All had been going as planned for the Southwest boys basketball team at the 41st Annual Southwest Holiday Tournament, then a scoring drought at the start of Friday’s championship game against East Newton proved to be too tough a hole to escape.
The Trojans (9-3), ranked No. 1 in the tournament, started with a bang by defeating Gentry (Ark.), 78-37, then followed up the blowout with a 66-53 win over cross-county rival Purdy.
The Patriots, ranked No. 2, defeated Diamond and McAuley Catholic to earn a title berth.
Southwest’s struggles began from the first whistle. After three missed three-pointers and a bucket disallowed for a foul on the floor, the Trojans found themselves down 6-0 after 4 minutes of play.
Senior Brendyn Paulsen gave Southwest a boost with a block and 2-pointer, then another 2, but Southwest still trailed by 6 at the end of the first. The Trojans drew within a possession after only 2:20 played in the third, but East Newton answered with three straight 3-pointers to go up 19-10 halfway through the second.
By the halftime buzzer, the Patriots had moved the lead to 10 at 24-14.
Southwest fought the double- digit edge all of the third quarter, down 34-24 going into the final 8 minutes.
Plays by Paulsen and junior Kasen Holder breathed life back into the game by getting it to one possession again, and a put-back by senior Charlie Pippin brought East Newton’s lead to 40-39, but with under a minute left in the game, the Trojans were forced to foul.
Missed free throws for Southwest and the Patriots converting on free throws after fouls allowed East Newton to seal the win at 44-39.
“We couldn’t get going on offense,” said Rusty Roe, Southwest boys basketball coach. “We seemed to struggle getting going mentally and physically. Three games in three days is always going to be a challenge, and Coach Fields did a great job having his players ready for that.”
Roe said despite the upset, he’s proud of what the Trojans accomplished.
“I believe our players did a great job in this tournament,” he said. “We fell short of our goal and fully believed we could win. However, it wasn’t due to a lack of our guys being prepared, or focused, or a lack of effort.”
A highlight during the tournament came on Thursday, when Paulsen hit a personal milestone of 1,000 career points scored. Roe lauded the accomplishment, adding that players like Paulsen do not come through the program often.
“Brendyn has such a great skill set and his ability to score at all levels makes him a great player,” he said. “There have been very few players come through Southwest that have had both his size and ability to score the ball.”
Holder led the Trojans in scoring with 63 points in the tournament, 34 of which came against Gentry. Paulsen contributed 62, Pippin added 31, Tyler Meek tallied 13 and Caleb Ayer scored 8.
Prior to the championship bout, Purdy earned a third-place trophy with a 65-39 win over McAuley. The Eagles defeated Commerce (Okla.) in the opening round of play, 77-60, and fell to host Southwest in the semifinals, 66-53. Purdy entered the eightteam event ranked No. 3.
The All-Tournament Team includes: Chase Sorrell, East Newton, Cassville Democrat MVP; Caleb Epperson, Commerce; Michael Parrigon, McAuley; Garrett Tech, Gentry; Laynden Brandt, Monett; Ian Waterman, Monett; Caden Youngblood, East Newton; Carter Keeling, Purdy; Kasen Holder, Southwest; and Brendyn Paulsen, Southwest.
