Landon Parman, Ridge Clements, Trevin Wyllie Get on Board as Mustang Boys Clinch Winning Season with 61-23 Win

North Nodaway’s boys clinched a winning season Tuesday, February 6th as they beat Union Star 61-23 and avoided a letdown against a physical Trojan squad. It was one of those games in which everything went right and little went wrong except for a Trojan run at the end of the first quarter and Owen Martin missing two dunk attempts in the second. 

Ethan Fry hit back to back jacks to start the game to make it 6-0. Carter Jackson countered with an inside shot for Star, but then Mason Casner jumped a pass and scored and the rout was on. Aydan Blackford carried the team on his shoulders for the next stretch, scoring nine straight and Owen Martin finished the run with a drive down the right baseline to make it 19-2.

Union Star started hanging around after North Nodaway took off the press; they did it with the supporting cast around Carter Jackson. Lake Klawuhn had three, Shea Simerly had one, Wyatt Thiemann hit one from the high post, and Carter Jackson had one. That allowed the Trojans to close to within 19-8 after one.

But North Nodaway regained control when their sparkplug, Kaeden Nave, came into the game. He got three steals in rapid succession, including the first one, where he got it to Owen Martin, who flipped it up and in to start the big run. Owen Martin hit Aydan Blackford inside, Owen scored off a steal, then Brice Trimble got a steal which led to two free throws from Aydan Blackford. Owen Martin got behind the Trojan defense for two, then an Ethan Fry steal led to a free throw from Brice Trimble. Trimble scored off an Aydan Blackford steal, then Blackford grabbed a putback, scored from inside, and then scored again at the buzzer to put North Nodaway up 38-9 at halftime.

Brice Trimble hit five straight to start the second half before Carter Jackson finally broke the 24-0 run with 6:18 left.

The Mustangs continued to pull away in the third quarter as Owen Martin aired one out to Aydan Blackford, Ethan Fry scored from inside after Brice Trimble stole the ball, Mason Casner got a putback, and Ethan Fry scored after Casner saved one from going out of bounds to him. 

With the score at 51-16, North Nodaway took out their starters for good and the reserves got to see some action as a reward for their hard work. The starters only gave up three offensive boards and two turnovers for the night. Trevin Wyllie hit a couple of free throws and showed the ability to break down defenses and make it look effortless. Landon Parman got a steal which he converted at the end of the third quarter to make it 55-18.

Ridge Clements got a putback after a drive in the fourth quarter. Trevin Wyllie hit a pullup and then hit Ridge with a backdoor layup for the rest of North Nodaway’s points. 

Aydan Blackford had 21 points. Ethan Fry had 10, Owen Martin and Brice Trimble had 8, Trevin Wyllie, Mason Casner, and Ridge Clements had 4 each, and Landon Parman had 2.

Blaine Clements and Mason Casner had 1 block each.

Aydan Blackford had 12 rebounds. Mason Casner and Owen Martin had 5, Ethan Fry and Trevin Wyllie had 4, and Brice Trimble, Blaine Clements, and Ridge Clements had 2 each. After struggling on the boards for much of the year, North Nodaway had 38 for the night.

Owen Martin and Brice Trimble had 5 assists. Mason Casner had 4, Aydan Blackford 2, and Kaeden Nave, Ethan Fry, and Brice Trimble had 1.

Landon Parman had 3 tips. Ethan Fry, Brice Trimble, Mason Casner, and Owen Martin had 2. Blaine Clements, Aydan Blackford, Kaeden Nave, Trevin Wyllie, Ridge Clements, and Jeremiah Vinzant all had 1.

Owen Martin had 6 steals. Brice Trimble had 5, Kaeden Nave and Trevin Wyllie had 4, Aydan Blackford and Ethan Fry had 2, and Mason Casner, Blaine Clements, Landon Parman, and Jeremiah Vinzant all had 1. North Nodaway had 27 as a team.

