Mt. Vernon Lady Mt’neers fall to visiting Branson Lady Pirates

Mt’neer basketballers top Reeds Spring, fall to Springfield Catholic Fighting Irish

 
The Lady Mt’neers hosted Branson on Thursday, Dec. 18, but fell to the Lady Pirates, 56-43.
Branson led 19-7 after the first quarter and increased their lead to 37-16 by halftime. In the third quarter, the Lady Pirates scored 16 points, while holding Mt. Vernon to 11 points to increase their lead to 53-27. The Lady Mt’neers found their shooting touch in the fourth quarter, ripping off 16 points, while holding Branson to just three points.    
Emmie Schubert led with 17 points, Elli Eddington added 14 points and Mary Fields ended the game with 10 points.
“It was a tough loss against a very talented Branson team, but I was proud of our grit, especially in the second half,” said Head Coach Alexis Cauthon. “We showed real progress and flashes of the potential this group has as we continue to grow and develop. I’m excited about our future and the direction we’re heading.”
The Lady Mt’neers traveled to Forsyth on Monday, Dec. 15 and came home with a hard fought, 51-49 victory.
The first quarter saw both teams combine for seven points, as Mt. Vernon led 5-2 at the end of the quarter. The Lady Panthers outscored Mt. Vernon 15-13 in the second quarter, to trail 18-17 at the half. A 20-point third quarter by the Lady Mt’neers allowed Mt. Vernon to take a 38-32 lead into the final quarter of play. In the fourth quarter, Forsyth shot very well putting up 17 points, but it was not enough, as the Lady Mt’neers were able to secure the 2-point victory.
Eddington led Mt. Vernon with 19 points, Schubert added 15 points and Kenley Eidemiller chipped in 10 points in the win.
“Any win at Forsyth is earned,” said Cauthon. “They’re a tough place to play. Despite adversity, our kids stayed together, played hard until the final whistle, and found a way to get it done. We’re continuing to learn and grow through adversity as a sisterhood.”
Mt. Vernon is now 2-5 on the season and were scheduled to travel to Springfield on Friday for a first round matchup against West Plains in the Pink and White Tournament.

Boys basketball
The Mt. Vernon High School boys basketball team hosted Springfield Catholic on Friday, Dec. 19 and lost to the Irish 66-52.
Catholic led 11-10 after the first quarter but a 24-point second quarter allowed the Irish to increase their lead to 35-21 at the half. In the third quarter, Catholic added another 19 points to increase their lead to 54-35. The Mt’neers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, while holding the Irish to 12 points.
Lucas Schoen led Mt. Vernon with 17 points, Hunter Conway and Griffen Cordray both had 11 points and Hunter Dawson added 10 points in the loss.
“Catholic is a very good team that played really well and was hard to get stops against tonight,”said Head Coach Ryan Worley. “Our group continues to compete hard each night though, which as coaches we are grateful for. They have shown a lot of grit through some early season challenges and those trials by fire will mold us into a much stronger group as the season continues. The kind of high character that the guys have shown in the last few weeks as well as beginning to get healthy will help tilt the results in our favor soon. But, with that said, for us to take the next step in our progression as a team we will need to focus on building more chemistry and individual roles on both ends of the floor.”
The Mt’neers opened the week by traveling to Reeds Spring on Tuesday, Dec. 16 and coming home with a 49-33 win.
Mt. Vernon jumped out to a 14-2 first quarter lead and increased that lead to 22-12 by the half. A 14-point third quarter by the Wolves cut the Mt’neers lead to 35-26. Mt. Vernon outscored Reeds Spring 14-7 in the final quarter of play to win the game by 16 points.
Dawson and Conway both led Mt. Vernon with 11 points each and Schoen added 10 points in the win.
“The players showed a lot of grit to come away with a hard fought win on the road.” Said Worley. “We did a great job of not letting Reeds Spring physicality disrupt what we wanted to accomplish on both ends of the floor which was evident in how we extended the lead after the third. We continue to show growth and improvement in all areas of the game, particularly by finishing close games out in the fourth quarter with our defense and rebounding.”
The Mt’neers are now 3-4 on the season and were scheduled to host Fair Grove on Monday before taking on Parkview Friday night in a first round game of the Blue and Gold Tournament in Springfield.