Middle school basketball defeats Joplin North

The Nevada Middle School seventh and eighth grade boys' basketball teams got the season started Tuesday night with very strong performances at home against Joplin North.

In the seventh grade B game, Tanner Handly led the Tigers to a 26-10 victory as he put up a team-high 10 points. In the A game, Tristan Smith's 14 led the Tigers as they cruised to a 34-22 victory.

The eighth grade B team showed a very dominant performance as they shut out Joplin North, 38-0. Devion Lovell led the offensive effort with 10 points. The A game was a very similar story as Alex Payne's 29 points led the Tigers to a 61-12 victory.

With those victories, all four teams open the season with a record of 1-0. The seventh graders are set to be in action again tonight as they host Pleasant Hill while the eighth graders take the rest of the week off before heading to Webb City on Monday.