EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. – The Tigers boys’ basketball team battled through a pair of games last week, dropping both contests by more than 30 points.
The Tigers traveled to Van Horn High School in Independence on January 20, where the Falcons earned a 59–23 victory. The Tigers never led but stayed close early, trailing just 5–4 and 7–6 before Van Horn took an 11–8 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Falcons began to pull away in the second quarter as the Tigers went cold from the floor. A single free throw was all the Tigers could manage in the period, falling behind 21–9 at halftime.
The Tigers’ best offensive quarter came in the third, scoring nine points, but Van Horn answered with 20 to extend its lead to 41–18 heading into the fourth. The Falcons continued to build on that advantage with an 18–5 fourth quarter to secure the win. Turnovers played a key role, as the Tigers committed 20, which turned into 28 points for the Falcons. No Tiger reached double figures, with junior Owen O’Dell leading the team with seven points. Junior Kalib Strickland added six, senior Booker O’Neill scored five, and senior Thomas Stanley and sophomore Spence Gibbs each finished with two.
In the second game of the week, the Kearney Bulldogs pulled away late to secure a 69–36 win. Kearney connected on seven three-pointers and led 11–5 after the first quarter before extending the margin to 30–15 at halftime. The Tigers again had their strongest quarter in the third, scoring 13 points, but the Bulldogs matched that momentum with 17 points of their own to take a 47–28 lead into the final frame. Kearney closed the game with a 22-point fourth quarter while holding the Tigers to eight.
O’Neill led the Tigers with 16 points in the loss. Junior Brett Jones scored six points, while O’Dell added five. Strickland finished with four points, junior Hunter Dallas scored three, and Gibbs added two.
