2 in Action (Jan. 5–9)

Excelsior Springs, Mo. – The boy’s Tiger basketball team opened the new year with an exciting win, followed by two losses last week.

The week began on January 5 with a dramatic 50–48 comeback victory over the Cameron Dragons. Cameron jumped out to an early 8–2 lead and appeared to be pulling away, but the Tigers battled back to trail just 16–14 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers outscored the Dragons 12–11 in the second quarter to cut the deficit to one point at halftime. Cameron regained momentum in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 14–4 to take a 41–30 lead into the fourth.

The Tigers responded by opening the final quarter with a 10–5 run, trimming the lead to 46–40 with 4:39 remaining. Baskets from senior Booker O’Neill and sophomore Spence Gibbs brought the Tigers within one point at 45–44 with 2:30 left. Cameron added a basket and a free throw, but the Tigers closed strong. O’Neill drove to the basket and found Gibbs for a layup off the glass with 46.6 seconds remaining to tie the game at 48. Junior Brett Jones then scored off the glass from the right block with 12 seconds left, and the Dragons missed a potential game-winner from beyond the three-point line at the buzzer, sealing the Tigers’ win.

O’Neill led the Tigers with 12 points. Jones and junior Owen O’Dell each scored 11, while Gibbs added eight. Senior Thomas Stanley finished with four points, and junior Drake Simonitis, junior Kalib Strickland, and sophomore Dalton Guy each added a free throw.

The next two games proved more difficult for the Tigers, as they fell to the Grandview Bulldogs and the Winnetonka Griffins. Against Grandview, pressure defense forced 21 Tiger turnovers, which the Bulldogs converted into 28 points during an 81–42 loss. O’Neill scored 15 points to lead the Tigers, while Stanley added 11. Junior Daelin Dickerson finished with six points, Strickland scored four, and Gibbs, Jones, and junior Hunter Dallas each scored two.

Turnovers again played a major role in the Tigers’ home matchup against Winnetonka on January 9. The Griffins scored 19 points off 26 Tiger turnovers in a 49–17 win. No Tiger reached double figures, with O’Neill leading the team with six points. Jones scored five, while Strickland, Stanley, and Dickerson each added two.