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Tigers drop district title game to Grandview, 72-45
Turnovers doomed Nevada in Friday night's Class 4 District 12 championship game, as the Tigers fell to the Grandview Bulldogs 72-45.
With the loss, Nevada concludes one if its best seasons in recent memory 23-4 overall, while winning 18 of its final 19 contests.
The Tigers entered the contest at Clinton High School short-handed, as starting shooting guard Myles McNeley was out with a concussion, suffered in Tuesday's semifinal victory over Warrensburg.
It was evident early that Nevada would need to play a perfect game to topple the ultra-athletic Bulldogs, led by 6-foot-4 junior Jordan Lathon. Nevada, however, was unable to consistently break Grandview's full-court press, committing (unofficially) 30 turnovers.
The Tigers got off to an encouraging start, as senior point guard Matt Sommer put Nevada on top 2-0 with a driving lay-in 40 seconds into the contest. Grandview responded with a 5-0 run, capped by Mason Taylor's 3-pointer from the right wing.
Midway through the opening frame, Nevada regained the lead at 8-7, via a pair of free throws from Sommer, followed by a Sommer to Clay Gayman give-and-go lay-in.
Late in the first quarter, Gayman slashed to the bucket from the left wing, scoring at the rim while drawing the foul. The junior forward knocked down the free throw to tie the contest 11-11.
Trailing 15-11 entering the second quarter, the Tigers proceeded to play its best stretch of basketball of the evening. The quarter opened with a Gayman driving lay-in from the left-side, with the assist going to junior Braeden Hinton.
Nevada then trimmed Grandview's lead to a point after Sommer connected on 1-of-2 free throws. Early in the quarter, the Tigers switched its defense to a 2-3 zone, which seemed to briefly work. After a defensive stop, Nevada again went back on top courtesy of Hinton trey to put Nevada up 17-15.
Grandview (23-4) struck back with a 9-0 blitz, as Taylor drilled 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, followed by a Deandre Sorrell long-ball, as the Bulldogs seized a 28-19 halftime lead.
With Gayman in foul trouble, things got away from Nevada in the second half, as Grandview outscored the Tigers 18-13 in the third to grab a 46-32 advantage. With Gayman fouled out, the Bulldogs opened up a big fourth quarter lead, coasting to the title game victory.
Sommer finished with a game-high 22 points, while Gayman was held to eight, (16 points under his season average). For Grandview, Taylor tallied a team-high 18 points, while Lathon check in with 10.
Note: Tigers' head coach Shaun Gray was not available for comment after the game