A Tribute to Wayne Winstead: “And We Called Him Coach”

     John Q. Hammons Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Induction Article

A native of Westboro, Missouri, Wayne Winstead began his coaching career at Sheridan High School. His teams at Sheridan won more than 700 games and took 13 conference championships. (Grant City and Sheridan were consolidated in 76/77–WC). He moved to Worth County High School in 1976, where his three year girls basketball record was 56-21. The three winning seasons he produced at Worth County were the first in the school’s basketball history.

In 1979, Winstead moved to Maryville where he took over as coach for the Northwest Missouri State University Women’s program. Winstead has taken the Northwest Missouri State teams to post-season play in thirteen of fourteen seasons. He earned MIAA Coach of the Year honors in 1984, after his 25-5 team won the conference and was ranked number one in the nation and eventually finished eighth in the nation as they upset national powers Southeast Missouri State University and Central Missouri State University.

During a 10-year stretch from 1982-1992, Winstead’s clubs finished in the top-half of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) standings including an MIAA title during the 1983-84 season. He engineered his teams to three 20-win seasons and 16 post-season appearances. He was named MIAA Coach of the Year twice (1984, 1990); his 1984 program sparkled with a 25-5 mark, his best of any season and the 1990 club advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament. Overall, he compiled a 311-244 (.560) mark at Northwest.

And We Called Him Coach

By Connie Dowis

What are those memories we'll always hold dear?

I know they've got to be here, cause we held him so near.

Time has captured a few,

There are some that are oh, so true!

As the memories flow,

it's hard to know just which way to let your mind go.

We can all recall

the way he taught us to play ball

each and every late, late fall.

CAN YOU HEAR HIM?

"Give me 25--cut those corners and you'll do another 5!"

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Looking at that clipboard and checking them off as the drill and the practice rolls on and on.

CAN YOU HEAR HIM?

"You 5 be shirts and you 5 skins." "We're gonna pass and cut, pass and cut--use that backdoor for another score." "Hands up D!" "No, no, no, don't throw across the defense--you know better than that!"

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Putting that whistle inside his shirt to show us one more time how to--STEP and block to get that rebound, or use the board--hit the angle (was it 45?). OK, watch my legs and tell me what the first thing is I do?? Right, BEND those knees.

CAN YOU HEAR HIM?

"On the line, all the way down, black line to black line, down and back, Hustle, hustle, hustle!" "Come on, you can do better than that--harder-harder, push, push" "Shuffle left, now right, back, forward "OK, AGAIN!" "Now everyone on the line shoot 25 and give me 5 for every one you miss!"

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Showing us why defense is the key. OK, here you have a 2-1-2, 3-2, man-for-man, or will it be a box and one? Depend on the night, the game, the opponent which one we'll run.

CAN YOU HEAR HIM?

"Hit the showers and I'd better see the water dripping off of you when you come out!" "Get back in there! You didn't shower" (OK so quickly learn the trick of sticking your arms and legs in and cooling them off and he'll never know--HA)

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Refilling the boxes in the locker rooms with medicated foot powder, but was it really to kill the athlete's foot or maybe did some of our feet stink, big time!

CAN YOU HEAR HIM?

"Who we gonna beat tonight?" "I can't hear you!" Who we gonna beat tonight?"

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Shaking the hands of the captains, the coaches, and the refs as the game begins. Gathering us all in the huddle and touching hands, "Let's Go!"

CAN YOU HEAR HIM?

"D. D. Big D!!, Hands-up--get in his face! Box out! Grab that rebound! SET IT UP. You're open--shoot--shoot! Pass, pass, pass, cut, look! Use the board!

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Twisting that hair at the corner of his head when things are going a little bit tough! Pacing, back and forth, back and forth.

CAN YOU HEAR HIM?

Praising and Chewing, Praising and Chewing, Always, Always, Praising more than the Chewing.

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Drawing those plays on the chalkboard at halftime? Slamming that clipboard against the stage? Calling you over to sit your butt down cause you didn't EXECUTE…and probably, tweaking that piece of hair one more time.

CAN YOU SEE AND HEAR HIM!

Shaking all the players hands and telling each and every one, "Good Game"

CAN YOU SEE AND HEAR HIM--smiling and laughing and telling just one more joke or…and Now, I'm telling you, this is a true story?

As the years have passed by,

how many times were you privileged to see him and

he was so glad to see you.

Gotta' give you a hug and know what is what,

and forever and again

let you know how very much you meant to him.

So, so many memories to hold and share.

and WE CALLED HIM COACH,

but he was so much more,…teacher, principal, mentor and friend

but WE CALLED HIM COACH.

 

Tanya Meyer, Northwest Women’s Basketball Standout, Has Worth County Ties

Tanya Meyer, standout player for the Northwest Women’s Basketball Team, has ties to Worth County. She is the daughter of Worth County grad Tracy Olney and is the granddaughter of Grant City resident Duane Olney. She is also a distant relation of Gary James; her grandmother and his grandmother were first cousins.

The Bearcats have had a rough season, only winning one game much of the year while playing several freshmen before finally winning two straight against Missouri Western and Lincoln. Against the Blue Tigers, the Bearcats won 61-60 and they needed every one of her 27 points and 13 boards.

This year, she is averaging 15.1 points per game and 9.1 rebounds while making 82.5% of her free throws. Last year, she made the All-MIAA Second Team along with the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and led the MIAA with 19.6 points per game and had 9. Boards per game. On February 2nd, 2017, she had 34 points and 11 rebounds against Lincoln. She started 27 of her 28 games as a sophomore and started in 11 games as a freshman, playing in all 28 games.

