Rikky Hunt, Aubrey Ragan are Unlikely Heroes in Victory Over Princeton

Worth County's girls had two unlikely heroes step up after a horrific rash of hacking and fouling in the second half almost derailed their game over Princeton as they held off a late charge by the Blue Tigers and won 38-35 Friday night. It was made even better by the fact that they were playing the second of back to back nights. Sydney Thummel had fouled out halfway through the fourth quarter and without her handling the ball, Worth County was rudderless as Princeton erased what had been a six point Worth County lead in the period and took a 32-31 lead with 2:04 left, wiping it out in a span of a little over two minutes. The foul differential in the half was 10-6 in Princeton's favor at one point.

Finally, Sidney Troutwine hit Payton Adwell on the left wing for a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding with 1:22 left and put Worth County back in front 34-32. Princeton then went through a stretch where they only hit one out of their next six free throws as Worth County hung by their fingernails despite continuing to hack and foul at every opportunity. Worth County could not buy a board on the defensive end against the Blue Tigers, who are a good offensive rebounding team. Finally, Worth County secured one and Princeton had to foul, sending Rikky Hunt to the line with 32.4 seconds left. She knocked down both tries to put Worth County in front 36-33. Hunt had not scored all night until the last minute of the game.

Paige Phillips struck back for Princeton, getting a putback to make it 36-35 with 17.6 seconds left, but Hunt got on the line again and hit one out of two to make it 37-35 with 15.8 seconds left. That left Princeton with a chance to tie or take the lead but Phillips, who had broken Northeast Nodaway's hearts in Bethany earlier in the year, could not do the same to Worth County. She had a good look at a potential game-winning 3-pointer, but it was long and Worth County freshman Aubrey Ragan, who was pressed into service thanks to three players fouling out, hit one out of two with 2.4 seconds left and Princeton only had a desperation heave from three quarters as time expired.

The win helped Worth County climb further out of the GRC cellar. They posted their second win in the conference after beating Albany for their Courtwarming; they won three out of four with the win despite playing with only eight players.

Worth County had led most of the way before the frantic fourth quarter. Sydney Thummel's cut inside and pass from Payton Adwell put Worth County up by their biggest lead of the night, 29-21 with 36 seconds left in the third. Thummel was carrying the team when she was not on the bench with foul trouble. They also led by eight at the start of the third, when Sidney Troutwine's shot from the top of the key with 7:22 left put them up 21-13. Worth County fended off a Princeton rally that brought them within two at one point before Worth County pulled back ahead.

Nobody led by more than 4 until Thummel took control of the game late in the first half. She broke a 12-12 tie in a tight defensive struggle with two free throws; she followed with a steal and 3-point play to make it 17-12 with 1:07 left in the half. Sidney Troutwine's shot from the left wing off a pass from Payton Adwell made it 19-12 before Maddie Enright's free throw made it 19-13 at the half. Much of Worth County's gameplan was focused on trying to stop Enright, who was a constant threat to drive to the basket much of the night.

Kaitlyn Davidson had 12 points and 21 boards, raising her career high in the rebounding chart. The school record is 25, held jointly by Charlea Lewis and Sue Steinhauser. She also added four blocks, including one in the last minute that would have put Princeton ahead. Sydney Thummel, despite playing with foul trouble most of the night, still had 7, as did Payton Adwell. Sidney Troutwine had 4 and Rikky Hunt had 3. Tess Andrews and Ally Buffington had 2 each and Aubrey Ragan had 1.

The boys lost 49-34 as they were no match for a Princeton squad who features five players who can dunk it; they have one player who is 6'8" and three others who are 6'4". They did a good job limiting Brant Faulkner, who had torched them in Worth County's previous two losses to Princeton this year. However, they could not stop Stephan Elliott, who was able to drive on Worth County all night despite his 6'8" frame and who carried the Blue Tigers. Cade Allee led with 9 points, Chris Alarcon, Josh Warner, and Mason Hawk had 6, Drake Kinsella had 5, and Ryan McClellan 2. Worth County dug itself into a 38-16 hole early in the third quarter before coming back and making a game of it. However, they could never get any closer than 10 early in the fourth before Princeton ran out the clock through most of the period.

Tiger Boys Ride Size Advantage to Victory Over Bobcats

Worth County's boys rode their size advantage to their 5th victory of the season, 52-32 over East Harrison. They have three players between 6'4" and 6'5" while East Harrison had only one player on its roster listed at 6'1", which turned into a big size advantage for Worth County. "We shot the ball much better than we did against Maysville," said Coach Bryce Schafer. Worth County shot 50% from the field and 57% from behind the arc, which he said was a product of much better ball movement than they had in the past. The Tigers still have work to do on defense if they are to get some more wins; even the best teams cannot count on that sort of shooting every single night. But they will take them however they can get them.

