Neosho gives Parkview extra chance in first loss
The Neosho Lady Wildcats got into a deficit Monday against Parkview by giving the opposition extra chances.
It eventually caught up to Neosho in the fourth quarter and Parkview pulled away with 65-56 victory in prep basketball action at Parkview High School gymnasium.
The win for Parkview was rather unique for the team's head coach Keri Nichols. Nichols, as some recall, was the head coach for Neosho in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
Parkview and Neosho was locked in a back-and-forth game throughout the first three quarters.
One would've expected the fourth quarter to be much the same.
It turned out that a few plays here and there broke just right for the Lady Vikings (2-2).
After losing the lead midway through the third quarter, Neosho (2-1) had an opportune time to get back in the game. Kylie Fischer hit a jump with 6 minutes, 8 seconds left in the game to make it 45-44.
Down by one point, Neosho never was able to pull any closer.
Parkview's Skylar McKee went down the court and drained a 3-pointer. The next possession down, Parkview took another three points, but this one missed.
The ball bounced to the floor where Kyndra Duncan picked it up and made a layup.
Down by six points now, the Lady Wildcats got fouled and was put to the line with a 1-and-1 situation free throw.
The shot missed and Parkview got the rebound and an over-the-back foul on Neosho.
Sharese Ward stepped to the line and made a pair of free throws with 4:45 to play.
Just like that, a one-point deficit was now eight, at 52-44.
Parkview just pulled away from there, hitting free throw shots down the stretch to extend its lead.
The Lady Wildcats made a late rally in the final minute when Fischer hit a pair of 3-pointers with 1:16 and 37 seconds left, cutting the lead down eight points and seven points, respectively.
"We have played a couple of close games the last few days and we have been working on positive possessions and I think we did a nice job of that," said Nichols. "Neosho played great defense with the pressure and mixed it up on us. We talk about turnovers and rebounds and I felt we controlled both of them."
Neosho fell behind 5-0 from the start of the game and played catch-up most of the night with Parkview. At halftime, Neosho had eked ahead by a point, 25-24.
The lead was snapped when McKee hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter, tying the game at 33-33.
Parkview went ahead 40-35 after a basket by Chundra Duncan with 45 seconds left in the third quarter. With 42 seconds left, Fischer hit a jumper to make it 40-37. Parkview tacked on a pair of free throws from McKee to make it 42-37 going into the fourth quarter.
"They shot the ball well tonight," said Neosho coach Grant Young. "Keri was telling me they shot 26 or 27 percent the last three games. We came into tonight after a long trip and a cold gym. I'm not making excuses, but we came out and didn't play well. They did a good job of hitting their shots."
Neosho had three of its five starters scoring in double figures. Lorelei Snow and Savannah Snow both scored 15 points for Neosho. Fischer added a season-high 14 points.
Parkview, likewise, had three scorers in double figures. McKee scored a game-high 19 points. Ward had 13 points, while Chundra Duncan added 11 points. That duo scored most of their points inside the paint, as the Lady Vikings was able to get plenty of offensive rebounds in the game.
"We didn't do a good job of boxing out," said Young. "There is too much space to get to the board. We are leaving too much space to put it backup quickly for another shot."
Neosho is idle until next Monday, when the squad plays at Aurora in a non-conference game.
NEOSHO (56) - Vlasin 6, Fischer 14, S. Snow 15, L. Snow 15, Clark 4, A. White 2, M. White 0
PARKVIEW (65) - Regan 3, Key 9, K. Duncan 4, Fogle 0, McKee 19, Kloster 6, C. Duncan 11, Ward 13
Neosho Daily News