Meyer is from Sioux City (IA). She played for Sioux City West High School and averaged 20 points per game and 8 boards per game as a junior.

There are several other local players from the area on this year’s version of the Bearcats. Freshman Jaelyn Haggard, from Central High School in St. Joseph, scored 11 points and had 5 assists in Thursday’s win. Mallory McAndrews, from Benton High School in St. Joseph, had 8 points and hit two critical free throws with the game on the line late in the game. Another freshman, Mallory McConkey, from South Nodaway, played 8 minutes. She and twin sister Meghan McConkey were standouts for the Longhorns.

The game took on the kind of desperation one might expect from two teams desperate for wins. Northwest was seemingly in control at 56-47 in the fourth quarter when Lincoln started collecting steals off their press, two McAndrews threes were in and out, and the Blue Tigers moved ahead 58-56 before Meyers’ free throws tied it up with 3:18 left.

Northwest got a stop on defense, but Lincoln got another steal off their press. They had two chances to take the lead, but missed two shots at close range and Kaylani Maiava’s free throw put Northwest up 59-58 with 1:55 left. Maiaya later got a block on defense after Northwest had dribbled into a trap and later got a tip that resulted in a player control foul on Lincoln during the ensuing ball scramble with 12 seconds left after Northwest had turned it over on a backcourt violation.

Finally, McAndrews hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to make it 61-58 and Northwest blanketed the perimeter, forcing Lincoln to make a two-pointer with 2.3 seconds left. Northwest inbounded it and took timeout, advancing it to the coach’s box on their end, which is possible in women’s play after a made basket or free throw by the other team. With 1.7 seconds left and Lincoln out of timeouts, Northwest was able to inbound and hold it to run out the clock. It had been such a long season, it took the players a few seconds to realize they had just won a game.

The men’s game was much easier as the Bearcats won 76-43 over Lincoln. They had every reason to expect a close game, as the Blue Tigers had played Northwest tough both times last year and had a player go off on Northwest for 50 points in one. But Northwest, who had a mid-season slump and dropped two games, have returned to form in the last few games. The Blue Tigers showed that they were one of the most explosive and well-balanced teams of the MIAA, having scored over 130 points in one win this year. But they were not able to do anything against the Bearcats Thursday night.

The Bearcats are the defending National Champions and are ranked sixth this year. Justin Pitts scored 20 points, 18 in the first half. Chris-Ebou Ndow had 18 and Ryan Hawkins had 13. The Blue Tigers mixed man to man, zone, and box and one defenses to try to slow Pitts down, but he knocked down an NBA 3-pointer with 4:01 left to fuel a 12-2 run to close out the first half to put Northwest up 45-27. Pitts hit Hawkins for a guarded three, then hit Ndow backdoor and then took on four to get to the line over the protests of the Lincoln coach. Ndow’s drive cut the run.

Pitts came out for a break with 10:36 left and Northwest up 58-36 and it turned out he didn’t need to come back in as his teammates finished the job. Ndow got the hot hand, getting a tipin, a drive, and a steal capped by a monster dunk. Coach Ben McCollum has preached to his team this year about the need to stay hungry, and the hunger was there even late – on one play, Ryan Welty saved one from going out of bounds to Ndow, who promptly drained a three from the top of the key.

Bearcat Men Miss National Tournament by 3 Points

The shorthanded Northwest Missouri State men, despite losing both DeAngelo Hailey and Conner Crooker to injuries during the MIAA Tournament, came three points short of winning the MIAA Tournament and getting an automatic bid to the national tournament. The Bearcats missed out despite the fact that they had a better record than the #8 seed, Arkansas Tech, and the fact that they had beaten both the 7th and 6th seeds in the tournament. The Bearcat men beat #7 seed Northeastern State twice, winning 73-72 in regular season action and then beat them again 69-65 in the MIAA Tournament. They also beat Upper Iowa, the #6 seed, 59-52 early in the year at home. They lost to #5 Harding 68-66 in Hawaii and lost twice to Central Missouri, the 4th seed. They lost to them in the regular season game and lost to them in the MIAA title game as well. Northwest ended their season with a 21-10 record; Arkansas Tech, who was the #8 seed, had an 18-11 record.


DeAngelo Hailey led the scoring for Northwest for the season with 14.1 points per game; Dillon Starzl followed with 13.7. Alex Sullivan had 10.9 points per game. The men had two players finish with over .500 shooting; Starzl shot 61.4% from the field and Kyle Schlake shot 51%. Sullivan led the team with 84 3-pointers, followed by Hailey with 51. Sullivan shot 40.8% from behind the arc, followed by Tyler Funk with 37%, Matt Wallace with 36.7%, and DeAngelo Hailey with 35.5%. Conner Crooker led the team with 91.4% free throw shooting, followed by Bryston Williams with 81.3% and Alex Sullivan with 80%. The rebounding was spread out with Starzl getting five boards per game, followed by Hailey with 4.9 and Schlake with 4.1. Matt Wallace led the team with 151 assists. Starzl led the team with 22 blocks, followed by Schlake with 14. Wallace led the team with 40 steals.

The Bearcats outscored their opponents 66.8 to 61.0 per game and outrebounded them 33.8 to 29.6. They outshot their opponents 44.1% to 42.9% and made 444 free throws to 350 for the opposition. Northwest went to the line 145 more times than their opponents, making 635 trips to the line to their opponents' 490.