Saryn Brown Has Career Night, Angie Parker Breaks Double Figures as Mustangs Win

Saryn Brown had a career night for North Nodaway and Angie Parker broke double digits after being close several times as North Nodaway beat Union Star 57-40 Tuesday night, February 6th. It was coach Sami Jackson’s second revenge win of the year, one of plenty that she has had over the years. Lauren Herndon nearly had a triple double with 11 points, 11 boards, and 9 assists.

With their previous win over Mound City, Tuesday night’s win, and a subsequent 36-12 win over winless South Holt, North Nodaway was able to improve on their record from last year. They will make a push for a winning season against King City and Pattonsburg down the stretch after going into the dragon’s den and falling to Platte Valley.

Saryn Brown started off the scoring with a 3-pointer. Kenzie Pettijohn countered with a free throw, Kelly Clibon got a steal, and MaKenna Grace cut inside to get Union Star off and running to make it 5-3, but Lauren Herndon went coast to coast, Saryn Brown got clotheslined by Clibon but drew the foul and made one of two, and Brown caught a tipped ball from Lacy Riley and drove and scored to make it 8-5 before Clibon’s putback at the buzzer cut the Trojan deficit to 8-7.

The game was tied at 11 and 13 in the second quarter, but then back to back jacks from Lacy Riley put North Nodaway up to stay at 19-14. Clibon’s drive and a free throw from Pettijohn closed Union Star’s deficit to 21-19, but then Lauren Herndon answered with a 3-pointer and the teams traded buckets the rest of the half, with North Nodaway leading 30-26.

The second half started off well for North Nodaway as Lily Blane hit from the right wing and Saryn Brown jumped a pass and scored to make it 34-26. Grace got a putback for Union Star to make it 34-28, but then Angie Parker took over the next stage of the game, starting with a play in which she yanked an offensive board away from Clibon, drew the foul, and hit both free throws. Parker got another putback, then Lauren Herndon skipped one in transition to Saryn Brown for three. Lauren then dropped one to Parker in transition after she ran the floor, and then Herndon hit Lacy Riley backdoor to make it 45-28. Lauren Herndon was constantly finding open people at will during that stretch, getting four of her assists in that period.

The run temporarily ended when Kelly Clibon clotheslined Lily Blane and coach Sami Jackson drew a technical foul for protesting the non-call and Clibon made both free throws to make it 45-30. But then Lauren Herndon cut inside and got a pass from Saryn Brown and then Brown hit two free throws to make it 49-30 after three.

The players’ legs were getting tired by the fourth quarter and Pettijohn drew the Trojans to within 49-34 early in the period with a pair of free throws, but then Saryn Brown jumped a pass and drew MaKenna Grace’s fifth foul, hitting both free throws to break the Trojan run. Brown cut inside and got a pass from Herndon, and then Angie Parker got in double figures with a shot from the left wing after a pass from Saryn Brown to make it 55-34. Union Star made one final push at the end, but could only get their deficit down to 17.

For North Nodaway, Saryn Brown had 24, Lauren Herndon 11, Angie Parker 10, Lacy Riley 8, and Lily Blaine 4. 

Angie Parker had 3 blocks. Saryn Brown had 1.

North Nodaway showed the kind of toughness that coach Sami Jackson was looking for all year. This time, they got a season high 41 rebounds and kept Clibon and the Trojans off the offensive glass. Saryn Brown and Lauren Herndon had 11 boards each, Angie Parker 9, Addalea Barcus 5, Lacy Riley 3, and Jackie Wray 2.

Lauren Herndon had 9 assists. Saryn Brown had 4, Lacy Riley 3, Jackie Wray 2, and Lily Blaine and Angie Parker 1 each.

Saryn Brown had 3 tips. Lily Blaine, Angie Parker, Lauren Herndon, and Mya Hansen had 2, and Lacy Riley 1.

Saryn Brown had 6 steals. Lacy Riley had 2, and Lily Blane and Lauren Herndon had 1.

