A second half surge propelled the Neosho County Panthers to an 89-69 victory over Friends JV on Tuesday, the Panthers’ third straight win since coming back from Thanksgiving break.
Neosho County led by one point, 38-37, going into halftime before pulling away in the second stanza.
“We came out flat and they sat back in that zone,” Neosho County head coach Taylor Shaffer said. “That dictated down to us a little bit and we matched that energy level. I got on them a little bit at halftime and they responded and did what they were supposed to do. We’ve got to be tough on the defensive end. When we do that, things tend to go a little better for us.”
Aaron Doria paced the Panthers with 25 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting on the night.
“He’s been really consistent for us all year,” Shaffer said of the Frontenac native. “He does a little bit of everything. The best thing he does for us is rebound. He gave us a big spark when we needed it and he really helped us out tonight.”
Adyn Prophete delivered a double- double for Neosho County with 11 points and 10 boards.
“Every time he steps into the gym, he’s going to be one of the strongest, most athletic kids,” Shaffer said. “It’s been a process getting him to come along and adjust to college basketball. But he can do some really good things really well. He can attack the paint at will, get to the rim and rebound.”
Neosho County shot 57.6% from the field (34-of-59) and registered 27 assists on the 34 field goals — a mark muddied by 27 turnovers.
“I’m not going to complain about the shooting percentage,” Shaffer said. “I will complain a little bit is 27 turnovers against a team sitting in a zone. But one thing we do really well is share the ball.”
Neosho County has now won three straight games, defeating Illinois Valley and Spoon River at the North Central Missouri Classic last Friday and Saturday, to improve its record to 5-6 overall.
“We’re trending in the right direction,” Shaffer said. “Early on, we were struggling to find our identity and it showed with the scores. We played some talented teams, and that was a part of it. But we’re starting to show why we can be successful. We got two big wins last weekend. Our offense is starting to come along. We’re going to have a chance to be pretty good.”
Up next
Neosho County heads north to face Southeast and Concordia JV on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
“That’ll be a good bar for us,” Shaffer said. “They’ve played teams in our conference and had a chance to win all of those games.”
