NMCC rallies past Marquette 58-52 in Nixa Invitational opener

NIXA, Mo. — New Madrid County Central started about as fast as a dial-up internet connection in the early 2000s against Marquette in the opening round of the Nixa Invitational Tournament, but just like a stubborn modem eventually coughing up a webpage, the Class No. 1 Eagles (14-1) rebooted powered by Jadis Jones' electric play, ultimately prevailing 58-52.

“Marquette came out with a game plan and we played right into it,” said NMCC coach Dontre Jenkins. “Towards the end of the first half we got back to what we do. Then we turned up the defensive pressure and forced them into turnovers, leading to easy buckets. Once we took the lead we were in control for most of the second half.”

The Mustangs (7-9), fueled by Alex Komorech's early heat, stormed out to a 12-4 lead. Jones and AJ Ruff, however, kept NMCC afloat with clutch baskets, narrowing the gap to 14-8 by the end of the first quarter.

AJ Ruff (20) hits a shot during the SEMO Conference Tournament earlier this season at the Field House. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

Marquette's lead vanished in the blink of an eye after Jones and Marvion Cranford each converted 3-point plays to start the second quarter, tying at 14-14.

The Mustangs answered with scores on four straight possessions to retake the lead 23-14.

Brody Owen sank two free throws at the line, pushing Marquette's lead to 32-21 with under two minutes remaining in the first half, but NMCC's late surge, sparked by Jones and punctuated by BJ Williamson's steals and clutch baskets, made it a three-point game at halftime.

NMCC coach Dontre Jenkins talks to his team during a timeout at the SEMO Conference Tournament earlier this season. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

The Eagles offense continued humming in the third quarter. Ruff drained a deep two, then Jones followed with a quick score to steal the lead 33-32.

NMCC cruised into the fourth with a 43-39 advantage after Williamson and Jones unleashed a symphony of steals and assists.

Radovilsky's late 3-pointer threatened to make it interesting, narrowing it to 47-46, but Ruff answered instantly with the Eagles’ lone triple of the game, pushing the lead to 50-46. Komorech countered with his only second-half bucket to make it 54-50 with 2:08 left, but Jones hit a milestone 400th-point putback to make it 56-50 with 42 seconds left.

Williamson's clutch free throws and block helped secure the victory.

NMCC will face Logan-Rogersville (12-2) in a semifinal on Friday, Jan. 26 at 8:30 p.m.

Watch the game live or anytime afterwards on the Nixa Public School YouTube Channel.

__ NEW MADRID COUNTY CENTRAL 58, MARQUETTE 52__

Marquette 14 18 6 14 — 52

NMCC 8 21 14 15 — 58

Marquette (52) — Alex Komorech 17, Max Radovilsky 11, Mekel Newsome 8, Brody Owen 8, Jack Prunty 3, Nicholas Vaccaro II 2, Kieran Burnett 2. FG: 19. FT: 9-12. F: 13. (3-pointers: Radovilsky 3, Owen 1, Prunty 1. Fouled out: None).

NMCC (58) — Jadis Jones 26, BJ Williamson 14, AJ Ruff 9, Marvion Cranford 5, Ja’Kwon Jones 2, Ra’Mond Brooks 2. FG: 25. FT: 7-10. F: 14. (3-pointers: Ruff 1. Fouled out: Ty Williams).