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Keytesville Tournament

Higbee boys fall short in dramatic championship game

Teams could battle again in district tournament

Justin Addison, Editor/Publisher
Posted 1/30/22

The Higbee boys erased an 11-point second-quarter deficit to tie rival Wellsville-Middletown at 56-56 with 2:08 left in the championship game of the Keytesvill Tournament on Saturday. But the Higbee …

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Keytesville Tournament

Higbee boys fall short in dramatic championship game

Teams could battle again in district tournament

Posted

The Higbee boys erased an 11-point second-quarter deficit to tie rival Wellsville-Middletown at 56-56 with 2:08 left in the championship game of the Keytesvill Tournament on Saturday. But the Higbee comeback fell short in the final minute and a half. Second-seeded Wellsville regained the lead and made seven of eight free-throw chances to defend its tournament title with a dramatic 60-67 win over the Tigers.

The loss marks Higbee’s first of the season. The Tigers entered the championship game with a perfect 18-0 mark. Following a first-round victory over eighth-seeded Madison, 78-23, on Tuesday, they cruised into the tournament final after a 50-point win over Southwest-Livingston on Thursday. 

“Wellsville’s a good team,” said Higbee coach Tanner Burton. “People talk about our scores. When you’re dealt the schedule you’re dealt and you’re playing teams that arent’ that great, and you get a team that’s good, it’s hard to adjust. I felt like we weren’t 100% focused all week.”

Saturday’s game had more implications than just for a tournament crown. Higbee and Wellsville-Middletown are both assigned to Class 1’s District 10. The two powerhouses could easily face off again in the district tournament at the end of February. Wellsville dropped back down to Class 1 this year after making it to the Class 2 state quarterfinals a year ago. Higbee also made the final site of the state tournament a year ago in Class 1. The winner of this year’s district tournament would surely be an odds-on favorite for a shot at the state title.

Prior to Saturday’s game, Burton and his players talked about getting a chance to take on the big, athletic Wellsville team before districts. Despite the sting of losing the tournament championship, what the Tigers wanted most was to get a solid look at their rival before the win-or-go-home district showdown. “They are a district opponent, so we have time to retool and see what we have to throw at them next time,” Burton said.

“I believe when our guys take time to watch this film it will be an eye-opener,” said Burton. “We had a lot of little things sway the way of Wellsville and I feel like if we are fortunate enough to get a district rematch with them we can tighten it up and own our opportunity.”

Wellsville’s size, speed, and athleticism were on full display Saturday. The defending tournament champions struck first on a three-point play by freshman Carson Huff. Higbee was down by as much as six in the opening quarter, but steadily put points on the board to trail by only three, 16-19, after eight minutes.

Wellsville opened the second quarter with an eight-point run through three and a half minutes before Higbee would fine the basket. Finally, Sophomore Jordan Fuemmeler broke the scoring drought with a step-back 3-point shot with 4:29 on the clock. Trailing by 11, Higbee was able to cut the deficit to six points with two more threes from Fuemmeler and a three-point play from sophomore Derek Rockett.

Entering the second half down 34-28, Higbee fell back on a 6-2 run by Wellsville in the opening two minutes. Four Higbee players contributed to the scoreboard, but Wellsville’s lead inched up to 45-38 with one period remaining.

The fourth quarter is when Rockett found his rhythm. He scored a layup and hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute before sinking another three with 4:29 on the board to cut Wellsville’s lead to just two points. 

Rockett put the burden of a comeback on his shoulders, scoring 12 of his 21 total points in the third quarter. “He's a gamer,” said Burton. “He did that against Green City last year in the (state) quarterfinal.”

Burton said Rockett has been playing for the last two weeks on an injured ankle. “I could see him wincing. But he hides it well. For him playing 75 or 80% he really tried to do what he could do.”

Rockett made four of eight 3-point attempts and made five assists on the night.

“I thought we played a better second half than we did in the first half. We didn’t play our best game, and that’s unfortunate given the situation,” Burton said.

Fuemmeler led Higbee with 22 points on the night on three-of-seven 3-point shooting. He made five of 10 shots from the field and sank three of six free throws. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and made two assists.

“Jordan and Derek both had solid outings, but they earned every shot they took,” Burton said. 

Senior Malaki Squires finished the day with seven points on three-for-four shooting from the field with a 3-pointer. He also grabbed four defensive rebounds. 

Seniors Luke Ritter and Jamie Smith each contributed four points. Sophomore Jaxon Hudson contributed two points and two rebounds to round out the scoring for Higbee.

As a team, Higbee struggled from the line, making just six of 13 free-throw chances. “I thought we worked hard and faced adverse situations and that had an impact on the game,” said Burton.

The seven-point championship loss came directly on the heels of a tournament title for the girls' team, of which Burton is also the coach. The games were played back-to-back with diametrically opposite results. Despite any mixed emotions, Burton credited his players and the positive momentum for the program. “It's great for our school and our program,” he said. “That's what we want to do at Higbee. It's a really positive thing.”

Higbee leaped right back into action this week. On Tuesday the Tigers hosted Brunswick for a CLAA matchup. On Friday, they host Bucklin in their final home game of the season. Due to forecasted winter weather, Friday’s game could be moved to the following Monday. On Saturday Higbee is scheduled to take on St Elizabeth in a rematch of last year's Class 1 state third-place game at the Mid Missouri Invitational hosted by Harrisburg.

“We have a list of things to work on and have to keep grinding to improve every time we get in the gym,” said Burton.

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