Lamar pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the McDonald County seventh-grade boys basketball team 29-18 on Jan. 6 in the championship game of the Seneca Junior High Seventh-Grade Boys Basketball Tournament.
The teams were tied 5-5 at the end of the first quarter before the Tigers took a 12-9 lead at halftime. Lamar led 18-13 at the end of three quarters before outscoring the Mustangs 11-5 in the fourth quarter.
McDonald County was led by Weston Gordon with 11 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Mustangs were Sterling Woods, Isaac Behm and Logan Solomon with two points each and Dalton McClain one.
McDonald County advanced to the title game with a 21-16 win over Seneca in the semifinals.
McDonald County led 10-4 at halftime and 17-10 entering the final period.
The Mustangs were led by Gordon with eight points, followed by Woods with six, Jack Parnell four and McClain three.
McDonald County opened the tournament with a 32-28 win over East Newton. McDonald County jumped out to a 6-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and built a 16-7 lead at halftime and a 23-13 lead after three quarters.
Gordon scored nine points to lead the Mustangs. Woods added six points and Parnell five, followed by McClain with four and Behm, Solomon, Braxton Spears and Ivan Serna with two each.
McDonald County was at Neosho on Jan. 8 and at East Newton on Jan. 9 to open Big 8 Conference play. The Mustangs are at Mount Vernon on Jan. 12 before hosting Joplin on Jan. 18 in their home opener. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
Sports on 01/11/2018