Caruthersville gets revenge, outshine East Prairie 78-60

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — Caruthersville emphatically flipped the script with a 78-60 win at East Prairie on Friday, Jan. 12.

The victory was a stark contrast for the Tigers (7-5), who fell 75-59 to the Eagles (11-3) earlier this season in the Gideon Bulldog Classic.

“We played really well,” said Caruthersville coach Lamont Bell. “We knew we had to jump on them from the start and pressure the ball hard. We got some separation by doing that and taking good shots. We defended really well, the guys worked hard and we put together a big district win.”

Fueled by their vengeful fire and defensive tenacity, Caruthersville raced out to a commanding 36-20 halftime lead.

“All the adversity we’ve been through the last few weeks has made our guys stronger and helped us bond,” Bell said. “It’s brought our community together and we’ve felt the support. Now, these guys are playing with a chip on their shoulders.

“We grew up a lot playing a lot of out-of-state teams in the last month or so,” Bell said. “It made us better. We still have a long way to go but if we keep playing right we’re playing right now, you have to give us a shot.”

Leading the charge for the Tigers’ offense was Abeyon Motton with 21 points, closely followed by Jermonte Alexander’s 20-point performance, while Sammy Bryant contributed a solid 17.

“It was tough and it just wasn’t our night,” said East Prairie Gary Scott. “Everything was contested and we couldn’t get anything to fall early on. It led to some defensive struggles. It was a tough night.”

Fatigue could have been a factor for East Prairie, which was coming off two games in the previous 48 hours.

“It did seem like we were a step behind defensively tonight,” Scott said. “For whatever reason, we just weren’t on our game tonight.”

Noah Johnson and Connor Marcum each scored 17 to lead the Eagles.

Caruthersville is on the road at Malden (12-2) on Thursday, Jan. 18, while East Prairie will host Doniphan (4-9) on Friday, Jan. 19.

__CARUTHERSVILLE 78, EAST PRAIRIE 60__

C’Ville 20 16 24 18 — 78

E. Prairie 11 9 18 22 — 60

Caruthersville (78) — Abeyon Moptton 21. Jermonte Alexander 20, Sammy Bryant 17, Gavin Motton 9, Q McVay 7, Colbe Sergent 4. FG: 33. FT: 6-10. F: 18. (3-pointers: Abeyon Motton 3, Bryant 3. Fouled out: Sergent).

East Prairie (60) — Connor Marcum 17, Noah Johnson 17, Evan Kenedy 7, Ty Wallace 6, Kamron Farmer 5, Braylan Cade 2, Carson Groves 2, Rayne Jerrigan 2, Tavion Ware. FG: 22. FT: 13-23. F: 9. (3-pointers: Wallace 2, Marcum 1. Fouled out: None).