The quarterfinal round of basketball is underway at the 76th Annual Greenwood Blue and Gold Tournament in Springfield.
Winner’s bracket games in both the Blue and Gold divisions are being played at JQH Arena, with the consolation bracket games taking place at Hammons Student Center.
Blue Division:
The top seeded Nixa Eagles advanced to the semifinals in the Blue Division with an 85-43 victory over Fair Grove.
Nixa held a 17-9 lead after one quarter and doubled up on Fair Grove, 44-22, at halftime.
Jay Osborne’s Eagles continued to dominate in the second half.
Colin Ruffin and Jordyn Turner each scored 17 points to lead Nixa as Osborne, the all time winningest coach in Blue and Gold history, earns his 77th victory in the tournament.
Devin Carroll led Fair Grove in scoring with 18 points.
Springfield Catholic punched its ticket to the semifinals in the Blue Division with a 58-47 win over the Marshfield Blue Jays.
The Fightin’ Irish, seeded fourth in the Blue, got 23 points from Zach Howell and 21 points from Ty Lyon.
Catholic led 14-10 after one period and 29-18 at halftime, but started to pull away from Marshfield in the third quarter, going up to 18.
The second seeded Kickapoo Chiefs fought off an early push from the Branson Pirates to win 73-47, advancing to the Blue Division semis.
The Chiefs held a slim 16-14 lead over the Pirates, but opened things up in the second quarter to take a 41-23 lead at the half.
Kickapoo was able to maintain a double digit lead throughout the second half.
The Chiefs were led in scoring by Zaide Lowery, who finished wiht 25 points.
For Branson, Kyle Scharbrough scored 18 points and Ethan Jones added 17.
In one of the tightest games of the tournament so far, the defending state champion Hartville Eagles, seeded sixth in the Blue Division, defeated the Willard Tigers 47-41.
The game was close throughout, and Hartville didn’t begin to pull away until the closing minutes.
The two teams were tied 6-6 after one quarter, with Hartville owning a 22-17 halftime advantage.
The Eagles held a slim 32-30 lead after three quarters, but made some big shots and hit free throws down the stretch.
Senior Eric Wilson led Hartville with 17 points, while Haden Brown scored 17 to pace the Tigers, who will play second seeded Kickapoo in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Gold Division:
The top seeded Bolivar Liberators narrowly escaped with a win, defeating the Springfield Central Bulldogs 54-51 to start the Gold Division quarterfinals.
Bolivar held a 12-11 lead after one quarter, only to see Central take a 25-22 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs came out hot to start the third quarter, going on a 8-0 run that saw them take an 11 point lead, 33-22, midday through the frame.
When junior Kyle Pock hit a shot underneath the bucket, the Liberators capped a 13-3 run to pull within a point, 36-35.
Trailing 37-35 going into the fourth quarter, the Liberators continued to turn the momentum, tying the contest 37-37 with 7:41 left in regulation as Pock hit another shot, scoring his team’s last nine pionts.
Pock drained a top of the key three pointer with 5:51 left in regulation to give the Liberators a 42-39 lead.
Central immediately answered with a trey from Jamarius Lawrie to knot the score 42-42 with 5:34 remaining.
The Bulldogs hit another three pointer with just under four and a half minute left in the game to grab a 45-42 advantage.
It was the Liberators turn to go on a run. Josh Bowes hit a shot, was fouled and made a free throw with 2:51 left to give the Liberators a 48-45 lead.
After Bolivar extended the margin to seven, 52-45, the Bulldogs hit a three pointer to make it a four point game, 52-48, with 43.6 seconds left.
Antonio Starks-Fewell kept his team’s upset hopes alive by hitting a trey with 25 seconds remaning, cutting Bolivar’s lead to 53-51.
But a last second game-tying three point attempt hit off the rim as Bolivar advanced to the semifinals.
Pock’s 20 points led the Liberators in scoring, with Starks-Fewell scoring 14 to pace Central.
Here are the scores and schedule of Tuesday’s games at the Blue and Gold Tournament:
Blue Division Quarterfinal Round (JQH Arena):
Final: (1) Nixa 85 (8) Fair Grove 43
Final: (4) Catholic 58, Marshfield 47
Final: (2) Springfield Kickapoo 73, (7) Branson 47
Final: (6) Hartville 47, (3) Willard 41
Gold Division Quarterfinal Round (JQH Arena):
Final: (1) Bolivar 54, Springfield Central 51
Half: (4) Strafford 28 (5) Greenwood 28
(2) Ozark vs. (7) Rogersville 8:00 p.m.
(3) Ava vs. (6) Republic 9:30 p.m.
Blue Division Consolation Bracket (Hammons Student Center):
Final: Ash Grove 53, Mt. Vernon 50 (Ash Grove’s Sam Moreland scores 25 points and hits 6 three pointers)
Final: (5) Skyline 76, Clever 54 (Skyline’s Lawson Beem scored 23 points)
Final: Mountain Grove 70, Houston 25 (Mountain Grove’s Kaden Bruce scored 34 points)
Final: West Plains 64, Reeds Spring 28
Gold Division Consolation Bracket (Hammons Student Center):
Final: Aurora 75 (8) Willow Springs 61
Spokane vs. Camdenton 6:30 p.m.
Crane vs. Lebanon 8:00 p.m.
Buffalo vs. Stockton 9:30 p.m.
The tournament continues Wednesday with consolation bracket games starting at 9:30 a.m. at Hammons Student Center, and winner’s bracket semifinal contests beginning at 4:00 p.m. at JQH Arena.
Finals night games start at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.