Northwest had beaten Missouri Western 66-46 in order to advance to the second round in Kansas City. Against Northeastern State, the game was tied eight times throughout the first half as neither team could take control. Northeastern State scored nine points off of turnovers to none for Northwest, but Northwest's bench outscored Northeastern 9-0. But a buzzer beating 3-pointer from DeAngelo Hailey swung the momentum in Northwest's favor as they took a 39-36 lead at the half.

Northwest had all the momentum to start the second half as they built up a 14-point lead with 12 minutes left on a jumper by Conner Crooker. But Northwest had built up their lead based on 70%+ shooting, meaning that it was only a matter of time before they cooled off. When they did, the Riverhawks came roaring right back despite Northwest burning two timeouts and took a 65-64 lead. But Northwest was able to settle down and get to the line at will down the stretch as all of their points in the last 3:04 were from the charity stripe. Dillon Starzl's free throws with 30 seconds left made it a two possession game for Northwest at 69-65 and Tyler Funk blocked a 3-point attempt with 9 seconds left that would have cut it to one point.

Dillon Starzl led the scoring with 25 points, followed by Conner Crooker with 13 and DeAngelo Hailey with 12. But Crooker injured his eye in the game, which meant that he was out for the rest of the tournament, meaning that Northwest was without one of their key sparkplugs for the semifinal game against Fort Hayes.

Against Hayes, Northwest fell behind thanks to a hot shooting barrage from the Tigers; they shot 57% in the first half in building up a five point lead and raised it to 51-39 with 13:35 left in the game. They maintained a 10-12 point lead for the next two minutes before Alex Sullivan hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Matt Wallace, a play that turned out to be a momentum-changer as it cut Northwest's deficit to seven. The shoe was on the other foot as Hayes started off with a torrid shooting percentage, only to cool down as the game progressed. The Bearcats fought back to within 58-56 with 5:29 left, but then DeAngelo Hailey, their leading scorer, rolled his ankle and was done for the tournament.

Lance Russell's free throws put Hayes up 60-56, but then Hayes went cold, missing three shots from the field and a one and one opportunity and turned the ball over once as Starzl scored six points in the next three minutes to put Northwest back in control at 64-60 with 2:16 left. From there, Northwest went 9 for 10 to secure the 73-66 win and put them in the championship round with Central Missouri.

The Bearcats were down two players right off the bat as neither Hailey nor Crooker were available and the Mules had beaten Northwest every single time during Coach Ben McCollum's tenure. On top of that, both Bryston Williams and Dillon Starzl both battled foul trouble against the Mules, stretching Northwest even thinner. But Northwest has been able to overcome injuries throughout the season and Bryston Williams played the game of his life for the Bearcats, scoring 27 points and keeping them close by hitting four 3-pointers. Bryston led four Bearcats in double figures as Grant Cozad followed off the bench with 14 points, Dillon Starzl 13, and Alex Sullivan had 12.

Neither side was able to take control in the first half; Central outscored Northwest 15-3 in points off turnovers, but Northwest was able to keep up by outscoring them 16-9 in the paint and by shooting 56% from the field. Finally, Matt Wallace hit Grant Cozad inside at the buzzer to tie it at 33 and nothing was decided yet.

Northwest started off by leading Central by as much as four, but then they cooled off and the Mules came back to take a 65-57 lead. Northwest then fought back to within 65-64 and had three chances to take the lead, but had two turnovers and a missed shot before Central hit a free throw with 16 seconds left to make it 66-64. Bryston Williams rushed it up the floor, but missed a layup with 10 seconds and all Central had to do was make two free throws to win it in regulation. But Dominique Long missed a one and one with 7 seconds left and Bryston Williams made the most of his second chance, making a layup with two seconds left to send it to overtime tied at 66.

Dillon Starzl had fouled out with seven seconds left in regulation, but Northwest kept right on battling with Central throughout the extra period even though they were down their top post player as well as Crooker and Hailey. Neither team was able to lead by more than a possession in the extra period; Grant Cozad's free throws with 1:08 left put Northwest in front 75-73. But a momentum-changing play happened in Central's favor as Dominique Long was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and made all three of his shots to put the Mules up one.

That swung the momentum back in Central's favor and once again the Mules had a chance to put it away leading 77-75 with 10 seconds left and Charles Hammork on the line for Central. But he only made one out of two, meaning Northwest still had a chance to tie. Matt Wallace was fouled on a 3-point attempt and he made his first but missed his second with Northwest down 78-76. He intentionally missed the third, but Central got the rebound and hit a free throw to make it 79-76 with three seconds left. Northwest could not get a shot off and Central had escaped with the win.

Bearcat Women Exceeded Expectations for 2013

The Northwest Missouri State women exceeded expectations when they clinched a winning season with a home win over Truman, went on the road to beat Southern in the first round of the MIAA tournament, and then gave Washburn all they could handle before losing 52-39. It took one of the best defensive teams in the country to stop Northwest's momentum; they were regularly holding teams under 50 points a game. Holding a team to 52 points in a night is usually enough to win at this level. But a suffocating Washburn defense that held Northwest to 26% shooting for the night did them in. But Northwest will return all five starters for Coach Mark Kellogg.

The Bearcats were a very streaky team this year, winning several in a row and then losing several in a row. They got off to a 9-3 start and met their initial goal right away, improving on last year's win total. Then, they lost seven out of eight during one stretch, falling under .500 and getting to a point where they were fighting for their playoff lives. But then they righted themselves and won four straight, including a home win over a ranked Truman squad to clinch a winning season and then followed that up with a road win over Southern, 77-72, in order to get to the second round. Half of the teams in the country do not get past their first round game, so the Bearcats had propelled themselves into the upper level.

