Boys basketball

Van-Far defense takes over in 2nd quarter , wins 45-22

The Van-Far boys’ defense has been locked in the previous four games.

The Indians won their fourth straight game with a 45-22 victory against Moberly on Friday in the Peak Sport & Spine Holiday Shootout at the Moberly Area Community College Activity Center. They held the Spartans (1-5) to three points in the second quarter and didn’t allow them to have one double-digit quarter in what was the latest edition of a winning streak Van-Far (6-4) has held opponents to 34 points per game.

Nikos Connaway led with 16 points — scoring nine of his points in a 12-3 second quarter for the Indians — 13 rebounds and five steals, Pacey Reading followed with 10 points, Carter Jennings had eight points, and Cody Smith finished with seven points.

Head coach Pat Connaway said the start was “sluggish” as Van-Far worked to tie the score at 8 before the end of the first quarter, but the defense was locked in from that point on along with the offense.

Van-Far had a 20-11 lead at halftime, but Connaway said he emphasized how important the third quarter was and his team responded. The Indians owned a 38-20 lead after three quarters, thanks partly to Reading hitting two 3-pointers and scoring eight of his points in the quarter.

“We talked about the 1st four minutes of the third quarter would decide the game and we jumped out fast after giving up a transition bucket,” Connaway said. “We showed glimpses of our prior championship team where we used to be able to run clock and get a bucket at the end of a quarter to really break the confidence of our opponent. We killed the last 55 seconds of the third quarter and scored with two seconds left and we took a lot of momentum into the fourth.”

Van-Far (2-1 EMO) hosts Eastern Missouri Conference foe Elsberry (7-4, 1-1 EMO) at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Mexico halftime lead disappears in 62-56 loss to Blair Oaks

The Mexico boys had the advantage at halftime but couldn’t protect their lead.

The Class 4 No. 5 Bulldogs led Blair Oaks, who received votes in the latest Class 4 poll, 32-25 at halftime but were knotted up with the Falcons at 45 heading into the fourth quarter prior to a 62-56 loss Friday in the Peak Sport & Spine Holiday Shootout at the Moberly Area Community College Activity Center.

Mexico was led by DJ Long and his 14 points, seven assists and two steals along with Donye Nunnelly’s 11 points but allowed a pair of career-high games from two Falcons. Dylan Hair scored 21 points and Chase Schnieders had 18 points for Blair Oaks (4-4).

The Bulldogs finished with eight steals and 13 transition points compared with Blair Oaks’ 12 points in transition. The Falcons outscored Mexico 34-26 in the paint.

Mexico (7-3, 2-1 NCMC) had a chance to pay back its North Central Missouri Conference rival and Class 4 No. 6 Fulton on Tuesday at home before traveling to Bowling Green (3-5) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Paris towers over La Plata in 51-32 victory

The Paris boys were in control for 32 minutes during their shootout game.

The Coyotes defeated La Plata 51-32 on Thursday in the Peak Sport & Spine Holiday Shootout at the Moberly Area Community College Activity Center, building a 33-12 halftime lead that didn’t shrink too much.

Paris outrebounded La Plata 47-25 — 24-14 on the defensive glass — and had a 30-12 scoring advantage in the paint.

Alex Williams led with 11 points and seven rebounds, Evan Smothers and Colton Poddany each followed with eight points, and Mason Edwards and Walter Rucker each finished with seven points. Out of the 11 Coyotes that played, 10 picked up at least one rebound and eight finished with multiple rebounds.

Reese Mesecher and Tucker Beautte each led La Plata with 10 points.

Paris (4-5) began its stint in the Salisbury Invitational Tournament as the No. 6 seed on Tuesday against No. 3 Glasgow before playing again on Thursday.

Girls basketball

Mexico aggressiveness too much for Van-Far in 46-34 win

For the most part, the Mexico girls being aggressive helped them out on Friday.

The Lady Bulldogs defeated Van-Far 46-34 on Friday during the Peak Sport & Spine Holiday Shootout at the Moberly Area Community College Activity Center. They built a 17-8 advantage after the first quarter that was never whittled down by the Lady Indians.

Mexico was led by Claire Hudson’s 18 points and three 3-pointers and was followed by Lexie Willer’s 11 points and 5-for-6 day from the free throw line.

Head coach Ed Costley said Mexico’s defense was aggressive most of the game, which led to Van-Far (2-8) having opportunities to score at the line — 15-for-29. The Lady Bulldogs (4-8) being fearless on offense led to opportunities for them as well.

“When the floor opened up, forcing Van Far to go man, it allowed some drives from Lexie Willer, who was aggressive finding some posts for finishes,” Costley said.

Costley said Hudson was big in the first quarter, especially from the perimeter, scoring 13 of her points in the first. He also said Jo Thurman and Karlee Sefrit were key on defense, forcing turnovers to put the Lady Bulldogs in their transition offense.

Mexico (1-2 NCMC) hosted its North Central Missouri Conference rival Fulton on Tuesday night prior to going to Bowling Green (4-6) for a 6 p.m. Thursday game.

Van-Far plays at Class 3 No. 3 South Shelby (9-1) at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Paris drops fifth straight in 33-21 loss to La Plata

The Paris girls are figuring out their shots and again struggled on offense Thursday.

The Lady Coyotes shot 20 percent from the field — compared to its opponent’s 28.6 percentage — to lose 33-21 to La Plata during the Peak Sport & Spine Holiday Shootout at the Moberly Area Community College Activity Center. Paris turned the ball over 28 times to lead to 18 points at the other end.

Reese Sutton led the Lady Coyotes (3-7) with 10 points and 10 rebounds, Rachel Shoemyer followed with four points, and Kennedy Ashenfelter finished with four steals.

Ashlynn Lewis led La Plata (9-3) with 15 points, four assists and three steals.

Paris played Class 3 No. 3 South Shelby (9-1) for the third time this season in a No. 8 and No. 1 seed matchup in the Salisbury Invitational Tournament on Monday. The Lady Coyotes play again in the tournament today.