Poplar Bluff Showdown roundup: CBC wins in OT thriller

The opening night game of the Poplar Bluff Showdown saw the Vilonia (Arkansas) Eagles defeat the McCracken County Mustangs of Paducah, Kentucky 70-49.

Vilonia (10-4) started strong, opening up a 17-10 lead over the Mustangs at the end of the first quarter, paced by leading scorer Dashun Spence, who had 24 points in the game.

The Eagles opened up a big lead in the second quarter with a barrage of 3-point baskets that made the score 31-10 with 3:30 remaining in the half.

McCracken County (9-3) struggled to score in the second quarter thanks to a combination of poor shooting and good defense from Vilonia, who took a 37-18 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Mustangs played more aggressively on defense coming out of the half, outscoring Vilonia 18-14 to cut the Eagles’ lead to 51-36 at the end of the third quarter. Jackson Klope led the Mustangs in the game with 13 points.

The deficit was too much for McCracken County to overcome in the final period, however, as Vilonia advanced to the tournament semifinals Friday night.

In the final game of the evening, the Christian Brothers College Cadets from St. Louis defeated the Urbana (Illinois) Tigers 66-61 in an overtime thriller.

Both teams were evenly matched in the first quarter, but a foul by CBC on Urbana’s Marcus Jackson as time expired led to two additional free throws that put the Tigers up 15-10 after one.

Urbana (3-6) opened up their lead in the second quarter, going on an 8-2 run that put them ahead 23-12 halfway through the period.

CBC (5-4) outscored the Tigers in the final four minutes of the period 7-3, but Urbana still led 26-19 at halftime.

The Cadets came out in the third and put together a 10-2 run that gave them a 29-28 lead with 4:46 left in the period. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter and ended tied at 39.

Both teams kept the game close, with Urbana taking a 51-48 lead with two minutes left in regulation. The Tigers extended the score to 55-48, but CBC cut it to 55-52 with 20 seconds left and tied it at the end of regulation with a 3-pointer.

Overtime looked like the second half, with the teams trading baskets and changing leads for the four-minute extra period. In the end, however, CBC’s defense forced enough turnovers that they converted into points to claim the five-point victory.

The Cadets’ leading scorer was Terron Garrett, with 13 points, while Urbana’s Malcom Morris led all scorers with 16.

CBC will take on New Madrid County Central in the semifinal game at 8:30 p.m. Friday, while Urbana moves to the consolation bracket to face Germantown (Tennessee) at 4 p.m.By MARK J. SANDERS

Contributing Writer

The opening night game of the Poplar Bluff Showdown saw the Vilonia (Arkansas) Eagles defeat the McCracken County Mustangs of Paducah, Kentucky 70-49.

Vilonia (10-4) started strong, opening up a 17-10 lead over the Mustangs at the end of the first quarter, paced by leading scorer Dashun Spence, who had 24 points in the game.

The Eagles opened up a big lead in the second quarter with a barrage of 3-point baskets that made the score 31-10 with 3:30 remaining in the half.

McCracken County (9-3) struggled to score in the second quarter thanks to a combination of poor shooting and good defense from Vilonia, who took a 37-18 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Mustangs played more aggressively on defense coming out of the half, outscoring Vilonia 18-14 to cut the Eagles’ lead to 51-36 at the end of the third quarter. Jackson Klope led the Mustangs in the game with 13 points.

The deficit was too much for McCracken County to overcome in the final period, however, as Vilonia advanced to the tournament semifinals Friday night.

In the final game of the evening, the Christian Brothers College Cadets from St. Louis defeated the Urbana (Illinois) Tigers 66-61 in an overtime thriller.

Both teams were evenly matched in the first quarter, but a foul by CBC on Urbana’s Marcus Jackson as time expired led to two additional free throws that put the Tigers up 15-10 after one.

Urbana (3-6) opened up their lead in the second quarter, going on an 8-2 run that put them ahead 23-12 halfway through the period.

CBC (5-4) outscored the Tigers in the final four minutes of the period 7-3, but Urbana still led 26-19 at halftime.

The Cadets came out in the third and put together a 10-2 run that gave them a 29-28 lead with 4:46 left in the period. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter and ended tied at 39.

Both teams kept the game close, with Urbana taking a 51-48 lead with two minutes left in regulation. The Tigers extended the score to 55-48, but CBC cut it to 55-52 with 20 seconds left and tied it at the end of regulation with a 3-pointer.

Overtime looked like the second half, with the teams trading baskets and changing leads for the four-minute extra period. In the end, however, CBC’s defense forced enough turnovers that they converted into points to claim the five-point victory.

The Cadets’ leading scorer was Terron Garrett, with 13 points, while Urbana’s Malcom Morris led all scorers with 16.

CBC will take on New Madrid County Central in the semifinal game at 8:30 p.m. Friday, while Urbana moves to the consolation bracket to face Germantown (Tennessee) at 4 p.m.