East Prairie rallies from behind to capture Gideon Bulldog Classic title

KENNETT, Mo. — In the face of unforeseen circumstances and a hostile environment, East Prairie rose to the occasion, capturing the Gideon Bulldog Classic title with a gritty 47-44 victory over Kennett On Friday, Dec. 1.

Though the odds were stacked against them, the fourth-seeded Eagles (3-0) claimed the win over the Indians (2-1) in a slow-burning, defensive slugfest.

“I’m proud of our guys for winning this tournament,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. “This is a huge accomplishment for our program. We felt like we were better than a No. 4 seed and we wanted to prove it. It was a tough week but a fun one. I have to give credit to our guys for coming out each night on the road and giving all they had. We were sloppy at times but it’s the first week and good teams sometimes make you look bad.

“We rebounded the ball very well which gave us a chance to win,” he continued. “We know that we’re gonna get everyone’s best effort so we have to prepare for that. There are a lot of good teams on our schedule that could beat us on any given night. This week proved we can beat good teams if we play hard and make smart decisions.”

In a heart-stopping finish, East Prairie's Connor Marcum and Kamron Farmer sparked a late-game surge, scoring consecutive baskets to cut Kennett's lead to one point.

The game then transformed into a nail-biting free-throw duel as the lead changed hands as Marcum and Kennett Dyson Watson took turns knocking down a pair of free throws.

Trailing 44-43, East Prairie’s Ty Wallace came up with a steal and found Farmer, who finished a layup with 37 seconds remaining to put the Eagles ahead 45-44.

The Indians forced a contested shot on their next possession, which East Prairie’s Evan Kenedy rebounded, and Marcum buried another pair from the charity stripe to secure the victory.

Marcum finished with a game-high 17 points.

East Prairie travels to Chaffee (1-2) on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

__EAST PRAIRIE 47, KENNETT 44__

E. Prairie 12 7 13 14 — 47

Kennett 8 16 12 8 — 44

East Prairie (47) — Connor Marcum 17, Kamron Farmer 10, Noah Johnson 9, Evan Kenedy 6, Ty Wallace 5. FG: 18. 9-12. F: 11. (3-pointers: Wallace 1, Johnson 1. Fouled out: none).

Kennett (44) — Dyson Watson 12, D’Shun Wilson 11, Kaden Taylor 8, Ashton Williams 6, Ashton Dismukes 4, Hunter Kirk 2, Christopher Jefferson 1. FG: 18. FT: 5-6. F: 16. (3-pointers: Watson 2, Wilson 1. Fouled out: none).