But the one constant for the team was the fact that they were in all of their games this year. Their worst loss was a road loss to Pitt State, a game they were in until the last 10 minutes. They were able to do so because of a swarming defense that allowed 59 points a game, 5th in the conference out of 15 teams. They went from a run and shoot team to a passing game offense under new coach Mark Kellogg and the result was that they led the league in field goal percentage with 45% shooting from the field. Rebounding was identified as a big area of concern for Kellogg. The Bearcats were last in rebounding and it showed in the win-loss column. Out of Northwest's 13 losses, 8 of them were to MIAA teams that were in the top six in rebounding; they were 0-8 against those teams.

Kellogg's team-first approach paid off in the assist category. Northwest led the league with 16.1 assists per game, one more than anyone else in the league. Frequently, assists lead to higher field goal percentage. The Bearcats were second in steals, with 10.4 per game, behind only Lincoln.
Maggie Marnin led the league in field goal percentage with 59.2% shooting for the year. Monique Stevens led in assists with 5 assists per game and 135 total. Meridee Scott was 4th and Ashleigh Nelson 5th in 3-point percentage. Scott shot 41.8% while Nelson shot 40.9%.

Against Southern, Northwest showed signs of improvement in the rebounding area, killing the Lions on the boards 38-27 in the win while shooting 51% during the game. The Bearcats took an 18 point lead at 51-33 midway through the second half, lost it, but then came back to win by five on the road. Ashleigh Nelson led the scoring with 21 points while Annie Matthews followed with 14. Reserve post player Alexis Boeh played some inspired basketball down the stretch during Northwest's four game winning streak; she got 12 points against the Lions including some clutch scoring late in the game to put Northwest back in control after they had lost the lead. Tember Schechinger had 10.

Bearcat Men Snap Skid with Washburn Cliffhanger

The Northwest Missouri State men's team snapped their three game losing streak in heartstopping fashion, beating Washburn 63-61 Saturday after losing to Fort Hayes State 64-60 Wednesday. The women's losing streak has reached four as they lost to both Washburn and Hayes. The schedule gave the Bearcats back to back road games at those two schools and then they turned around and played them at home last week.

With their loss, the men fell out of the MIAA title hunt as they are now two games back with three to go. However, they have plenty to play for as they can finish as high as third or fourth; they have already punched their ticket to the MIAA tournament, which is now a 12 team field. They play three lower division teams to round out their schedule, against Missouri Western, Kearney, and Truman. They own tiebreaks against everyone else that has five or six conference losses by virtue of head to head wins against them; the exception is Washburn, which beat conference leader Hayes earlier this year. Ties are broken by head to head games and then by who beat the highest ranked team in the conference. With their wins over Northwest the past two weeks, Hayes has moved into a tie for first with Central with four losses each. The men would host a first round playoff battle if they were to finish anywhere from 5th to 8th; however, if they finish at least fourth, they would get a first round bye and go to Kansas City Municipal Auditorium to play their second round.

The women are now 5-10 in conference standings and are locked in a tie for 10th. They have not clinched a playoff spot and must hold onto the 12th spot in order to get into the playoffs this year. A road trip to Kearney could be pivotal in determining Northwest's playoff fate; they are now one game ahead of Kearney in the loss column. However, Northwest would have the tiebreaker over the Lopers if they were to fall; the Bearcats have beaten Kearney earlier in the year at home and they have also beaten Northeastern State, who is ranked much higher than anyone that Kearney has beaten. The one way that would change would be an unlikely road win by Kearney at Washburn this Thursday. The Bearcats have Missouri Western, Kearney, and Truman left to play; they must win at least two of those to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

The men lost 64-60 to Hayes, but had a lot of positives to build on despite the loss. They got back Dillon Starzl, who played much more than expected and led the scoring with 16 points. That allowed them to limit Hayes' post players, who were forces on offense for the Tigers.

The Bearcats dug themselves into a 26-13 first half hole as they were still trying to get used to playing with Starzl again after not having had him for the last few games. But then they settled down in the second half and started chipping away at the Tiger lead, getting production from Starzl, Conner Crooker, and Grant Cozad. Finally, clutch 3-pointer shooter Alex Sullivan hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to put Northwest in front 53-51 with 2:12 left. But Hayes guard Craig Nicholson hit consecutive shots to put Hayes back in front 56-55. Northwest answered with a DeAngelo Hailey free throw with 47.8 seconds left that tied it at 56, but Hailey missed the second free throw and Alex Sullivan fouled trying to get the offensive board and Lance Russell put Hayes back in front with two free throws to go up 58-56. DeAngelo Hailey had a good look over one of Hayes' mammoth post players go in and out and Hayes hit two more to go up 60-56. Northwest had a slight chance at the end down 62-58 as Alex Sullivan missed a 3-pointer, but Conner Crooker put it back in with 1.7 seconds left and drew contact for a trip to the line. Northwest had to intentionally miss and get the offensive glass to send it to overtime, but they broke the plane too soon and Hayes hit two more free throws to get the win.

Northwest was back at full strength, but they still had to play Washburn, which had crushed Northwest in Topeka the week before. And the Ichabods picked up right where they left off, building up a 30-20 lead with 2:14 left in the first half. Their guard play was strong and they were making one tough jumper right after another with a hand in their face and Northwest was once again tentative against the zone, turning it over eight times in the first half.

But with the Ichabods up 32-22 and running out the clock for the last shot, they took the shot too soon and DeAngelo Hailey grabbed the defensive board and rushed up the floor and hit a running 35-footer at the buzzer to break Washburn's momentum and Northwest was down only seven instead of 10.

