Even though they’re not in the same conference anymore, Salisbury was still able to continue their dominance over Fayette in basketball Monday, Feb. 3 as they swept the visitors from the newly-formed Central States 8 Conference.
Spurred on by their hometown fans, the Salisbury girls overcame a very rocky start to rally past Fayette with relative ease as they defeated the Falcons, 46-30 to kick things off. Then in the nightcap, the Panther boys led from beginning to end as they rolled to a 67-30 win over Fayette. Both games were heard on KMMO-FM.
Overcoming Adversity
During the first 12 minutes of their game, very little went right for the Lady Panthers offensively. Salisbury’s shooting was difficult to watch and their ball handling wasn’t much better as Fayette held an eight-point lead midway through the second period. One positive note for the Panthers was their defense which kept them close on the scoreboard. The Falcons led 14-6 with four minutes left in the half when Salisbury suddenly turned the defense up a couple of notches and began converting turnovers into points. The Panthers ended the half with a 12-0 run to take an 18-14 lead at the break. That was all part of a 12-minute, 34-11 explosion for the home team which had them in control, 38-25 heading into the final quarter. The last eight minutes of play saw the two sides do little more than trade baskets as the Lady Panthers posted a 46-30 victory for themselves.
Winners in seven of their last nine games, Salisbury is now 12-7 on the year. Tori Ricketts overcame a slow start shooting the ball to score 19 points while Julia Sloan chipped in with 15. Fayette’s loss was the fifth in their last eight outings as they fell to 8-11 overall. Paige Vroman scored 11 points for the Falcons as Kebrea Fair added 10.
This victory for the Salisbury girls was the 25th in their last 26 meetings against Fayette. The only win in basketball for the Falcons over the Panthers during the past 15 years came in last season’s district title matchup at Sturgeon.
Taking Control Early
The boys’ matchup was over in the blink of an eye as Salisbury held a commanding 23-4 lead after one period. Then for the contest’s middle two quarters, the game was played fairly evenly with the home team on top, 50-28 heading into the final frame. During the last eight minutes of action, the Panthers outscored the Falcons, 17-2 down the stretch to win going away, 67-30.
Salisbury improved to 10-9 on the year. Eight people scored for them with Austin Cravens tallying 24 points on their behalf. Meanwhile, Fayette dropped to 3-15 overall as Jaron Cross tossed down 10 points for the visitors. Having not lost to Fayette in boys’ basketball since January of 2011, the Panthers’ winning streak over the Falcons has now reached 21 in a row.
Other Finals from Monday Night
Girls
Boonville 75 Marshall 29
California 53 Fatima 47
Chilhowee 51 NE Vernon County 38
Community 49 Bunceton/Otterville 34
Eldon 55 Versailles 53
Hardin-Central 44 Hale/Bosworth 16
Knob Noster 59 Lexington 36
Meadville 47 Tina-Avalon 20
Osage 65 Hallsville 28
Prairie Home 55 Madison 35
Smithville 69 Excelsior Springs 23
Van Horn 55 Odessa 49 OT
Boys
Hale/Bosworth 63 Hardin-Central 45
Hermitage 52 Kingsville 45
Lexington 69 Knob Noster 30
Meadville 57 Tina-Avalon 42
NE Vernon County 55 Chilhowee 46
Prairie Home 57 Madison 27
Trenton 61 Lathrop 57
Versailles 43 Eldon 33
Kaysinger Conference Tournament, Consolation Bracket
at State Fair Community College, Sedalia
Girls: Green Ridge 51 La Monte 25
Boys: Smithton 63 La Monte 37
Boys: Green Ridge 56 Cole Camp 50
Tuesday’s Contests
KMMO-FM 102.9 will have another doubleheader on tap Tuesday, when Higbee visit conference foes Brunswick. Pregame begins at 5:50 p.m., ahead of the girls game. The boys game will tip off around 7:30 p.m.
The Marshall Owls will host Oak Grove in a boys basketball contest. Pregame on KMMO AM 1300 will be around 7:15 p.m.
Semifinal action at the Kaysinger Conference tournament begins Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., when the top-seeded Stover girls challenge Windsor. That’s followed by the top boys seed Lincoln facing Windsor. At 7:30 p.m., second-seed Northwest of Hughesville face the Cole Camp girls, followed by the second-seeded Sacred Heart boys challenging Northwest of Hughesville.
Other games tonight include:
Doubleheaders
Braymer at Keytesville
Brookfield at Polo
Carrollton at Holden
Community at Cairo
Concordia at Wellington-Napoleon
Crest Ridge at Orrick
Hale/Bosworth at Tina-Avalon
Harrisburg at Tipton
Harrisonville at Warrensburg
Higbee at Brunswick
Lafayette County at Richmond
Macon at Centralia
Moberly at Hannibal
Monroe City at South Shelby
New Franklin at Boonville
Norborne at NW/Mendon
North Callaway at Prairie Home
Russellville at Fayette
Santa Fe at Lone Jack
Slater at Sweet Springs
Trenton at Marceline
Tuscumbia at Jamestown
Warsaw at Adrian
Girls
Columbia Battle at Smith-Cotton
Lawson at Oak Grove
Odessa at St. Paul Lutheran
Boys
Blair Oaks at Glasgow
Chillicothe at KC St. Pius X
Oak Grove at Marshall
Osage at Versailles
St. Paul Lutheran at Kingsville
Southwest Livingston at Breckenridge