Mt. Vernon basketball struggles in Branson’s Battle at the Border

Both Mt. Vernon basketball teams look to build on and duplicate success from past play
 
Boys
The boys finished 16-8 last year and saw good work on the hardwood. They lost a big group of seniors and they have struggled to figure out life without them. The squad had their five-game win streak over Monett snapped with a 64-38 loss in a game that saw the Cubs hit 11 three pointers. They then went 0-3 in the Branson Battle at the Border last weekend, falling to Lake Hamilton, Ark., 82-51; Branson, 70-38; and Mountain Home, Ark., 47-44, in a tough effort. The Mt’neers fall to 0-4 early on with big games against rival Aurora and East Newton next week.

Girls
On the girls side, coach Grant Berendt has to replace nearly 45 points a game with Lacy Stokes moving on to MSSU and the graduation of Ellie Johnston and Lisa Kruger. They have struggled offensively up to this point, dropping games to Nevada, 43-29, before going to Branson’s Battle at the Border.
They played one of the most oddball games, holding Arkansas powerhouse Mountain Home to just 27 points. However, experiencing their own offensive struggles, the Lady Mt’neers fell 27-22. They followed up that performance with a 10-point loss to Branson, 52-42, and a loss to arguably the best in Arkansas regardless of class, in Lake Hamilton 47-25. Berendt is proud of the defensive side of the ball, but the Lady Mt’neers will need to figure out how to score points as the season continues. The Lady Mt’neers fall to 0-4 early on but have a chance to knock off a pair of good teams in Neosho, Thursday and Forsyth next Monday.