Northwest did better at taking care of the ball in the second half, but Will McNeill, one of the leading scorers in the MIAA, was making shot after shot with a hand in his face and Alex Sullivan picked up his third foul trying to guard him. But then coach Ben McCollum made an adjustment and put Matt Wallace on him and finally McNeill started to cool off and Conner Crooker's 3-point play and Grant Cozad's head fake and 18 footer made it 42-39 with plenty of time left. Grant Cozad jumped high in the air to block McNeill on a drive and that led to another driving layup from Crooker to make it 42-41. Finally, Conner got another drive to the rim, Washburn collapsed hard, and DeAngelo Hailey was open for a 3-pointer that made it 44-42 with 10:48 left. Washburn coach Bob Chipman was obviously feeling the momentum slip away as he drew a technical foul for protesting a moving screen call and Crooker's free throw made it 47-44.

The game settled down into a strong defensive struggle between the top two defensive teams in the league and the game was tied at 49, 51, 52, and 54. Finally, DeAngelo Hailey hit two free throws with 1:22 left and Washburn could not answer as Christian Ulsaker's shot went in and out and Northwest got the ball back. Conner Crooker took a drive, faked like he was going to pull back out, and then exploded to the rim for a shot that bounced high off the rim and dropped in to make it 58-54. Will McNeill rushed up the floor for a 3 that was well off and Hailey's free throws made it 60-54 with 21.8 seconds left.

But then Martin Mitchell rushed up the floor for Washburn and hit a pullup 3-pointer with a hand in his face with 16.6 seconds left. Bryston Williams hit one out of two free throws with 15.8 seconds left for Northwest to make it 61-57, but that meant that a Washburn three-pointer would give them a chance to tie or take the lead depending on what Northwest did at the line. Northwest played tight perimeter defense for nine seconds, but then little-used Leon Flowers got loose and hit a 3-pointer to make it 61-60 with 6.9 seconds left. Hailey made both his free throws with 5.3 seconds left, but Washburn had the ball for a chance at a 3-pointer. Northwest elected to foul and put McNeill on the line with 4 seconds left, but the move almost backfired. McNeill made his first free throw and intentionally missed his second. Washburn got the final offensive glass with a chance to tie and the final four seconds were an eternity for Northwest. But two hurried shots by Washburn were in and out and Northwest had escaped with the win.

For the women, they lost to Hayes 54-53 in heartbreaking fashion after having lost by double digits to them in Kansas the week before. The lead swung back and fourth the whole game, with Northwest playing through 30% shooting and shot-blocking post player Kate Lehman for Hayes. But the turning point came with two minutes left as Northwest, up 49-48, went in for a shot, but Lehman blocked it right to Katelyn Edwards for a fast break that put the Tigers up for good. Tera Ingalsbe hit another shot for Hayes to make it three, but Annie Matthews scored off a backdoor layup with 42 seconds to keep the pressure up and make it 52-51. Northwest elected to play for the stop, but Hayes got an offensive board and took valuable time off the clock and Northwest had to foul, and Traci Keyser hit two free throws to make it 54-51 with 7.6 seconds left.

Monique Stevens rushed it up the floor for a tying 3-pointer and was knocked down for a 3-shot foul with 1.3 seconds left. She made the first two, but then the Fort Hayes coach pulled off a trick that is more commonly used in football when he called timeout right before the referee handed her the ball for the third shot; this is commonly done in football in last second field goal situations. Monique missed the third shot and Hayes got the board and Northwest could not get the clock stopped in time.

Despite the loss to Hayes and the subsequent 61-54 loss to Washburn, the Bearcat women showed that they have not given up on their season, giving themselves a chance both times at the end after having lost by double digits to Hayes and Washburn on the road.

Northwest went up 7-0 in the first five minutes against Washburn, but then Stormye Everett and Laura Kinderknecht ran wild for the Lade Blues for the rest of the half, turning a seven point deficit into a 31-26 halftime lead for Washburn that they would not relinquish. Everett collected six steals in the first half alone and Kinderknecht was hitting 3-pointers at will, even with a hand in her face.

Northwest fell behind by as much as 10 in the second half under 11 minutes left left, but then started getting on the line and hitting free throws to get back in the game, cutting it to four at 46-42 with 9:19 left. But they could not buy a defensive board down the stretch as Washburn got enough second chance looks to maintain control of the game.

