Nevada boys' basketball falls to Central

Nevada's Devion Leavell shoots for two of his 18 points during Tuesday night's game against Springfield Central.

By Eric Wade

Daily Mail Sports Editor

"We scored 59 points, (and) 59 points ought to win a ballgame." Though Nevada Tigers head coach John McNeley has seen his squad drop a number of games in which they did everything right, short of closing out the victory, Tuesday night's return to Wynn Gymnasium wasn't one of those cases.

Nevada's Keegan Bell shoots for two of his eight points in Tuesday's game, over the defense of Springfield Central's Bradley Hardin.

The Tigers' offense did play more than well enough to earn the victory, but the defense left a little bit to be desired, allowing the Bulldogs of Springfield Central High School to come out of the night with a 62-59 victory.

"We had some good possessions, good stretches, offensively," McNeley said. "And really, for the entire ballgame, we were pretty good, offensively."

Those "good stretches" allowed the Tigers to put together one of their best offensive performances of the season that ultimately culminated in a tie game as the clock wound down through the contest's final 30 seconds. With just 3 seconds left, Central's Tre Robinson pulled up and drained his second 3-pointer of the night to break the tie and give the Bulldogs a 62-59 lead.

After Nevada called a timeout to set up what McNeley and his squad thought would be a final attempt at a tying shot, Robinson intercepted the inbounds pass, sealing the win for the Bulldogs.

"It shouldn't have come down to that," McNeley said. "This is not in the same category of ballgames that we've played recently."

Though the Tigers came out on the short end of a contest that should have ended differently, Tuesday was a night when just about everything went right for the Tigers on the offensive end of the floor. By the time all was said and done, the Tigers not only shot a staggering 22-for-38 from the field, but also saw one of the best performances of his career from Keegan Bell.

Though Bell never really has done much, in terms of shooting the ball, his poise and leadership on the floor have been exactly what the Tigers needed on a number of occasions this season. And on top of that, he finished with his best offensive showing of the season, scoring eight points.

"I think he was more aggressive, offensively, than what we've ever seen," McNeley said of the 5-foot, 9-inch senior guard. "He knew that he could get the ball to the basket and knew that they were guarding the perimeter hard."

Also on the list of major contributors for the Tigers is one who is almost always near the top of the list, when it comes to scoring. As he has done on a number of occasions this season, Leavell led the Tigers' offense in the contest, with 18 points.

"I mean, he did some nice things, offensively, tonight," McNeley said of his 6-2 senior center.

Joining Leavell in double figures were Brandon Barker with 15 points and Easton Mitchell with 10. Kalen Bradley and Matthew Sommer rounded out the Tigers' offense with four points apiece.

For Central, D'Angelo Bedell led the offensive effort with 20 points.

With the loss, Nevada's record dropped to 5-14 on the season. Next on the schedule for McNeley's squad is Friday, when the Tigers host the Bulldogs of El Dorado Springs High School, on Courtwarming Night.

Tipoff in the first of three contests on the schedule that night is set for 6 p.m., at Nevada High School.