Roundup: Tigers survive following Fredericktown miscues
IRONTON – The Arcadia Valley boys basketball team received crucial help in the post last season when Daniel Horn emerged an original reserve role for a breakout junior season.
The forward began his senior campaign in similar fashion on Monday night, posting a double-double as the host squad reached the semifinals of the 93rd Arcadia Valley Thanksgiving Tournament.
Horn compiled game highs with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Tigers delivered a series of key defensive stops to upend third-seeded Fredericktown 51-49 in the opening round.
Caleb Crowell made a reverse layup to spot AV a 49-43 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and also had its only field goal over the last four minutes.
Fredericktown drew closer with a couple of 3-pointers, including a straight-away splash by senior Grant Shankle with 1:38 remaining that ultimately capped the scoring.
The Blackcats had three separate chances to either tie or regain the lead after Ethan Flanagan drew a charging foul, but squandered each with turnovers in the final 30 seconds.
Arcadia Valley (1-0) had potential insurance free throws negated by a lane violation, and another shot from the line failed to reach the rim in a single bonus situation.
Fredericktown (0-1) failed to capitalize, first due to traveling near the edge of the paint, then on a double dribble just before time expired.
Nate Miller paced four Blackcats in double figures with 13 points. Grant Shankle and Seth Laut scored 11 each, and picked up their respective third fouls prior to halftime.
Fredericktown trailed 39-35 entering the fourth quarter, but Miller converted a driving 3-point play and Shankle put his team ahead 43-41 from long range.
Horn answered with two solid scoring moves after catching entry passes with his back to the basket, and Logan Pannebecker scored off an inbounds play to continue an 8-0 AV run.
Andrew Tedford had eight points to equal Stephen Pursley, who made consecutive steals for the Tigers and absorbed heavy contact in transition on a 3-point play in the third quarter.
Alex Sikes tallied 10 points for Fredericktown, and cashed in excellent two assists from Miller near the basket for an early 11-9 lead.
Arcadia Valley responded with a 10-0 spurt, punctuated by a Tedford triple after Horn flipped through a spinning go-ahead shot in the lane.
The Blackcats quickly erased their eight-point deficit once Laut returned to the lineup with two fouls. His putback and a subsequent leaner from Miller tied the game at 19-19.
Pannebecker had five assists for AV, which entered halftime leading 26-23 and advanced to face No. 2 seed Lesterville on Wednesday.
The teams were an identical 7-of-13 from the line.
Lesterville 85, West County 39
IRONTON – Sophomore forward Nolan Mathes scored 23 points, and sank one 3-pointer in each quarter as Lesterville gashed the West County defense on Monday night.
The second-seeded Bearcats dominated on the boards and converted 25-of-32 free throws for an 85-39 victory in the first round of the Arcadia Valley Thanksgiving Tournament.
Vince Mathes finished with 19 points, and Brendan Myers posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lesterville (1-0) will face the host squad in the semifinals on Wednesday.
West County (0-1) struggled with turnovers from the outset, made only 5-of-19 from the line as a team, and was assessed 10 team fouls within the first 10 minutes.
Lesterville outscored the Bulldogs 34-9 during the second quarter to establish a 51-16 halftime lead. A 13-0 run included nine free throws and padded a 20-9 lead.
Vince Mathes turned his second steal into a layup, and connected from long range to highlight an initial 8-2 spurt. Myers muscled in a third-chance shot for a 15-5 margin.
Chris Porterfield hit a putback and Cody Moore took a rebound end to end in back-to-back possessions for the Bulldogs after the break.
Lesterville slashed to the basket several times during a 9-0 response that restored a 67-24 advantage. James Gibson tallied nine points with 13 rebounds, and Holden Laughman made six assists.
Cameron Stevens, Matthew Menzel and Moore each had seven points for West County.
South Iron 105, Bismarck 9
IRONTON – Another first-round matchup between top-seeded South Iron and Bismarck developed into another runaway from the outset.
Junior forward Brock Wakefield poured in 24 points, and the Panthers used a steady barrage of easy transition baskets to prevail 105-9 at the Arcadia Valley Thanksgiving tournament.
Drenin Dinkins scored 17 points and D.J. Prater added 15 as the defending event champions landed four players in double digits.
Marco Burse threw down a massive baseline dunk in the second quarter, and posted 12 points while Luke Lunyou and Jacob Howell had nine apiece.
South Iron meets the winner of the fourth quarterfinal game – either Clearwater or Ellington – on Wednesday in the semifinal round.
Bismarck surrendered 10 turnovers during its first 11 possessions, and unofficially shot 13 percent from the field. The eighth-seeded Indians trailed 64-3 at halftime.
Wakefield collected eight steals and Prater swiped six more by intermission for South Iron (1-0), which strictly utilized reserves over the final 11 minutes.
A steal and layup from Kolton Dinkins pushed the Panthers past the century mark.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Central 57, Grandview 33
PARK HILLS – Forward Kaley Kimball opened her junior season by scoring a game-high 19 points, and the Central girls basketball debuted with a 57-33 victory over Grandview.
Sophia Horton added 11 points for the Lady Rebels (1-0), who stretched a 9-8 edge to 24-15 by halftime before further pulling away.
Avery Norris was 5-of-5 from the line with nine total points, and Aubree Eaton chipped in seven more. Central made 13-of-18 free throws overall.
Isabelle Kuczka sank a pair of early 3-pointers for Grandview (0-1), and equaled Sarra Faust with a team-leading eight points.
Arcadia Valley senior Daniel Horn shoots between Fredericktown defenders Alex Sikes (22), Seth Laut (31) and Dawson Beuford (11) during third quarter action in an Arcadia Valley Thanksgiving Tournament game on Monday night.
West County junior Noah Winch (1) releases a runner over Lesterville sophomore Nolan Mathes (3) during second quarter action in an Arcadia Valley Thanksgiving Tournament game on Monday night.
South Iron junior Brock Wakefield (24) scores on a reverse layup against Bismarck during the second quarter of an Arcadia Valley Thanksgiving Tournament game on Monday night.