Bearcat Teams Fall to Washburn, Hayes

Both Bearcat teams fell further behind in the MIAA race last week as they both dropped two games. The women lost to Fort Hayes 65-53 and then lost to Washburn by a nearly identical score of 64-53 Saturday. They have some positives to build on, though; they were the first team in almost a month to score over 50 on MIAA leader Washburn. They have been in nearly all of their games this year; the challenge for them down the stretch is to take better care of the ball and finish these games off.
They are now 5-8 in the MIAA standings, which means that they are fighting for their playoff lives. However, most of their remaining games will be at home, where they have played much better.
For the men, their 52-51 win over Emporia put them right back into the title race; however, they did not capitalize on that as they lost by one to Hayes 59-58 and lost 80-67 to Washburn Saturday.
Against Hayes, the women led for much of the first half, but gave up a 12-0 run in the second half in the loss. The Bearcats did one of their best jobs of taking care of the ball this year, limiting their turnovers to 12, one of their lowest totals this year. However, they were killed on the boards as Hayes nearly doubled their total at 45-26. That, plus their 34% shooting, proved to be fatal.
Ashleigh Nelson led the scoring for Northwest with 15 points. Maryville product Meridee Scott followed with 9, Maggie Marnin had 8, and Annie Matthews had 7. Monique Stevens, Alexis Boeh, and Ashley Thayer each had 4 while Tember Schechinger had 2. Northwest landed eight in the scoring column. Annie Matthews led the team with nine boards; however, nobody else had more than 3. Stevens had 5 assists while Alexis Boeh had two blocks.
The men had won two straight games by one point; however, against Hayes, they lost by one. Sometimes, the nature of the game is that if you live on the edge, you fall off the edge at some point. The Bearcats could not hold a nine point lead in the second half as Hayes used strong shooting to come back and win.
DeAngelo Hailey did all he could to help the Bearcats win, getting 23 for the night. Grant Cozad followed with 16. Kyle Schlake, Conner Crooker, and Bryston Williams each had four. Matt Wallace had three while Tyler Funk and Alex Sullivan had two. The challenge for the Bearcats since the loss of Dillon Starzl has been to find some consistency; different people have gone off in different games for the Bearcats. Against Northeastern Oklahoma, it was Conner Crooker and Bryston Williams; against Hayes, it was Cozad and Hailey who went off.
The women had some positive things to look back on despite their loss to Washburn. Playing against one of the best defensive teams in the country, they shot 50% from the field including 63% in the second half. They went back to their bread and butter, feeding their posts with effectiveness. But they turned the ball over too much, surrendering it 24 times, far too many against a team like Washburn.
Maggie Marnin led the scoring for the women, getting 17 points. Annie Matthews followed with 12. Ashleigh Nelson had 9, Tember Schechinger had 7, Monique Stevens had 4, Denise McEnaney had 3, and Alexis Boeh had 1. Monique Stevens had 7 assists and Annie Matthews had 5.
The men suffered their worst loss of the year against Washburn, but found some positives to build on despite the loss. They played evenly for much of the first half; however, a late run by Washburn put them in control 34-22 at the break. The Ichabods continued to pull away to lead by 18 at the 17 minute mark.
In desperation, Coach Ben McCollum put in little-used Kyler Erickson at the 17 minute mark and he showed that he was ready to play, getting 17 points while playing for 16 of the last 17 minutes of the game. Like the Lincoln loss, this game might be a blessing in disguise as the Bearcats showed that they have developed some new-found depth down the stretch.

Bearcat Men Hang On Over Emporia, Right Back in the Thick of Title Race

The Northwest Missouri State Men hung on for a 52-51 win over Emporia State and inched closed to a tie with Central. Central lost to Lindenwood 83-82 as the Lions hit two free throws with five seconds left to get the win. The Bearcats are now 8-3 in the conference, half a game behind Central, who is now 9-3. The Lions are right behind at 8-4, right where Bearcat coach Ben McCollum predicted they would be early in the year. The Lion students stormed the court afterwards in the biggest victory in school history. The win puts Northwest right back in the thick of the MIAA title race despite playing another game without Dillon Starzl.

It looked like an easy game for the Bearcats as they slowly built up an 18-6 lead over Emporia. The Hornets were playing a zone, which Northwest has had trouble with for much of the year. Northwest was much better at sticking to the game plan, getting it to the middle of the floor or the short corner and then either finishing at the rim or getting it to the open person. But playing against the Hornets is like pulling teeth at the dentist's; the Hornets did not panic in the face of their deficit, but ran their slow, deliberate offense and forced Northwest to play defense for 30 seconds every time down the court. And the Hornets matched up well with Northwest's posts with 6'10" post player Paul Bunch, who Emporia was lobbing the ball to for some easy looks. They had one play where they would isolate their other post, Gavin Brown, against one of Northwest's smaller players and occupy the defense, opening looks for Bunch.

Northwest led 26-15 as late as the first half, but then once again, the halftime momentum thing worked in Emporia's favor. Northwest gave up an easy bucket and then a jumped pass and dunk allowed the Hornets to cut it to 26-19 at the break.

For one of the few times in the game, Emporia rushed the ball up the floor at the start of the second half and got some easy transition looks to catch Northwest and move into the lead at 35-32. Northwest was continuing to run their offense well and getting good looks, but they were not going in. The challenge for Northwest was to play through that and find a way to keep their heads. Finally, the Bearcats started getting the ball in the high post to post players Kyle Schlake or Grant Cozad and then dropped it off to Bryston Williams backdoor; he got several good looks that way for either layups or kickouts to open people as Northwest slowly regained control. DeAngelo Hailey's 3-pointer off a Williams kickout tied it at 39 and then following some layups from Williams, Alex Sullivan hit his only points of the night to put Northwest up 48-43 with 4:21 left.

Emporia then went to a hard press to try and get the ball back. It initially backfired as Grant Cozad got behind the defense before they could get set up and gave Northwest a 52-46 lead with 2:19 left, but the Bearcats went cold the last 2:19 of the game. Cozad got blocked underneath and Hailey dribbled out of bounds as Emporia chipped back to within one with a Brown 3-pointer with 36.9 seconds left. Northwest threw the ball away and gave Emporia the ball back on a miscommunication with 28.7 seconds left and Brown got a good look after some good ball movement by Emporia, but it missed. Hailey missed the front end of a one and one and Kaleb Wright rushed the ball up the court for Emporia. But Northwest guarded him well and his 3-pointer that would have won it was well off the mark.