As has been the case for many of Worth County's games, Josh Warner scored 5 points right off the bat and that opened everything else. His relentless attacking of the rim forced the defense to focus on him and that opened up Cade Allee to score 7 points in the quarter. Chris Alarcon added 5 for Worth County. East Harrison tried to counter with Brian Reno getting to the rim, but after Worth County closed that off, they could not get anything else going consistently. Worth County took a 17-5 lead after one quarter; that was capped off when Drake Kinsella pushed it up the floor himself after grabbing a defensive board and getting it to Alarcon for the finish. It was something that the coaches have tried to get their players to do all year instead of hesitating after getting a defensive board trying to find an outlet, and they finally started doing it in Thursday's win.

Kinsella was not done as he scored two 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Tigers pulled away to a 28-10 halftime lead in a low-scoring frame. Cade Allee added 3 and Mason Hawk 2.

East Harrison tried to change the tempo of the game and press Worth County, but Worth County continued to pull away to a 43-18 lead after three. Josh Warner scored four in the period, including two in which he got loose against the Bobcat press. Cade Allee, who had been pushed to improve his defense all year, did so and added a block in the period. He had two in the quarter; he also had two against Albany. Ryan McClellan took a charge on defense in the third and took another in the fourth, following in the steps of his older brothers Zack and Alex Harmening, who were both known for energy, effort, and taking charges on defense.

Ryan McClellan added a 3-pointer on the offensive end and Wayde Parman came off the bench to add a free throw and an assist in the fourth period. Jared Simmons and Cade Allee had 2 each and Mason Hawk 1 in the frame.

Kaitlyn Davidson Hangs 30 on Bobcats as Tiger Girls Win 5th

Worth County's girls picked up their fifth win of the year, 53-35 over East Harrison as Kaitlyn Davidson picked up 30 points and 15 boards to lead the Tigers. It was her third game of 25 or more points as the Tigers took a big early lead, let the Bobcats back in the game at the break, and then pulled away in the second half to get the win.

The Tigers were down to eight players as they were without Alysa Lyle (knee) and Aubrey Staton (shoulder). The focus had to be to stay out of foul trouble. Similarly, East Harrison only dressed out eight players. The Bobcats tried to slow the Tigers down right off the bat, taking over a minute before getting the ball to Briley McClain for an open 3-pointer to put them in front. But then Worth County's press began causing problems for the Bobcats; they ran it as well as they have all year. Worth County sought to take away the inside game of post player Harlee Ellsworth, fronting her with Payton Adwell and chasing her around the court for much of the night. But she still got loose twice to keep them in the game in the first quarter. For Worth County, Kaitlyn Davidson had seven points, Sydney Thummel had 4, and Ally Buffington 2 as they led 13-9 after one quarter. East Harrison tried a press of their own, but Sydney Thummel drove right through it for two of her four points. Kaitlyn added a block in the period. Payton Adwell had 2 assists and Kaitlyn and Ally had one each.

Rikky Hunt had a career night with 10 points for the Tigers and she scored four quick points right off the bat to put Worth County up 17-9. She has been getting more and more aggressive getting to the rim, something that the team will count on her to do a lot of next year when four of their seniors graduate and she will have to step up. Kaitlyn continued to be a force on the boards despite going up against the taller East Harrison defenders; she collected 10 points in the second as Worth County pushed ahead to a 28-17 lead. But then Briley McClain got the hot hand, hitting her third 3-pointer of the half to put the Bobcats back in contention; she converted the four-point play on one to give East Harrison a lift going into halftime only down 28-23 after Kala Thompson hit a shot near the end of the second period. Sydney Thummel had a block in the period; both Sydney and Kaitlyn had an assist in the frame.

For Worth County to regain control, someone besides Kaitlyn had to step up and do the scoring and they had to limit McClain on defense. They succeeded on both counts; Sydney Thummel got a steal and cleaned up on a miss to jumpstart Worth County in the third; from there, the press worked as well as it has all year while Kaitlyn continued to remain a constant on the offensive end for Worth County. Rikky Hunt led the scoring with 6, while Davidson followed with 5 and Sydney Thummel had 3. Tess Andrews, Sydney Thummel, and Payton Adwell had assists in the period while Kaitlyn Davidson picked up her second block. East Harrison started getting into foul trouble in the period with Thompson picking up her fourth in the period. Worth County outscored East Harrison 14-3 to put the game out of reach, leading 42-26 after three.

Kaitlyn had 8 more in the fourth period to break the 30-point barrier for Worth County. Sidney Troutwine collected the other three for the Tigers; Ally Buffington had two assists in the period.

Obituary -- Janet Stuart 1938-2015

Janet Stuart, 76, Stanberry, MO (formerly of Denver and Kansas City, MO) passed away Thursday, January 15, 2015 at an Albany, MO hospital.

