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Applegate roasts Webb City for 35, propels Nevada to KANGI tourney title
FRONTENAC, Kan. — Logan Applegate’s career-high 35-point outburst lifted the fourth-seeded Nevada Tigers over the third-seeded Webb City Cardinals, 66-59, in the championship game of the Kansas Army National Guard Invitational (KANGI) Saturday night.
Nevada led 33-22 late in the first half, and by seven at the break. Webb City then flipped the script in the third, using a 19-0 run to go in front, 48-36. Applegate’s monster performance, however, rescued the Tigers from defeat, as Nevada erased the double-digit deficit, outscoring Webb 27-11 in the final frame en route to the tournament crown.
Applegate, a sophomore point guard, has been unconscious from 3-point land over the past several games, and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
“Logan has been hot from the perimeter all week, and our guys did a good job of finding him open shots early on,” explained Nevada head coach Shaun Gray. “Dalton (Gayman) and Matt (Thompson) worked hard inside, which opened up Logan on the perimeter.”
The victory also extended Nevada’s win streak to eight games, as the Tigers improve to 12-5 overall.
“I’m really proud of our guys, and happy for their success,” said Gray. “For the program, it is another step in us becoming our very best. It’s a glimpse at how good this team can be, and how capable we are of being a tough ‘out’ coming down the stretch-run of our season. This team can be really special if we keep working to be a unit offensively, and to be tougher and more active defensively.”
After sinking five 3-pointers en route to 21 points at the break, Applegate, along with his Tiger teammates went ice cold in the third — as Webb held Nevada scoreless for the first six-plus minutes of the second half.
“Ball security got real iffy,” said Gray, describing a key factor that led to Webb’s 19-0 blitz. “Several iffy passes led to turnovers. We also did not get back in transition (very) well, and they got some quick scoring opportunities. Offensively, we allowed a lot of defensive contact to knock us off-balance, and it took us a while to adjust to that.”
Trailing 48-39 entering the fourth, Nevada began to chip away at its deficit, and with 2:07 remaining the Tigers took a 58-57 lead via Carter Swearingen’s dramatic go-ahead 3-ball.
Over the final two minutes of regulation, a rattled Webb City squad committed multiple turnovers in the half-court set, as the Tigers then capitalized by salting away the contest from the charity stripe, with Applegate finishing 11-of-12 from the line.
“We began trapping the ball on the wings, and also started picking up some full-court (press),” recounted Gray. “The pressure bothered Webb, and allowed us to get going towards the offensive end with more flow.”
Gray described Webb City as a team with above-average athleticism and speed.
“Really proud of our grit and ability to battle (through) a lot of adversity in the second half, and come together in the fourth quarter,” said Gray, as his club came up just short in last year’s KANGI title game, falling to Pacific High School.
“Dalton’s charges, Applegate’s shooting, and our fourth quarter defense were all big keys tonight. Proud of our whole team’s collective effort. And, we as coaches, love that they never gave up and kept battling.”
Summed up Gray: “Very thankful for a big crowd that came out to support us. The gym was loud, and it helped spur our comeback. Frontenac (H.S.) was a great host, and we look forward to going back.”
Tourney MVP Applegate, along with wing forward Thompson, were named to the KANGI All-Tournament Team.
The Tigers return to the court tonight, for a non-conference home clash with Carthage. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.