Wyatt Maize Goes Off to Lift Shamrock Boys Over Bluejays

Wyatt Maize, normally a distributor, turned into a scorer as North Harrison rallied to a 47-35 win over Northeast Nodaway Tuesday, February 7th. All year, he has been bringing the ball up the floor to set up Jerry Gilpatrick, Keygun Johnson, and Ethan Henson. But in the fourth quarter, it was his turn to go off as he had 13 of his 19 points in the period and North Harrison pulled away for the win. Even before the season started, the other players knew that he would add an instant spark to the team, which had won six games the year before. They are currently going through a tough stretch, playing powerhouses Putnam County and Platte Valley to prepare them for districts before they close out the regular season Thursday with a rivalry game against East Harrison.

Sparked by their third win of the season over Union Star, Northeast did some good things against Platte Valley, but came up 30 points short. They played well in spurts against East Atchison, but the Wolves are starting to gel around good ball movement and they beat the Bluejays 56-45.

The game started off as a defensive standoff. Jerry Gilpatrick went 4 for 4 from the line in the early going to give North Harrison a 4-2 lead, but Drew Dack hit two from the line and added a steal and Jack Boswell got a backdoor layup to put the Bluejays up 8-4 before Keygun Johnson’s drive off a pass from Andrew Craig cut it to 8-6 after one.

The score was tied at 8 and 10 before Drew Dack got the hot hand and scored six quick points to give Northeast a 16-11 lead at the 2:18 mark. But then Jerry Gilpatrick scored a backdoor layup and Andrew Craig scored off a drive to cut the Shamrock deficit to 16-15 at the half.

Grant McIntyre and Jack Boswell scored two quick points each to give the Bluejays a 20-15 lead to start the third, but then North Harrison put on a press and Drew Dack picked up his third foul and the Shamrocks started coming back. Wyatt Maize and Jerry Gilpatrick hit free throws, Gilpatrick cut inside and got a pass from Ethan Henson, and then Gilpatrick hit Keygun Johnson inside to put the Shamrocks back in front 22-21.

With Drew Dack battling foul trouble, Jack Boswell carried the Bluejays on his shoulders, scoring 10 points in the period to keep them afloat. They fell behind 27-24, only for Jack to go four for four from the line in the closing seconds to put the Bluejays back in front 28-27. But then Wyatt Maize got a putback at the buzzer to put the Shamrocks back in front 29-28, and that was all he needed to start scoring.

Maize cut inside and got a pass and finished, then hit a 3-pointer off a Gilpatrick kickout, grabbed a putback, and then cut inside and scored again in a span of less than five minutes. By the time the dust had settled, the Shamrocks were in control up 38-31 at the 3:34 mark of the fourth quarter.

Drew Dack got the Bluejays back to within five, but then Keygun Johnson went coast to coast after a defensive stop and converted a three point play. Wyatt Maize was all alone for a wide open layup and then added a drive as the Bluejays were trying to get the ball back to put the game out of reach at 45-33 with 1:03 left.

Drew Dack had 15 points for the Bluejays. Jack Boswell had 12, and Jake Redden and Grant McIntyre had 4 each.

Trenton Hartley had 2 blocks. Drew Dack, Jake Redden, and Grant McIntyre had 1 each.

Jake Redden was a bright spot for the Bluejays, getting 10 boards. Drew Dack had 8, Grant McIntyre and Jack Boswell with 5, and Brycen Kennard and Trenton Hartley had 1.

Trenton Hartley had 3 assists. Jack Boswell and Grant McIntyre had 2 and Drew Dack 1.

Jack Boswell had two tips and Lance Runde 1. Drew Dack and Jake Redden had 2 steals. Grant McIntyre and Trenton Hartley had 1.

For North Harrison, Wyatt Maize had 19, Jerry Gilpatrick 13, Keygun Johnson 11, and Andrew Craig 4. 

