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Eighth-grade Tigers best Fort Scott, move to 4-0
Dating back to last season, Nevada's current eighth-grade basketball team has ripped of 19 consecutive victories.
As seventh-graders, the same group finished the 2016 season 15-0, while capturing the Tri-County Conference regular and postseason championships.
As eighth-graders, there is no letting up, as the Tigers improved to 4-0 overall courtesy of a 40-15 victory over visiting Fort Scott, Monday night at Nevada Middle School.
Nevada grabbed its first lead of the night when guard Kaden Denney threaded a pass to center Ben Hines in the post for a lay-in, handing the Tigers a 5-3 advantage.
Hines lay-in was followed by a Logan Applegate steal and coast-to-coast lay-up as Nevada led 7-3.
With 3:12 remaining in the first quarter, Applegate, inbounding from under his own basket, found a cutting Logan McNeley for the lay-in, as Nevada went in front 9-5.
A Brady Peel mid-range jumper near the end of the first quarter, left the visitors trailing 13-9.
The second frame was a rugged one for Fort Scott, as they were blanked 9-0. Nevada, for the most part, also struggled to score in the second. Three-pointers from Applegate and Denney helped the Tigers push its lead to 22-9 at halftime.
Nevada was unable to kick-start its offense in the third, but was able to conclude the stanza on a 6-0 blitz, receiving two buckets from Hines and one from Applegate, as the Tigers lead swelled to 19 at 30-11.
The Tigers then outscored Fort Scott 10-4 in the fourth quarter for the final 25-point margin.
For Nevada, Applegate and Hines finished in double-figure scoring with 13 and 10 points respectively.
Nevada head coach Lance Sargent said his team struggled offensively.
"The execution was fine," Sargent said, "it was finishing. Finishing wide-open shots. We've got to get better at that."
Sargent continued, "And Ben's got to get better when he catches it and sees the double-team ---- and kicking it back out. But it doesn't help to kick it back out if nobody can make one."
Sargent added that every team has a bad shooting night.
"We were fortunate to out-hustle (Fort Scott) I think, and make some plays at the basket that got us the 'W,'" Sargent said.
For Nevada, it's encouraging that an off-shooting night still resulted in a 25-point victory.
Nevada's B-team (1-3)was not as fortunate, as they fell to the visitors 41-28. Nevada was led by Riley Trotter with 10 points, followed by Trey Moore with eight.
Nevada's seventh-grade A-team (0-4) was toppled by Fort Scott 31-27, as Eli Cheaney finished with a team-high seven points. Nevada's B-team (1-2) was defeated 39-36, as Evan Rea led the way for NMS with 11 points.
Up next
Nevada's seventh and eighth-grade teams return to the court today, as the Tigers host El Dorado Springs. The eighth-grade team will be playing at Wynn Gym, while the seventh-grade teams is as Nevada Middle School.