In My Defense

MCDONALD COUNTY BEATS MONETT 40-32 IN BIG 8 CONFERENCE OPENER

RICK PECK MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS McDonald County’s Dagan Stites shoots over Monett’s Alex Turner (30) and Jonah Paszek during the Mustangs’ 40-32 win Friday night at Monett High School.
RICK PECK MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS McDonald County’s Dagan Stites shoots over Monett’s Alex Turner (30) and Jonah Paszek during the Mustangs’ 40-32 win Friday night at Monett High School.

With points at a premium in the McDonald County Mustangs 40-32 win Friday night over the Monett Cubs, none were more valuable than Dagan Stites' three-pointer early in the fourth quarter.

Monett entered the final stanza clinging to a 22-21 lead and for the first three minutes of the quarter, the game had the apperance of the first to score in the final eight minutes would be the winner.

Stites answered the call with 5:15 left in the game, hitting a trey from the right wing for the first points of the quarter and turning McDonald County's one point deficit in to a two point lead. McDonald County would not trail the rest of the way.

Austen Grotts followed with an old-fashioned three-point play at the 3:44 mark before Monett cut the margin to 27-25 on a three-pointer by Jonah Paszek with 3:21 left for the Cubs' first points of the quarter.

Max Dill then hit a short jumper and followed with a three-point play to stretch the Mustangs' advantage to 32-25 with 2:18 left.

Monett's Logan Coones hit a trey with 1:54 remaining, but Daton Aubrey hit a short jumper and Drew Harmon made four free throws and Jake Wood added two more to help the Mustangs pull away down the stretch to clinch the Mustangs' first win in the Big 8 Conference.

Monett jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but McDonald County closed out the first quarter on a 9-0 run, including back-to-back three-pointers by Harmon. Grotts' basket midway through the second quarter gave McDonald County a 17-11 lead, but Monett outscored McDonald County 6-1 in the final four minutes of the first half to cut the lead to 18-17 at intermission.

A free throw by Stites and a basket by Aubrey was the only points McDonald County could come up with in the third quarter. Monett wasn't much more effective, scoring five to take a 22-21 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Harmon finished with 14 points and Grotts nine to lead McDonald County. Rounding out the scoring for the Mustangs were Dill with five points, Stites and Aubrey four each and Kole Keith and Jake Wood two each.

Paszek led the Cubs with 11 points.

McDonald County improves to 3-2 overall, 1-0 in the conference, prior to its Dec. 16 game against Pittsburg Colgan before entering the Christmas break. The Mustangs return to action Dec. 29 at the Neosho Holiday Classic.

Sports on 12/18/2014