Keygun Johnson had 3 blocks. Jerry Gilpatrick had 2 and Ethan Henson 1.

Keygun Johnson had 8 rebounds. Jerry Gilpatrick had 7, Wyatt Maize 6, Andrew Craig 3, Kolton Graham and Dustin Hamilton 2, and Ethan Henson 1.

Ethan Henson had 4 assists. Jerry Gilpatrick and Keygun Johnson had 3 each, and Andrew Craig 1.

Dustin Hamilton, Keygun Johnson, and Jerry Gilpatrick had 3 assists each. Wyatt Maize had 2, and Ethan Henson 1.

Ethan Henson and Wyatt Maize had 3 steals. Andrew Craig had 2, and Jerry Gilpatrick and Keygun Johnson had 1 each.

Jill Boswell Gets Double Double as Bluejay Girls Beat North Harrison

Baylie Busby got her points Tuesday night, February 6th for Northeast Nodaway, but it was Jill Boswell who had a big night for the Bluejays, getting a double double with 13 points and 10 boards as Northeast beat winless North Harrison 57-18. Boswell nearly had a triple double as she had 8 assists as well. Three Bluejays were in double figures as Busby had 21 and Dalanie Auffert had 10. 

The win broke a two game losing streak for the Bluejays. They previously gave Platte Valley everything they could handle, taking an early 5-2 lead on them. Platte Valley fought back and led by as much as 27-12 midway through the third quarter. But then Northeast started coming back on them and made a game of it; they were down 5 with the ball at one point in the fourth quarter before Platte Valley got a stop and Northeast had to start fouling. Platte Valley came away with a 35-26 win. 

The Bluejays were doing everything but scoring, but they finally stepped up and got the kind of scoring that coach Sheldon Saxton had been looking for all year against East Atchison. The Wolves faceguarded Busby, but the Bluejays had the rest of the supporting cast step up and deliver some big buckets. But the Wolves’ record was misleading; although they had battled injuries earlier in the year, they were finally getting healthy again, and they came away with a 51-49 win. “That one is going to sting for a while,” said Saxton.

For North Harrison, it was one brutal game after another, and that night was no different. Jill Boswell struck first for Northeast, only for Lani Briggs to counter for the Shamrocks. But then Northeast slowly started taking control by forcing turnovers on defense and moving the ball well on offense. They forced 26 Shamrock turnovers and only surrendered the ball 10 times themselves. They had 20 assists to only 5 for the Shamrocks. 

Dalanie Auffert had a free throw to break the tie, Sasha Deardorff hit a 3-pointer, and then Busby went off for six points for the last 4:02 of the quarter. North Harrison tried to shut her down by putting the much taller Erica Gerken on her, but Busby was able to create plenty of chances for herself and others with steals and in the open court. 

Northeast led by as much as 14-5 late in the period, but then North Harrison started chipping away and got it down to 14-8 on a basket by Jaci Davis at the start of the second. But then Northeast started attacking the rim and getting to the line at will the rest of the second period. Jill Boswell, Baylie Busby, and Dalanie Auffert all made trips to the free throw line and Hadley DeFreece added a 3-pointer for the Bluejays. Eight of their 17 points in the period were from the line. As a result, they were able to pull away to a 31-10 halftime lead. 

The Bluejays used a 20-0 run from the latter part of the second quarter to the midway point of the third quarter to put the game away. They put up 12 points in the first 3:12 of the third quarter, including eight from Busby, three from Boswell, and one from Deardorff as the Bluejays pushed into running clock territory up 43-10 before Jaci Davis broke the run. 

Hayley Yost got on the board for the Bluejays late in the third to make it 47-14 and then Auffert scored four in the fourth as Northeast continued to pull away.

For Northeast, Baylie Busby had 21, Jill Boswell 13, Dalanie Auffert 10, Hadley DeFreece 5, and Sasha Deardorff and Hayley Yost 4. 

