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If you want to be techinical, an event has to be staged more than once to be called an annual affair, but there’s no doubt Mexico High School’s first Gary Filbert Classic will be back next year and beyond.
“I thought this was such a big event and it really went well,” MHS boys coach Brennan Scanlon said this morning. “It was a great day to be involved with and I know we’re trying to make it even bigger next year by making it a two-day event and bringing in more teams.”
Saturday’s four-game set at the MHS sports complex played on Gary Filbert Court paid tribute to the winningest boys basketball coach in Mexico High history and an ambassdor of basketball wherever he went. The late coach’s wife, Glenda, triggered the ceremonial jump ball prior to the start of the day’s final matchup, a 46-44 Mexico win over Savannah that went down to the wire.
“It was a great day of basketball and I know Mr. (Jeff) Anderson, our athletic diretor, put a lot ot work into it and so did David Fox (of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, a group Filbert founded),” Scanlon said. “And then there were guys like Walt Duffen, who played for Mr. Filbert, who also did a lot to make it all possible.”
Proceeds benefited the MBCA, the American Cancer Society and the Gary Filbert Scholarship Fund. Mexico girls and Mexico boys were featured in the evening’s last two contests. Highlights from those games follow below.
MHS BOYS: A 6-5 edge after the first quarter proved to the margin of victory for the 13-3 Bulldogs, winners in seven of their last eight games.
The Bulldogs put together their best offensive period with 19 points in the second quarter for a 25-17 halftime lead before the 9-6 Savages ran off eight unanswered points to start the third quarter and trimmed Mexico’s edge to 32-31 going into the final period.
Savannah fashioned the game’s last tie at 40-all midway through the fourth quarter, only to see baskets by Tyus Williams, Jae’on Nunnelly and Jake Anderson make it 46-40 with three minutes remaining.
The Savages refused to go away down the stretch, however. Savannah pulled within a basket with some 30 seconds left, then got off a long shot that failed to connect after inbounding the ball at the far end with 1.4 seconds to go. A rebound basket came after time expired.
“We knew Savannah would be a good team coming in; they play a lot of low-scoring games like we do,” the MHS coach observed. “Overall, we made just enough plays to win it.
“We didn’t start out very well, but we got some great minutes off the bench. Jake had 10 points and a bunch of rebounds, Jae’on had 14P and Chance Davis also gave us a big spark.”
Rounding out the Mexico point total were Williams 12P, Nick Jones 5P, Austin Reed 3P and Kyle Whanger 2P. The Bulldogs will be home for a varsity-only date Tuesday with St. Charles at 6:30 p.m. after a Grade 9 game with Jefferson City at 5 on the GF court.
MHS GIRLS: The Lady Bulldogs played Harrisburg, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2, close enough through two periods, only to see the other Lady Bulldogs rack up 51 points in the second half.
“I’d seen them play and knew they were good,” MHS coach Ed Costley observed. “They were able to create some mismatches that really hurt us and did a good job of controlling the tempo. We had way too many turnovers (22) also.”
Making 31 of 55 shots from the field and totaling 48 points in the paint with the help of several transition baskets, Harrisburg upped its mark to 13-1 behind Chelsey Kroese’s 29P.
Mexico, which played with all-stater Danielle Ingrum out for the season and Brooke Costley hampered by turning an ankle last week, got 15P from Kelsey Creed, 13P from Klaira Ekern and 11P from Anne Baker, while Danielle Baumgartner added 7P, Costley 4P, Kelli Ingrum 4P, Remi Greenwell 3P, Kaitlin Ingrum 3P and Cassie Schmidt 1P.
“Every game is important, of course, but we need to regroup and refocus on all the conference games we have yet to play,” the MHS coach said. “It was good to see us score 59 against a quality team, but there’s other aspects of the game we need to work on.”
The Lady Bulldogs (11-6) resume NCMC play with V/JV games today at Fulton, then are home Thursday against Marshall, another league foe.
