By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Averaging 21.7 points and 8.5 rebounds, Mount Vernon 6-foot-5 senior Zack Kleine is the focus of every defense he faces.
“He’s used to that,” Mountaineers head coach Skip Brock said. “He’s done a good job of getting other guys involved. I think that has really helped us late in the season.
“In the district championship game, we had three guys in double figures and two more scored eight points. That’s better balance than we’ve had, partly due to Zack. He’s made really good decisions when he was double-teamed.”
The Mountaineers (22-7), after winning district on their home floor, battle Seymour (20-8) at 7:45 tonight in a Class 3 sectional game at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.
“Seymour was the 4 seed in its district,” Brock said. “They beat Strafford, a team that was ranked No. 2 in the state, by 14 points in the semifinals, then beat Fair Grove (52-46 in overtime) in the championship game. They are not a surprise necessarily. ... They’ve won 20 games, but I don’t think anybody was anticipating them being the team coming out of the district.
“They have some really good perimeter players. They are not extremely big but they do have some skilled players and are very athletic and quick on the perimeter. They have a 6-4 player who is a very good shooter and provides a matchup challenge. They just play extremely hard, go after every loose ball and every rebound. They play with a lot of intensity, and that’s a credit to Coach Joe Easter and the job he’s done.”
Joining Kleine in the Mountaineers’ starting unit is 6-4 senior Josh Engler, 6-3 senior Jackson Tettenhorst, 5-10 sophomore Kaden Jones and 5-10 freshman Shane Williams. Juniors Sam Cowherd (6-0) and Blake Grooms (6-1) are the top reserves.
Tettenhorst averages 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds, and Engler contributes 9.4 points and 5.4 boards.
The Mountaineers nipped Seneca 55-53 in the district final, avenging a two-point loss to the Indians eight days earlier that decided the Big 8 Conference crown.
“To come out of our district, we had to play our best basketball of the season,” Brock said. “I thought Saturday night’s game against Seneca was the best game we played all season. Obviously it had to be. You don’t beat a team as good as Seneca unless you do that. We’re playing our best basketball right now, and hopefully we can continue that come Wednesday.”
Mount Vernon’s district title was its first since 2007.
“I’m happy for all the seniors,” Brock said. “I’m happy they were able to be a part of Mount Vernon basketball history by winning the championship.”