Jill Boswell had 10 boards. Dalanie Auffert had 6, Baylie Busby 5, Hadley DeFreece and Sasha Deardorff 2, and Blair Nelson and Hayley Yost 1.

For North Harrison, Lani Briggs had 6, Jaxcynn Hansel 5, Kira Robertson and Jaci Davis 3, and Carmon Fordyce 1.

Jaxcynn Hansel had 5 rebounds, Kira Robertson and Jaci Davis 4, Erica Gerken and Carmon Fordyce 3, and Lani Briggs 1.

Shorthanded Tiger Boys Fall Against Knights

Worth County was without Bo Collins (ankle) for Thursday’s game against South Holt, and the result was a role reversal from the rest of the year – the girls won and the boys lost. Without Bo, the Knights found driving lanes open at will, and they cut and slashed to the rim all night long, picking up a 70-60 win over the Tigers. 

The two teams started off red hot. South Holt scored the first five points of the game, but three 3-pointers from Hayden Sanders in the period helped keep Worth County afloat, and Tyler New added 7 more. The Tigers trailed the Knights through much of the quarter before tying it at 15 and 18.

But the Tigers went through a cold spell in the second, and that was all South Holt needed to get in front. Cole Ruby’s 3-pointer tied it at 24 at the 4:50 mark, but that was the last made basket the Tigers would have besides a free throw from Ruby later in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Knights, with all five of their players on the floor a threat to score, kept on scoring getting farther and farther ahead. Finally, Trevor Markt’s putback at the halftime put the Knights ahead 34-25 at the half.

Worth County switched from a man to a zone to start the second half, and it worked at first as Caleb New’s 3-pointer cut the Tiger deficit to 34-28. But then South Holt adjusted and started slicing the Tigers apart again, getting ahead by as much as 15 points. 

With the deficit at 47-32, Tyler New finally got himself going with a 3-pointer. Kendall Noland countered with a free throw, but Cole Ruby got Tyler New the ball for a fast break, Hayden Sanders hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night, and Tyler New got a putback to close the deficit to 48-42 after three.

Karson Briner got on the board for the Tigers to start the fourth, and then Tyler New answered a drive from Tylynn Prussman with a 3-pointer to cut it to three. Cole Medsker countered with two free throws, but Cole Ruby hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 52-50. Worth County got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead, but then Medsker jumped a pass and scored to take the wind out of Worth County’s sails. 

Worth County twice cut it to three again, but each time, South Holt had an answer, and after the lead grew to eight again at the 2:07 mark after a 3-pointer from Cade Kurtz, Worth County had to start fouling.

Tyler New had 31 points. Hayden Sanders had 14, Cole Ruby 7, Caleb New 6, and Karson Briner 2.

Karson Briner had 2 blocks.

Tyler New had 6 boards. Karson Briner had 5, Cole Ruby 3, Caleb New 2, and Ethan Lininger, Cannon Fletcher, Brayden Combs, and Hayden Sanders had 1.

Tyler New had 8 assists. Hayden Sanders had 3, Cole Ruby and Ethan Lininger 2, and Karson Briner and Cannon Fletcher 1.

Tyler New had 4 tips. Hayden Sanders had 2 and Caleb New 1. Tyler New had 2 steals. Hayden Sanders and Caleb New had 1.

Kynah Steele Has Career Night as Tiger Girls Win Second

Kynah Steele had a career night with 25 points and Worth County got its second win of the year, a 57-29 win over South Holt Thursday.

The game looked like it might be a desperation game as both teams came into the game hungry for a win as the Tigers came in with one win and the Knights were winless. But the Tigers took control early with a putback from Kynah Steele and two from Kristen Tracy to go up 6-0. 

Steele picked up her second foul, but the Tigers continued to pull away in the first quarter as Tracy knocked one down in the high post and Rylee Ruckman scored five straight before Abby Sipes put the Knights on the board to make it 13-2 after one.