Conner Crooker Leads Bearcat Men Back from the Dead

Northwest's men looked for all the world like they were looking to find their way offensively following the loss of Dillon Starzl against Central. A loss would have dropped them further and further behind Central and back into the pack while a win would have kept Northeastern Oklahoma in the hunt for the MIAA title. However, Northwest came back from the dead after digging themselves into a 42-22 hole as they found some unlikely heroes in a 73-72 win. Conner Crooker, who rarely got more than five minutes of playing time this year, played 30 minutes and had 24 points. New point guard Bryston Williams had a season high 17 points. And Grant Cozad, who has been a sparkplug off the bench, turned into a reliable replacement at post for Starzl, getting 19 points.

Northeastern Oklahoma built up their lead by making an unbelievable amount of shots with hands in their face; everything they threw up was going in regardless of whether someone was guarding them or not. On the other end, Northwest was out of sync offensively early. But then Conner Crooker came off the bench with 14 minutes left and promptly exploded to the rim off fast breaks a couple of times. There was a parallel between Monique Stevens in the womens' game and Conner in the men's game; Conner had developed confidence in his game to the point where he could do what needed to be done.

Even as Northeastern Oklahoma was building up their lead, there were signs that it was not a safe lead. Both Conner Crooker and Bryston Williams were exploding to the rim for Northwest; it was only a matter of time before that opened up scoring for everyone else; Bryston showed tremendous upside potential at the point position. And it is very difficult to sustain the kind of shooting that the Riverhawks were doing and it was only a matter of time before they cooled down. Finally, Grant Cozad put on a nice spin move and Bryston Williams got a putback and followed with a steal to bring Northwest's deficit under double digits at 46-37 at the break.

Coach Ben McCollum made some changes at the start of the second half, starting Matt Wallace, Conner Crooker, Grant Cozad, Bryston Williams, and Alex Sullivan. Northeast Oklahoma went back in front by double digits, but then Grant Cozad scored a backdoor layup off a Crooker drive and then Kyle Schlake came off the bench to anchor the post and played some steady minutes for Northwest on both ends. He hit a couple of free throws and then Conner exploded to the rim twice, once for a 3-point play, before Schlake got a putback for Northwest to make it 55-50.

The constant slashing to the rim by Conner Crooker and Bryston Williams was finally taking effect on Northeastern Oklahoma as they were starting to get into foul trouble. Their two main players, Bryton Hobbs and Jermaine Bransford both went to the bench with three fouls early in the second half during Northwest's run. A lot of teams have the tendency to throw up quick 3-pointers when they are a long ways down; however, a manageable deficit can snowball into a 30-point deficit in a hurry that way. But going to the rim can be a very effective way of erasing a deficit; coaches frequently tell their players not to foul when their team has the lead as it stops the clock. And players will then become tentative on defense and allow a lot more driving opportunities to arise.

 Crooker hit a 3-pointer to make it 55-53 and then a three minute scoring drought ensued. Northeastern Oklahoma put in Hobbs and Bransford again, but they picked up their third and fourth fouls. For Northwest, Bryston Williams picked up his third. Finally, Matt Wallace hit two free throws to tie it and Conner Crooker's free throws put Northwest in front 59-57. But after Northwest turned it over and passed up a chance to go up four, Northeastern Oklahoma hit a 3-pointer to go back in front 60-59.

At that point, the officials started making all sorts of bad calls favoring the Riverhawks. There were three different times previous to this when one of the officials barely blew his whistle before calling a Bearcat foul. This is a good way to allow a game to get out of hand; this is the sort of thing that causes players and coaches to lose confidence in officials. Officials have to have enough confidence in a call to blow the whistle firmly and "stick" a player with a call. If they are not sure of themselves, then it is better not to make the call.

Among other bad calls by the officials during the next stretch, there was an obvious elbow by one of the Riverhawk players that was missed by the officials. There was another call where Grant Cozad was standing straight up with his hands in the air and the Northeast Oklahoma player tripped and fell, but Cozad was called for his fourth foul as Northeast Oklahoma built their lead up to 65-59. There was another call where one of the Riverhawk players was trying to seal Bryston Williams down low and was pushing off on him to do it, but the official called the foul on Bryston. That could have been a critical item as it was Bryston's fourth foul. And Cozad was a victim of another bad call as one of the Riverhawk players hooked him during a defensive rebounding situation and gave him a hard shove, but the official didn't call it.

Despite the bad officiating, Northwest played through it as Conner Crooker ended a three minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws with 3:16 left to make it 65-61. Despite Northeastern Oklahoma sending help defense in the driving lanes, Crooker and Williams were still getting to the rim. But it looked like a valiant effort would fall short with 52 seconds left as Ethan Anderson stepped to the line with his team up 69-64 and a chance to put the Riverhawks up by three possessions. But he missed both of his free throws and Bryston Williams converted a 3-point play on the other end with 45.5 seconds left after he rushed the ball up the floor to make it 69-67. Williams and Crooker were the two fastest players on the floor and it paid off in the end.

Northwest went to a five guard look on their press, but Bryton Hobbs threw a dangerous pass that Jermaine Bransford converted for a layup to make it 71-67 with 36 seconds left. Bryston Williams once again rushed it up the floor, but this time threw it away instead of going up for a shot and he had to foul, picking up his fifth and putting Bransford on the line. Bransford made one and missed one with 27 seconds left, and then Northwest rushed it up the floor and Matt Wallace kicked it out to Alex Sullivan with 19 seconds left. Sullivan, who had not scored all night, suddenly knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 72-70.

