After a two day weather delay, the Stockton Boys Basketball Tournament tipped off last week, utilizing the Stockton Middle School gym for the opening round while the girls tournament opened at the high school gym.
The #6 seed Tigers played the finale on opening night, hosting the #3 seed Lamar Tigers in the 3-6 seed matchup. Having recently defeated Lamar on the road, the Tigers hoped the rematch would end in a similar fashion.
The opening quarter found the Tigers of Lamar taking an 18-17 lead with the second quarter ending with the teams tied at 32 going into the half.
After three, the Stockton Tigers held a three point advantage at 42-39 but they had extended the lead to 10 mid-third quarter, only to watch Lamar turn up the defense to claw their way back into the game.
In the final frame, Lamar pulled away from the host Tigers, hitting 10 free throws on their way to a 22 point quarter and a 61-56 victory.
Jax Baxter paced the Tigers offense, netting 27 in the losing effort. Teammate Colter Woods added 15 points.
Last Friday, the Tigers hosted the Buffalo Bison in the semifinal round of the consolation bracket.
After one quarter, the score was knotted at 14 but, in the second quarter, the Tiger defense held the Bison scoreless in the eight minute period as the Tigers reeled off 13 unanswered points, taking a 27-14 advantage into the half.
In the third, Buffalo was unable to gain much ground, ending the period down 37-26.
In the fourth, the teams traded buckets as the Tigers claimed the victory, 52-40. Preston Rains led the Tigers, scoring 26 in the outing. Jax Baxter added 15 points as Colter Woods added 11.
On Saturday, the Tigers hosted the Lockwood Tigers in a matinee matchup for the consolation trophy. Lockwood had fallen to Mt. Vernon 54-36 in the opening round and had advanced to the consolation matchup with a bye in the semifinal round.
The game remained close throughout, even though the hometown Tigers held a small lead throughout most of the contest. Stockton held the lead at 10-7 after one and 19-16 at the half.
After 3, Stockton held a 33-30 advantage and won the contest, 41-35. In an unusual statistical twist, only three players for Stockton scored and the same three players were responsible for all rebounds recorded for the team. Preston Rains led the Tigers with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Jax Baxter and Colter Woods each recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds each.
In other opening round tournament action, El Dorado Springs secured a bye and Chadwick defeated Buffalo 57-22.
In semifinal championship action, El Dorado Springs defeated Mt. Vernon 53-36 as Chadwick defeated Lamar 65-32.
In the championship round, Lamar defeated Mt. Vernon 54-53 to claim third place while Class 1 state ranked Chadwick dismantled El Dorado Springs 59-37 to claim the championship trophy.
The Tigers return to the court, hosting Sarcoxie on January 26th followed by a roadtrip to Lockwood on January 30th. The Lockwood matchup will be a boys/girls doubleheader which is scheduled to start at 5 pm.
