SportsMarch 10, 2023
Commanding second half propels NMCC past Lafayette County in Class 3 semifinal
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Jadis Jones and BJ Williamson are birds of a feather and continued soaring through the postseason with another dominant performance, leading No. 4 New Madrid County Central to a win over No. 6 Lafayette County in a Class 3 Semifinal at the 2023 MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown on Friday, March 10...
By Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Jadis Jones and BJ Williamson are birds of a feather and continued soaring through the postseason with another dominant performance, leading No. 4 New Madrid County Central to a win over No. 6 Lafayette County in a Class 3 Semifinal at the 2023 MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown on Friday, March 10.
The Eagles (23-7) relied heavily on the standout juniors and their jaw-dropping plays, as well as suffocating defense and relentless pace in a 67-48 victory over the Huskers (28-3) at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri.
“These young men have played incredibly all season and they continued that today,” said NMCC head coach Lennis McFerren. “Great players make it easy to be a great coach. We had some issues in the first half and that’s typical at this stage, but they turned it on in the second half and played the way we all know they can. The community deserves this because they’ve always been behind these young men.”
Williamson finished with a game-high 29 points to lead NMCC. He also had four rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block, while Jones had 27 points and a game-best in rebounds (10) and blocks (3). The dynamic duo combined to shoot 65 percent from the field and free throw line.
However, things started a bit shaky for NMCC as Lafayette County led for nearly all of the first quarter.
Williamson scored the first points of the game after grabbing a steal, but Jameel Merritt quickly answered with back-to-back takes to put the Huskers ahead.
The Eagles tied it 6-6 about three minutes into the game after Williamson assisted Jones on a post score, but Lafayette County led 12-6 after scoring the next three buckets.
NMCC was finally able to steal back some momentum when Williamson knocked down a 3-pointer near the end of the quarter to narrow the lead to 14-11.
It was a big shot the team desperately needed after three straight empty possessions due to turnovers.
“We came out slow and I believe the 10 a.m. tipoff and some jitters had a lot to do with that,” said NMCC assistant coach Dontre Jenkins. “Early we tried to make things happen that weren’t there. It was just some careless turnovers.”
The Eagles scored three consecutive times to start the second quarter and take a 17-14 advantage. Williamson scored on a putback after grabbing an offensive rebound, AJ Ruff assisted Brayden Newsom inside and Williamson scored again after another takeaway.
“Those plays were big,” Jenkins said. “[Williamson] is playing his best ball when he’s being aggressive and taking it to the rim. That’s what he did today. He didn’t settle for 3-pointers. He put pressure on Lafayette [County’s] defense by taking the ball to the basket.”
NMCC would not surrender the lead for the remainder of the game and led 26-24 at halftime after Lafayette County miss a decent look from outside at the buzzer.
“I always tell the guys the take what the other team gives them,” McFerren said. “They didn’t give us much in the first half, but we took it to them in the second half. That’s all that matters.
“I can’t repeat some of the things I said at halftime,” he continued. “But I can tell you this right now, they picked it up in the second half.”
It was a complete turnaround for NMCC after halftime. The team increased its defensive intensity even more and was more aggressive in attacking the basket.
“They had some big bodies in the paint,” Jenkins said. “Once we realized we couldn’t go through them, we started using our speed to go around them.”
The Eagles pushed the lead to 32-26 after an incredible one-handed putback by Jones where it seemed like he hung in the air for an eternity.
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“[Jones] step us for us like he’s been doing all season long,” Jenkins added.
Jones extended the lead to double digits for the first time on a baseline jumper with 2:54 left in the third quarter, and Williamson buried another 3-pointer to increase the lead to 43-30 less than 30 seconds later.
“After halftime, we settled down and did the things that we had been doing all year to get here,” Jenkins said. “That was working our tails off on the defensive end. The team put pressure on Lafayette County in that second half and forced them to turn the ball over allowing us to get some easy baskets.”
A couple of minutes later Williamson made it 47-30 with a slick eurostepped to the basket that froze the defender. Jones also converted an impressive play at the free throw line after finishing through contact with about a minute left in the third quarter.
The Huskers narrowed it to 50-35 at the end of the quarter after Camryn McBride made a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
While Lafayette County may not have been able to keep pace with NMCC for four quarters, the Huskers did play a physical game that resulted in several hard falls to the court for the Eagles’ stars.
“I feel like we’re ready for anything after that one,” Williamson said. “After taking a hit like that from [6-foot-3-inch, 275-pound Cade Limback], I feel like I can take a hit from anybody. We are all just happy to come out of this game healthy and with the opportunity to bring a state championship back to New Madrid. It’s something special.”
NMCC pushed the lead to as much as 22 in the fourth quarter after Williamson converted a 3-point play with 3:24 left in the game.
“Our experiences from the past two seasons have prepared us for this,” Jones said. “But tomorrow we can’t come out and play like we did in the first half today. We were a lot better in the second half, but we won’t be able to get away with that tomorrow. We know were going to have to put four good quarters of basketball together to achieve our goal.”
NMCC finished the game with a 32-to-17 rebounding advantage and had four fewer turnovers than Lafayette County (21-to-17).
The Eagles shot 56 percent from the field while holding the Huskers to just 42 percent.
NMCC will face Lutheran North (20-10) for the Class 3 State Championship at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 11 at the Great Southern Bank Arena.
It will be the 11th time McFerren has been to the state title game as a head coach. He’s 9-1 in those games.
“This trip is special,” McFerren said. “The reason it is special is that we have some special players on this team. They’ve put in the work and they’ve played as hard as they possibly can. They’ve earned everything they’ve got so far and I couldn’t be happier to be on this ride with them.”
__NMCC 67, LAFAYETTE COUNTY 48__
La. County 14 10 11 13 — 49
NMCC 11 15 24 17 — 67
__Lafayette County (48) —__ Camryn McBride 5-9 1-2 15, Josiah Golden 4-8 5-6 13, Cade Limback 6-10 0-0 12, Jameel Merritt 3-10 0-0 6, Shakor George 1-2 0-0 2. FG: 19-45. FT: 6-8. F: 18. (3-pointers: McBride 4. Fouled out: Limback.)
__NMCC (67) —__ BJ Williamson 11-20 5-6 29, Jadis Jones 12-17 3-5 27, Brayden Newsom 3-5 0-0 6, AJ Ruff 2-6 1-2 5. FG: 28-50. FT: 9-15. F: 11. (3-pointers: Williamson 2. Fouled out: none.)
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