Menu
Nevada’s Thompson, Beshore named Big 8 West players of the year
Ultra-successful seasons on the hardwood were accentuated by a truck-load of postseason accolades for the Nevada High School boys and girls varsity basketball teams.
The biggest prizes went to Matt Thompson and Calli Beshore, as Nevada High’s dynamic duo swept the Big 8 Conference West division boys and girls player of the year awards.
Thompson, a 6-foot-5 senior wing-forward, paced the 18-win Tigers in scoring, averaging 15.3 point per game while shooting a robust 56 percent from the field.
“Matthew’s abilities to score the ball at all three levels, combined with his athleticism, made him one of the premier scorers in Southwest Missouri,” Nevada head coach Shaun Gray told the Daily Mail. “We are very proud of his POY honors in the West division of the Big 8, as well as his All-District accolades.”
Beshore, the Lady Tigers’ steady floor-general, spearheaded Nevada’s 22-win campaign, en route to a second consecutive district championship and berth in the Class 4 state tournament.
“Calli works so hard to make herself a good player,” said Lady Tiger head coach Brent Bartlett. “She is a coach on the floor, and gets our team organized offensively and defensively. It was great to see Calli recognized as POY in our conference, and a unanimous pick by the coaches. She led our team in scoring, rebounds, steals, and assists.”
All-Conference, All-District accolades
In addition to Thompson and Beshore, the Tigers and Lady Tigers had a host of other players who snagged all-conference and all-district accolades. The awards also extended to Bartlett and Gray, as both were named the Big 8 (West) Coach of the Year.
For the Lady Tigers, Beshore and sophomore combo guard Alison Bower were tabbed All-Big 8 West First-Team selections, while junior guard Payge Dahmer was named to the second team. Additionally, sophomore super-sub Tylin Heathman garnered Big 8 West honorable mention accolades.
After defeating the Center Lady Yellowjackets March 2 for back-to-back district titles, Beshore, Bower, and Dahmer were named to the Class 4 District 13 All-District team.
“Alison has a gift of scoring the ball,” noted Bartlett of the crafty southpaw, who finished second on the team in scoring. “She has worked so hard to make herself a good basketball player.”
Continued Bartlett: “Payge was our third leading scorer, led the team in 3-pointers with 53. She also had the best game of her life in the district championship,” as Dahmer poured in a career-high 26 points in the 60-50 title game triumph.
Said Bartlett: “Ty is a great defender, and also has the ability to score the basketball. She improved our athletic ability when she was on the floor, while many times having to guard the other teams best (perimeter) player.”
Summed up Bartlett: “All four players are tremendous athletes that know how to play all phases of the game. They are great teammates, and have love for their school, community, coaches and teammates. It’s an honor to coach all of these girls. They all stay late to work on their shooting, to where I have to run them out of the gym. They all want to do well for our team, each and every game. And when they don’t, they’re upset with themselves.”
Thompson and NHS sophomore point guard Logan Applegate headlined the Big 8 West Conference selections as the top two vote-getters, en route to All-Big 8 First-Team selections. The duo also garnered Class 4 All-District accolades. In addition, junior Dalton Gayman was a second-team All-Big 8 selection.
Applegate, a dynamic playmaker, was Nevada’s second-leading scorer, checking in at 14.3 points per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc (39.1).
“Logan’s passing prowess and shooting ability were a combination hard to match in our area,” said fifth-year head coach Gray. “His ability to attack the basket was also displayed at a high level at different points this year. To be selected first-team all-conference, and to be all-district as a sophomore, are both very impressive and something we are proud of.”
Gayman, a 6-foot-6 power forward, was the team’s leading rebouner (8.4), and the Tigers’ third-leading scorer (13.0) and shot-blocker.
“As one of the very best defenders in Southwest Missouri, Dalton helped anchor our defense with his shot-blocking, charge-taking, and rebounding (abilities),” said Gray. ‘”And those things sometimes get overlooked by outsiders.”
Gray added that Gayman was able to fully tap into his physicality, allowing him to score the ball and get to the charity stripe.
“We are proud of his selection to the all-conference team,” said Gray.
Gray further discussed his club’s haul of accolades, and felt that Gayman was also worthy of all-district consideration. Gayman, however, played in only three of eight quarters over the course of Nevada’s two district contests, potentially hurting his case for the nod.
“I am obviously biased, but our program felt like all three of these guys were first-team all-conference and all-district type players, and deserving of multiple postseason accolades,” explained Gray. “Unfortunately, many times voters are reluctant to include (too) many members from one team, and sometimes certain players are overlooked simply because they play on a team with depth.”
Added Gray: “However, we are not wanting to dwell on what honors, or level of honors, we did or didn’t get. We want to simply highlight, and be proud of, the accolades we did receive.”
Said Gray: “These guys helped lead our team all year, and we are very proud of all three of them. The (trio) knows they couldn’t have done it without each other, and without the help of our supporting cast at the varsity level, who helped set them all up for success throughout the year.”