Kynah came back to start the second quarter and immediately started getting to the rim at will and drawing fouls, scoring eight straight for the Tigers and going six for six from the line during that stretch as the lead grew to 21-6. Riley Ridge hit two free throws, Ruckman hit her second 3-pointer, and then Kynah Steele and Kristen Tracy connected late to give the Tigers a 30-6 halftime lead.

South Holt kept fighting in the third quarter as Lexi VanHoutan got the hot hand for the Knights and hit two 3-pointers and scored a three and Olivia Prussman hit two outside shots. But Kynah Steele had the hot hand for Worth County in the third quarter, starting with a backdoor look and a dish to Rylee Ruckman. Riley Ridge added a backdoor layup, and Bridgette Hightshoe, back from a knee injury, hit a 3-pointer at the end of the period to make it 46-18 after three. 

Kambree Briner scored four straight to start the fourth quarter and make it 50-18, but then South Holt went on an 11-0 run as Sipes scored four, Chloe DeBee got four, and VanHoutan got her third triple of the half. That made it 50-29 at the 2:44 mark. Worth County put Steele back in, and she scored four straight and Bridgette Hightshoe added her second 3-pointer as the Tigers answered with a 7-0 run of their own.

Kynah Steele had 25 points. Rylee Ruckman had 10, Kristen Tracy 8, Bridgette Hightshoe had a career high with 6, and Riley Ridge and Kambree Briner had 4 each.

The rebounding woes that have beset the Tigers for much of the year went away for one night as they collected 39 rebounds for the night while only giving up 9 offensive boards to the Knights. Kynah Steele had 11 to complete a double double, while Kristen Tracy also had 11. Riley Ridge had 6, Rayleigh Smith and Rylee Ruckman 4, and Bridgette Hightshoe, Keira Hardy, and Kambree Briner had 1. 

Kristen Tracy had 5 assists. Kambree Briner had 4, and Kynah Steele, Keira Hardy, and Rylee Ruckman all had 3 each. 

Kambree Briner had 5 tips, as did Kynah Steele. Keira Hardy had 4, Rayleigh Smith 2, and Rylee Ruckman and Riley Ridge had 1.

Kambree Briner and Riley Ridge had 3 steals each. Kynah Steele and Kristen Tracy had 2, and Rayleigh Smith had 1.

 

Jason Forney 1976-2024

Jason Michael Forney, 47, of Hopkins, Missouri, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, in Maryville, Missouri

Jason was born in Maryville on March 14, 1976, and was a lifelong NW Missouri resident.  

He graduated from North Nodaway High School in 1995, where he played football and baseball.  He was baptized at the First Christian Church, in Hopkins.

In his youth, Jason liked to hunt and 4-wheel.  He enjoyed being a DJ and for many years had his own service, F & C DJ Services.  He was a member of the Elks Lodge #760, in Maryville.

He had worked for over 20 years at Laclede Chain, in Maryville, Missouri.  

His grandparents preceded him in death: Chalmers and Kaye Forney, and Harry and Alice Schmitt.  

Jason leaves behind his parents, Jay D. Forney, Maryville, Missouri, and Susan V. (Marty) Eckstein, Maryville, Missouri, also his siblings, Sherri Rigby, Phoenix, Arizona, Paul (Susan) Forney, Council Bluffs, Iowa, Maddie (Brett) Dowis, Maryville, Missouri, Cole Forney, Florida, Mike (Cara) Eckstein, Olathe, Kansas, Stacy Eckstein, Alva, Florida, Timothy Eckstein, Ashleigh Eckstein, and Ryan Eckstein, all of Maryville, Missouri, and several nieces, nephews and many friends.

Jason has been cremated under the care of the Bram Funeral Home, Maryville, Missouri

Memorial services will be at 2:00 PM, on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at the Bram Funeral Home, Maryville, Missouri.  

The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the services on Saturday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Elks Lodge #760, 115 N. Main Street, Maryville, Missouri 64468