If you want to be techinical, an event has to be staged more than once to be called an annual affair, but there’s no doubt Mexico High School’s first Gary Filbert Classic will be back next year and beyond.
“I thought this was such a big event and it really went well,” MHS boys coach Brennan Scanlon said this morning. “It was a great day to be involved with and I know we’re trying to make it even bigger next year by making it a two-day event and bringing in more teams.”
Saturday’s four-game set at the MHS sports complex played on Gary Filbert Court paid tribute to the winningest boys basketball coach in Mexico High history and an ambassdor of basketball wherever he went. The late coach’s wife, Glenda, triggered the ceremonial jump ball prior to the start of the day’s final matchup, a 46-44 Mexico win over Savannah that went down to the wire.
“It was a great day of basketball and I know Mr. (Jeff) Anderson, our athletic diretor, put a lot ot work into it and so did David Fox (of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, a group Filbert founded),” Scanlon said. “And then there were guys like Walt Duffen, who played for Mr. Filbert, who also did a lot to make it all possible.”
Proceeds benefited the MBCA, the American Cancer Society and the Gary Filbert Scholarship Fund. Mexico girls and Mexico boys were featured in the evening’s last two contests. Highlights from those games follow below.
MHS BOYS: A 6-5 edge after the first quarter proved to the margin of victory for the 13-3 Bulldogs, winners in seven of their last eight games.
The Bulldogs put together their best offensive period with 19 points in the second quarter for a 25-17 halftime lead before the 9-6 Savages ran off eight unanswered points to start the third quarter and trimmed Mexico’s edge to 32-31 going into the final period.
Savannah fashioned the game’s last tie at 40-all midway through the fourth quarter, only to see baskets by Tyus Williams, Jae’on Nunnelly and Jake Anderson make it 46-40 with three minutes remaining.
The Savages refused to go away down the stretch, however. Savannah pulled within a basket with some 30 seconds left, then got off a long shot that failed to connect after inbounding the ball at the far end with 1.4 seconds to go. A rebound basket came after time expired.
“We knew Savannah would be a good team coming in; they play a lot of low-scoring games like we do,” the MHS coach observed. “Overall, we made just enough plays to win it.
“We didn’t start out very well, but we got some great minutes off the bench. Jake had 10 points and a bunch of rebounds, Jae’on had 14P and Chance Davis also gave us a big spark.”
Rounding out the Mexico point total were Williams 12P, Nick Jones 5P, Austin Reed 3P and Kyle Whanger 2P. The Bulldogs will be home for a varsity-only date Tuesday with St. Charles at 6:30 p.m. after a Grade 9 game with Jefferson City at 5 on the GF court.
MHS GIRLS: The Lady Bulldogs played Harrisburg, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2, close enough through two periods, only to see the other Lady Bulldogs rack up 51 points in the second half.
“I’d seen them play and knew they were good,” MHS coach Ed Costley observed. “They were able to create some mismatches that really hurt us and did a good job of controlling the tempo. We had way too many turnovers (22) also.”
Making 31 of 55 shots from the field and totaling 48 points in the paint with the help of several transition baskets, Harrisburg upped its mark to 13-1 behind Chelsey Kroese’s 29P.
Mexico, which played with all-stater Danielle Ingrum out for the season and Brooke Costley hampered by turning an ankle last week, got 15P from Kelsey Creed, 13P from Klaira Ekern and 11P from Anne Baker, while Danielle Baumgartner added 7P, Costley 4P, Kelli Ingrum 4P, Remi Greenwell 3P, Kaitlin Ingrum 3P and Cassie Schmidt 1P.
“Every game is important, of course, but we need to regroup and refocus on all the conference games we have yet to play,” the MHS coach said. “It was good to see us score 59 against a quality team, but there’s other aspects of the game we need to work on.”
The Lady Bulldogs (11-6) resume NCMC play with V/JV games today at Fulton, then are home Thursday against Marshall, another league foe.
