Dons get home win to open new year

DONIPHAN — Max Owen and Emmitt Jones combined for 46 points and the Doniphan Dons opened the new year with an 80-61 win over Mountain View Liberty Tuesday.

Owen (24 points) and Emmitt Jones (22) led the Dons to victory. Doniphan was down in the first quarter, but came back and took the lead from Liberty.

“We came out third quarter with big intentions,” Doniphan head coach Daniel Cagle said. “We moved into a zone defense, that helped us a lot. We went into the fourth quarter leading by 10 points after being down in the first part of the game. We came out a little slow but really picked it up defensively after the first half and the whole second half we were pushing the ball in transition, putting it up really well. Max Owen. We saw key contributions from people we don’t see score much. We had guys step up, and that’s what I believe won it for us.”

Clarkton 43, Campbell 40

At Clarkton, the host Reindeer won a close one over rival Campbell.

Owen Morgan (15 points), Amauri Gorman (13) and James Johnson (11) all worked together to score 39 of the team’s 43 points.

Twin Rivers 59, Senath-Hornersville 55

At Senath, the Royals (7-5) won a back and forth ball game.

Twin Rivers’ Colton Hargraves scored a solid 24 points, followed by Jagger Crimson (12) and Hunter Huddleston (10).

“It was a real battle,” said Twin Rivers’ head coach Seth McBroom. “Hats off to Senath-Hornersville, they played hard. I was glad to see our kids step up and make plays in big moments.”

Neelyville 63, Hayti 37

At Neelyville, the host Tigers easily defeated Hayti.

Casen Stephens led Neelyvile with 27 points. Preston Coodnight followed behind with 10 points.

“We executed our game plan well,” Neelyville head coach Brad Burdin said. “It was a team effort 100 percent.”

Couch 71, Van Buren 59

At Van Buren, the host Bulldogs lost to the visiting Indians.

Couch’s Matthew Morey had 33 points consisting of five 3s and Ethan Williams scored 23.

Malden 53, Caruthersville 45

At Malden, the host Green Wave takes the win against Bootheel Conference rival Caruthersville. Marcus Burton (13 points) and Payton Woodard (10) led Malden’s offense.

“It was a very physical game between two Bootheel Conference teams. Caruthersville is always a tough opponent no matter if you are playing them at home, on the road, or a neutral location,” said Malden coach Mike Kilgore. “We got some important stops and rebounds late and some very important putbacks in the fourth quarter. We still had too many turnovers, but we found ways to stay solid on the defensive end.”

GIRLS

Neelyville 66, Hayti 26

The Neelyville Lady Tigers turned in a dominant performance to dispatch the Hayti Lady Indians in a home blowout Tuesday.

Parker Ernst led the Lady Tigers with a strong 20 points followed by Layni Dobbins with 14.

“I thought everyone played well,” Neelyville head coach Becky Hale said. “We were able to handle the ball and shut them down before they were able to reall get a chance to make any moves.”

Bloomfield 50, Westwood Baptist 33

At Poplar Bluff, Kendall Phillips ushered Bloomfield’s victory with five 3s and a total of 21 points. Behind her was Mollianne Dodd, scoring 13 points.

Van Buren 64, Couch 32

At Van Buren, the host Lady Dawgs doubled up Couch.

Madison Mabry and Mya Gillespie (15 points apiece) and Katelyn Towner (13) led Van Buren in the win.

“I think the girls played very well,” Van Buren head coach Torrie Ricker said. “We played really good team ball and everyone was able to get some minutes on the court. They came out with a positive attitude, and any time we do that, it’s a guaranteed good night of basketball.”

Naylor 56, Greenville 30

At Naylor, it was a game with many rebounds as Naylor’s Chloe Mitchell had 24 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Harley Sullivan who had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Zoey Sprous with 11 points. Greenville’s Jennifer Marlee scored a solid 10 points against Naylor.

“That’s the hardest we have played all year. I am proud of the effort they played with tonight,” said Naylor head coach Logan Foster.

Editor's note: The Bloomfield boys and the Malden and Clearwater girls coaches did not respond to requests for results and statistics from their Tuesday games.