Junior High Tigers Win North Harrison Tournament to Cap Undefeated Season

Worth County’s junior high boys completed an undefeated season, which was their goal in both football and basketball, with Thursday’s 75-12 win over Albany. 

After beating Maryville for the Northeast Nodaway Tournament title, the Tigers won handily against Albany as they began a stretch of five more games to see if they would complete their unbeaten season. They invaded South Harrison, always a tough place to play and a franchise which is always capable of playing spoiler. But they beat the Bulldogs 45-10. North Harrison made Worth County work for it in the first round of the tournament before falling 55-29, and then Princeton, one of the few teams to match with the Tigers sizewise, fell 73-27 as Bo Collins had a big first half despite being matched up against kids his size along with Mitchell Walker, one of the best help defenders we have seen this year.

Any thought that Albany would play spoiler in the last game of the season was doused early after Hayden Sanders hit a 3-pointer. Bo Collins followed with four straight free throws after getting behind the green shirts twice. Cole Ruby scored off a steal and added a 3-pointer after a pass from Ethan Lininger and Hayden Sanders scored off a Caleb New steal to make it 14-0 before Lukas Angle finally put Albany on the board. 

Hayden Sanders hit a 3-pointer from the right wing off a pass from Cole Ruby, Bo Collins got a putback, and Caleb New hit Hayden Sanders for three again to make it 22-2. Jarrett Smith hit a baseline shot for the Warriors to make it 22-4, but Cole Ruby hit Caleb New in transition and Bo Collins scored off Cole Ruby’s tip and steal to make it 26-4 after one.

Bo Collins started the second quarter with a free throw, Hayden Sanders scored his fourth 3-pointer of the night, and then Caleb New drew a foul after going coast to coast to make it 32-4 with 4:29 left in the first half.

The teams traded scores for the next minute, but then Bo Collins got loose inside after a perfect high low play and the floodgates opened again. Ethan Lininger scored off a drive, Bo converted off a Cole Ruby steal, Ethan Lininger hit a free throw, Cole Ruby scored off a Bo Collins steal, Ethan Lininger scored off the high low play off a pass from Hayden Sanders, Sanders hit a free throw, and then got a steal and fed Cole to make it 47-7 before Jarrett Smith cut it to 47-9 at the half.

The third quarter was more of the same for Worth County, or “Platte Valley North” as one of the Albany partisans called them, as Bo Collins scored off a putback, Hayden Sanders hit his fifth and final three of the night, Cole Ruby scored off a steal, and Caleb New got loose in transition. Jarrett Smith hit a 3-pointer to make it 56-12, but then Cole Ruby hit a free throw, missed the second, but Bo Collins was there for the putback. Ethan Lininger twice cut inside and got a pass from Hayden Sanders, Bo scored off a drive, and then scored from inside to make it 67-12.

Worth County began subbing freely towards the end of the third quarter as Wes Brown, one of the most improved players on the team, knocked down a shot on the wing off a pass from Brock Healy at the end of the third to make it 69-12.

Bo Collins aired one out to Caleb New to start the fourth before the starters finally came out for good. Jordan Dannar scored off a tip and steal and then Wes Brown found Luke Findley, another one of the most improved players on the squad, who did exactly what he was supposed to and put it in off the glass in the closing seconds.

Bo Collins had 21 points for the Tigers. Hayden Sanders had 18, Cole Ruby 13, Ethan Lininger 9, Caleb New 8, and Wes Brown, Jordan Dannar, and Luke Findley had 2 each. Worth County shot 12 for 21 from the line.

Bo Collins had 2 blocks and Ryder Smyser had 1.

Bo Collins had 9 boards. Ethan Lininger had 5, Caleb New 4, Hayden Sanders and Dylan Smith 2, and Ryder Smyser, Cole Ruby, and Jordan Dannar 1 each.

Caleb New and Hayden Sanders had 6 assists. Cole Ruby had 5, Ethan Lininger and Bo Collins 3 each, Wes Brown 2, and Brock Healy 1.

Cole Ruby had 9 tips. Bo Collins, Hayden Sanders, and Caleb New had 4 each, Ryder Smyser and Jordan Dannar 2 each, and Ethan Linninger, Luke Findley, and Owyn Wuillay 1 each.

Cole Ruby had 5 steals. Hayden Sanders, Caleb New, and Bo Collins had 3 each, and Ethan Lininger, Jordan Dannar, Wes Brown, and Luke Findley had 1.