She was born August 30, 1938 in Denver, MO the daughter of William “Bud” and Ethel L. (Moulder) Groce. In, 1956, she graduated from Grant City High School.

On September 1, 1957, she married Ronald Dean Stuart in Denver, MO. He preceded her in death on January 6, 2010. She was also preceded in death by her parents, infant brother, Norman and infant sister, JoAnn.

Janet owned and worked at the Stuart’s Drive-In in Stanberry. She was a member of the United Methodist Church, Denver, MO and the Missouri State Bowler’s Association.

Survivors include sons, Greg (Teresa) Stuart, Stanberry, MO and Chad Stuart, Smithville, MO; daughters, Debbie Stuart, Stanberry, MO and Lori Clay, Columbia, MO; sisters, Jennifer Andreson of Texas and Julia (Dave) McDowell, Lee’s Summit, MO; brother, Jerry (Laura) Groce, Baldwin City, KS; 8 granddaughters, Mindy, Hailey, Kelsey, Gabrielle, Lainey, Madison, Ellie and Addie and 3 great grandchildren.

Funeral Service will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 17 at Roberson Funeral Home, Stanberry, MO. Burial will be in High Ridge Cemetery, Stanberry, MO. The family will receive friends from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home where friends may call after 3:00 p.m. Friday. Memorials may be made to the Pineview Manor in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 153, Stanberry, MO 64489. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com.

Worth County 6th Grade Girls Place 2nd at Home Tournament

Worth County's 6th grade girls placed second at their home tournament Saturday. After grinding out an 8-2 win over a tough South Holt squad, they faced North Harrison in their second game. They took a 10-4 lead after one half and then broke the game open in the second half to get a 28-4 win. Jill Hardy led the Tigers with 8 points. Maddie Taute, Morgan Beagle, Braidy Hunt, and Megan Cassavaugh all had 4. Allison Larison and Anna Spainhower each had 2. The Tigers had 7 in the scoring column.

The Tigers played against Tarkio, one of the other top teams in the area, in the championship round. The teams are like Siamese Twins, always managing to face each other in the final round over the last two years. This time, Tarkio scored four points in the first minute and were able to make it stand up for the whole game as Worth County fell 16-11 in the championship round. Maddie Taute had 4 to pace the Tigers. Jill Hardy, Anna Spainhower, and Megan Cassavaugh each had 2, while Morgan Beagle had 1. "We're getting better every single time we play," said Coach Kirby Dowis afterwards.

County Seeks to Hire New Sheriff's Deputy

The county is seeking to hire a new Sheriff's Deputy following the resignation of Tony Steele, who will become a city officer in Lamoni. The other deputy, Tom Trullinger, could retire at some point meaning that the county may have to search for another deputy for Sheriff Terry Sheddrick. The problem is that there is nothing in the budget to pay for the $5,325 worth of state mandated training that new officers must undergo. Commissioners decided to loan the money to deputies who must undergo this training and then have them repay the money over a two year period while they are working for the county. The money would be deducted from their paychecked; if they were to break their contract and leave sooner or if they were terminated, the money would be due and payable much quicker than it would if they stayed with the county for two years.

Every deputy in Missouri must make at least $28,000 in the state; the state has a fund from which they help pay Trullinger's and Steele's salary. Many deputies make between $35,000 and $40,000 in Missouri. Iowa's pay for cops is considerably higher than Missouri's. Counties could hire deputies without training; however, they could not perform any work, even dispatch work, until they completed their training. In addition, deputies have to complete a certain number of hours of continuing education annually.

The county put in a new cell phone policy to deal with excessive phone use by employees. The new limit is one gigabite, with extra usage at the discretion of the commissioners. Overages may be charged to the employee at the discretion of the county.

Plans were made for the 2015 road season at the County Commission meeting. The county is planning to advertise rock, hauling, and fuel bids for this year.

The county voted to pay $500 to Children's Mercy Hospital in return for services rendered; Children's Mercy performed $116,000 in medical work for patients within the county which was not compensated.

Worth County Sheriff's Report

1-5 -- Maryville Public Safety calls about Worth County resident's car being broke down in Maryville.
1-5 -- Person calls regarding horses not being cared for.
1-6 -- Received call about suspicious car in Grant City.
1-7 -- Call of a truck broken down near W and YY.
1-7 -- Circuit Clerk brings in papers to serve.
1-8 -- Officer transporting prisoner from jail to Worth County Court.
1-8 -- Officer in court for bailiff duty.
1-8 -- Officer arrests person on Buchanan County warrant.
1-8 -- Officer transports prisoner back to jail.
1-9 -- Buchanan County officer in to pick up prisoner.
1-9 -- Person calls about problems with ex-wife.
1-10 -- Call of possible stranded motorist; officer investigates; nobody found.
1-10 -- Resident calls about missing wallet; calls back, wallet found but missing cash and SSN card.
1-10 -- Person calls about car window broken out.