At William Jewell tournament, Kearney Bulldogs stay one step ahead of St. Joe Central

Playing for fifth place in a midseason tournament might not seem like a big deal, but Kearney refuted that notion with focus and intensity.

Using ball movement, the inside scoring of 6-foot-6 senior forward Ashton Holloway and outside shots from sophomores Davin Hanna and Manny Linthacum, Kearney defeat St Joseph Central 51-38 Tuesday afternoon in the William Jewell High School Holiday Classic at the Mabee Center in Liberty.

“I thought our ball movement was better than past times,” said Holloway, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. “I feel we are coming together more as a team and getting that chemistry going.”

The win puts Kearney in the Patterson Division’s fifth-place game at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. A loss would’ve meant the Bulldogs were finished for the tournament.

“It is definitely important,” Holloway said of playing another game. “We are 3-6 right now. We haven’t had the best stretch. And it is also the William Jewell Classic.”

When you’re playing sophomore guards, as Kearney is, every game this time of year is important.

“This is good for the experience,” said Hanna, who finished with eight points.

Leading by five at halftime, Kearney wasted little time extending its advantage to double digits in the third quarter.

The second half started with an inside basket by Holloway. Less than a minute later, the Bulldogs’ lead had ballooned to 10, 33-23, on a three-pointer by junior Carter Prather.

Solid defense by Kearney prevented St Joseph Central from trimming the lead. Kearney went into the fourth quarter in complete command after junior Braxton Page ended the third with a three-pointer to make it 41-27.

In the final 2 minutes, Holloway put the game away, making four straight free throws.

Throughout the game, Kearney only took three-pointers in the rhythm of the offense and made seven threes in 14 attempts for 50%.

“Our coaches preach that: Only take kick-out threes,” Holloway said. “They don’t want solo ball.”

Kearney used nice ball movement to take a 28-23 lead at halftime. The Bulldogs trailed just two times in the first half. A three-pointer by Linthacum put them ahead for good at 8-6, and Kearney ended the first quarter in front 17-13.

The Bulldogs took a five-point lead, 22-17, on a three-pointer by Hanna. A few minutes later, Kearney regained its five-point advantage on a basket by Holloway.

Holloway sent the Bulldogs into halftime with a five-point cushion, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring with a second left in the half.

Monday’s Highlights

• Senior Iverson Neal and freshman Avian Webb each scored 16 points in North Kansas City’s 81-37 victory over Truman.
• In Liberty North’s 41-31 victory, Sophomore Trey Snyder, sophomore Elijah Leonard and senior Justis Braden each scored 10 points.
• Senior Jason Parson pulled down 11 rebounds in Raytown’s 42-36 victory over St Joseph Central.
• Senior Mike Harrison went five for eight from the field and finished with 12 points in Blue Springs’ 54-39 victory over Kearney.
• St Michael the Archangel got 22 points from junior Camory Hall in a 52-46 victory over Raymore-Peculiar.
• Five players scored in double figures in Staley’s 95-31 victory over Fort Osage. Senior Emmanuel Byrd went five for six from the field and scored 12 points while pulling down eight rebounds for Staley.

This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 2:05 PM.