Second-half collapse costs Cardinals against Moberly
By MATT KING\Daily Journal Sports Writer
Jan 22, 2005 - 23:52:39 CST
PARK HILLS - The Mineral Area College men's basketball team had the 13th-ranked team in the nation on the ropes at the Bob Sechrest, Sr. Fieldhouse on Saturday night, but the Moberly Greyhounds rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to claim a 73-66 victory.
MAC (13-7) stretched a 10-point halftime lead out to 50-36 with 12:24 left, but Moberly (16-4) immediately countered with a stunning 15-0 scoring run to take a one-point lead with 7:00 remaining. The Greyhounds got back-to-back three-point plays from sophomores Eddie Smith and Marty Wise down the stretch to take a 70-59 lead, putting the game out of reach.
Smith scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, using a mixture of mid-range jump shots and strong penetration to the basket to spark the Moberly comeback.
Both clubs shot the basketball well in the early stages of a fever-pitched, physical first half, but the Cardinals used tenacious team defense and an efficient transition attack to eventually take control of the action. Fast-break layups by Kenny Burke and DeAlan Hicks highlighted an 8-0 surge which gave Mineral Area a 24-16 lead.
Offensive rebounding helped the Greyhounds hang around throughout the first half, and was a chief factor in their second-half success. Ray Lucas converted a steal into a layup directly after scoring on an offensive putback to bring Moberly to within 29-26.
The Cardinals regained the momentum before the break by attacking the basket and drawing fouls. Five straight free throws by MAC during the final two minutes widened the margin to 10.
Mineral Area made 9-11 attempts from the charity stripe during the opening stanza and led 38-28 at halftime. Moberly did not attempt a single free throw in the first half.
The home team continued its domination out of the locker room. Strong rebounding allowed MAC to get four shots on a single possession, eventually resulting in a putback by Hicks. A jumper by Burke found its mark on the next Mineral Area possession to make it a 14-point game.
After failing to cash in on an intentional foul against the Greyhounds, MAC suddenly entered into a series of careless passes as Moberly increased its defensive pressure. The Cardinals committed 19 turnovers overall.
Three straight baskets by Smith trimmed the margin to three before Kewain Gant put Moberly ahead 51-50 on a putback. Ray Peterson turned a left-handed hook shot into a conventional three-point play to put the Cardinals back up by two, but Moberly promptly scored the next seven points to move in front to stay.
Keith Hardaway received a fortunate high bounce on his third triple of the night to give a Greyhounds a 63-57 edge with 3:40 to go. A double-clutch driving layup by Smith on the next Moberly possession sealed the outcome of the contest.
The Cardinals were led in scoring by Burke with 13 points, while Muse added 12 and T.J. Britton chipped in nine.
Moberly improved to 2-1 in Region XVI play with the victory while MAC slipped to 1-2. The Cardinals will travel to Godfrey, Illinois on Monday night for a match-up against Lewis & Clark.
Moberly - 28 45 - 73
Mineral Area - 38 28 - 66
SCORING:
Moberly - E Smith 24, K Hardaway 13, K Gant 12, R Lucas 8, M Wise 8, M Gibbs 4, M Jackson 4.
3-pointers - K Hardaway 3, M Jackson 1.
Mineral Area - K Burke 13, C Muse 12, T Britton 9, R Byrne 7, R Peterson 5, A Jackson 4, C Wilkerson 4, M Foster 4, D Hicks 4, J Jackson 2, D Chillers 2.
3-pointers - R Burne 1, T Britton 1, K Burke 1.
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MAC (13-7) stretched a 10-point halftime lead out to 50-36 with 12:24 left, but Moberly (16-4) immediately countered with a stunning 15-0 scoring run to take a one-point lead with 7:00 remaining. The Greyhounds got back-to-back three-point plays from sophomores Eddie Smith and Marty Wise down the stretch to take a 70-59 lead, putting the game out of reach.
Smith scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, using a mixture of mid-range jump shots and strong penetration to the basket to spark the Moberly comeback.
Both clubs shot the basketball well in the early stages of a fever-pitched, physical first half, but the Cardinals used tenacious team defense and an efficient transition attack to eventually take control of the action. Fast-break layups by Kenny Burke and DeAlan Hicks highlighted an 8-0 surge which gave Mineral Area a 24-16 lead.
Offensive rebounding helped the Greyhounds hang around throughout the first half, and was a chief factor in their second-half success. Ray Lucas converted a steal into a layup directly after scoring on an offensive putback to bring Moberly to within 29-26.
The Cardinals regained the momentum before the break by attacking the basket and drawing fouls. Five straight free throws by MAC during the final two minutes widened the margin to 10.
Mineral Area made 9-11 attempts from the charity stripe during the opening stanza and led 38-28 at halftime. Moberly did not attempt a single free throw in the first half.
The home team continued its domination out of the locker room. Strong rebounding allowed MAC to get four shots on a single possession, eventually resulting in a putback by Hicks. A jumper by Burke found its mark on the next Mineral Area possession to make it a 14-point game.
After failing to cash in on an intentional foul against the Greyhounds, MAC suddenly entered into a series of careless passes as Moberly increased its defensive pressure. The Cardinals committed 19 turnovers overall.
Three straight baskets by Smith trimmed the margin to three before Kewain Gant put Moberly ahead 51-50 on a putback. Ray Peterson turned a left-handed hook shot into a conventional three-point play to put the Cardinals back up by two, but Moberly promptly scored the next seven points to move in front to stay.
Keith Hardaway received a fortunate high bounce on his third triple of the night to give a Greyhounds a 63-57 edge with 3:40 to go. A double-clutch driving layup by Smith on the next Moberly possession sealed the outcome of the contest.
The Cardinals were led in scoring by Burke with 13 points, while Muse added 12 and T.J. Britton chipped in nine.
Moberly improved to 2-1 in Region XVI play with the victory while MAC slipped to 1-2. The Cardinals will travel to Godfrey, Illinois on Monday night for a match-up against Lewis & Clark.
Moberly - 28 45 - 73
Mineral Area - 38 28 - 66
SCORING:
Moberly - E Smith 24, K Hardaway 13, K Gant 12, R Lucas 8, M Wise 8, M Gibbs 4, M Jackson 4.
3-pointers - K Hardaway 3, M Jackson 1.
Mineral Area - K Burke 13, C Muse 12, T Britton 9, R Byrne 7, R Peterson 5, A Jackson 4, C Wilkerson 4, M Foster 4, D Hicks 4, J Jackson 2, D Chillers 2.
3-pointers - R Burne 1, T Britton 1, K Burke 1.