Tiger boys edges by Monett

The Nevada High boys varsity basketball team was defeated by Monett, 70-66 in the opening round of the Carthage Tournament Tuesday night.

"A lack of rebounding doomed us down the stretch," Nevada head coach Shaun Gray said. "Monett got second and third shots each possession, leading to scores or trips to the free throw line."

Gray said a lackluster defensive effort contributed to the final outcome.

"(We had) a poor defensive effort and (did a) poor job rebounding," he said. "We scored the ball well and had more than enough points to win. Defense and rebounding did us in. The boys never gave up but (we) ultimately shot ourselves in the foot in the fourth quarter to seal our fate."

In addition, Gray was less than thrilled that Monett held a 27-17 advantage at the charity stripe.

For Nevada (0-2), guard Brandon Barker was lights out from beyond the arc, hitting seven 3-pointers to finish with 21 points, while Matthew Sommer finished with a team-high 23 points.

The No. 3 seeded Tigers next face No. 2 seed McDonald County at 7:30 p.m., Thursday.

Nevada's junior varsity boys basketball team dropped a 44-35 decision to Columbia-Hickman in the Harrisonville Tournament Monday night.

Nevada was drawn into the bottom half of the bracket and will play the loser of the Grain Valley- Grandview game.

A slow start hampered the Tigers as they scored just three points in the first quarter and seven in the second, before recovering for 14 points in the third and 11 in the fourth.

Derek O'Dell put in 14 points to pace Nevada. Brett Mitchell contributed nine, Cody Leeker six, and Johnny Quitno, Michael Brown, and Myles McNeley two each.