Northwest fouled Bryton Hobbs with 10.3 seconds left and all he had to do was hit both free throws and ice the game, but he missed both tries and Northwest was still in it. They were out of timeouts, but it didn't matter as they knew exactly what to do with it. Conner Crooker rushed the ball up the floor for Northwest and took on three defenders, somehow found a seam, and hit a layup and drew a foul with 4.4 seconds left. He hit the free throw to put Northwest up 73-72. Christian Mack rushed the ball up the floor for the Riverhawks, but his contested 3-pointer from 30 feet out hit the front of the rim and bounced out.

Monique Stevens Goes Off on Riverhawks

Northwest's women held off Northeastern Oklahoma 67-64 Thursday night as Monique Stevens went off on them for a career high 20 points and six 3-pointers. The Riverhawks are one of the most dangerous teams in the conference as they showed the ability to shoot from 25-30 feet away, which stretches out defenses so that they can open up driving lanes. They were one of the most patient teams as well, frequently running down the shot clock before making their move. But when Northwest was able to dictate the tempo and get out and run, that was when they were able to hurt Northeastern Oklahoma.

The visitors from Oklahoma jumped out to a 15-8 lead, working the clock, shooting from everywhere, and limiting Northwest to one shot down the court; Northwest did not get a single offensive board for the first 12 minutes of the game despite their size advantage. But then Meridee Scott hit a 3-pointer from the right side off a fast break to wake Northwest out of their stupor and then hit Ashley Thayer for another to get Northwest right back in the game. Meridee then hit a 3-pointer and Ashleigh Nelson then scored off a Thayer steal to put Northwest in front 19-15.

The Riverhawks jumped back in front 20-19, but then Monique hit a 3-pointer, prompting Northeast Oklahoma to burn a timeout. There are media timeouts every five minutes, so some coaches will burn timeouts right before the media timeout as it serves as a double timeout and breaks the other team's run. But it didn't work this time as Monique hit another shot just inside the arc and then hit another 3-pointer to make it 27-20. Northeastern Oklahoma dialed one of their 30-footers, but then Maggie Marnin scored from inside, Ashley Thayer hit a free throw, Monique pushed it up the floor to Maggie for a free throw, and then Tember Schechinger hit a 3-pointer to put Northwest up double digits at 34-23.

In the Central game, Northwest built up a 16 point lead on hot shooting, only to be undone by hacking and fouling. However, Thursday night was different as they only committed three fouls at the half and 10 for the game and nobody picked up more than three.

Tember hit her second straight 3-pointer to start the second half and then Ashleigh Nelson got behind the defense for two free throws and then got a steal to make it 41-23. The Riverhawks trimmed it to 41-27, but then Annie Matthews got behind the defense and got a pass from Monique to make it 43-27. Northeast Oklahoma made frantic efforts to get back in the game, but everything was going in for Northwest as two 3-pointers by Monique and a pair of inside shots from Maggie kept the margin at 18. For Monique, it was simply a matter of having confidence in her shot; it can mean the difference between shooting 1 for 10 or 6 for 8.

Northwest led 53-35 at the 13:34 mark, but the lead was not safe against a team that can shoot anywhere from 30 feet in. You have to play nearly perfect defense against teams like that and sometimes, that is still not enough. Also, Northeastern Oklahoma was not in any kind of foul trouble; they only had two team fouls by the five minute mark of the second half; that meant that they could afford to be very aggressive and gamble a lot more on defense. It was only a matter of time before their run came and Northeastern rattled off the next 13 points to cut it to 53-48.

Northwest's survival depended on whether or not they could play through it and they did as Monique hit from the baseline to break the run and make it 56-48. But then Northeastern Oklahoma started going to Taylor Lewis, a great clutch player, and she brought them back to within 59-57 by the final media timeout with a 30-footer from the top of the key. Northwest was playing their trapping zone all night against Northeastern Oklahoma, but one of the reasons the Riverhawks came back was because they were able to work the ball into the middle of the floor and get good looks from the high post or else draw the lower defenders forward and slip someone in behind the defense for easy layups. But then Northwest switched to a man to man for the last five minutes. This threw the Riverhawks out of their rhythm just long enough to give Northwest some badly needed cushion.

Northeast Oklahoma had two chances to tie, but were called for a pushoff away from the ball and then Tosha Tyler missed a runner right underneath the basket. Tyler tried to make up for the miss and gambled on defense, trying to steal the outlet. But she took herself right out of the play and Northwest had numbers down court for a wide open transition 3-pointer for Ashleigh Nelson to make it 62-57; that was a five point turnaround for the Bearcats. Lewis finally missed one and Annie Matthews kicked it out to Monique at the top of the key for another 3-pointer to make it 65-57.

But then Northeast Oklahoma solved the Northwest man as they used Taylor Lewis to slash to the rim and she hit an 18-foot runner with a hand in her face. Monique Stevens finally missed a 3-pointer and Lewis slashed to the rim again. Northwest helped perfectly on defense, but Lewis hit it anyway to make it 65-61 with 46.7 seconds left. Tember Schechinger hit two free throws to make it 67-61 with 43.2 seconds left, but then the Riverhawks got the ball to Sarah Green, a role player who usually distributes the ball to the rest of the team. But this time, Green pulled the trigger and banked home a 3-pointer to make it 67-64.

Northwest got the ball to one of their best free throw shooters in Meridee Scott, but she missed a one and one, giving Northeast Oklahoma a chance to tie at the end. But Northwest played perfect perimeter defense, forcing them out near the halfcourt line at one point. Finally, with time running out, Fontana Tate got the ball on the left baseline with two defenders on her tightly. She was off balance, but she somehow got off a great look even though her defenders were playing her perfectly. But the ball went in and out and Maggie Marnin was there for the defensive board and the Riverhawks could not get her fouled in time before time expired.