The Lady Bulldogs' and Bulldogs' passing differed on Thursday night on Gary Filbert Court in Mexico. The Lady Bulldogs had the ball stolen from them 23 times as they lost to North Central Missouri Conference foe Hannibal 63-33 and then the Class 4 No. 7 Bulldogs had 10 players score to defeat the Pirates 63-37 to move to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in conference.
The boys used used a 17-0 run that extended from the closing minutes of the first half until three minutes deep into the third quarter to eventually take a 50-29 lead after three quarters and then a 26-point advantage for the biggest of the night. The Bulldogs finished with 16 assists and outrebounded the Pirates (2-5, 1-2 NCMC) 38-21. They also had four score in double figures, including DJ Long with 15 points and four assists, Kaden Benne with 12 points, three 3-pointers and three steals, Jaydon Eldridge with 10 points and two steals, and Charlie Fisher with 10 points. Hannibal was led by Michael Ford and Chase Timbrook after each scoring nine points.
The girls trailed 27-12 at halftime and fell further behind as many of their passes found the Lady Pirates (5-2, 2-1 NCMC) instead of teammates. Claire Hudson led Mexico (3-6, 2-1 NCMC) with 12 points and seven rebounds, Grace Hudson followed with eight points and three steals, Jo Thurman had seven points and six rebounds, Hannah Loyd added six points. Malia Stolte had 20 points and Mariah Mayfield finished with 17 points for Hannibal.
The Lady Bulldogs face Van-Far (1-6) at 6:15 p.m. during the 13th annual Gary Filbert Classic on Saturday in Mexico while the Bulldogs play Class 5 Raytown (2-3) at 8 p.m. in the Classic.
Look for the full stories in the Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, edition of the Mexico Ledger.
