By Mark Eddlemon
sports@joplinglobe.com
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Mount Vernon was red hot at the right time, shooting past Seymour 64-52 in a Class 3 sectional game Wednesday night at Southwest Baptist University
The Mountaineers (23-7) hit 22-of-30 field goals and 19-of-21 free throws, and Zack Kleine nailed Mount Vernon’s only 3-point attempt.
“We were patient and able to get a lot of shots in the lane,” Mount Vernon coach Skip Brock said. “And we did a good job of handling the ball against Seymour’s tough pressure.”
Mount Vernon will face Ava (21-6) at 1:45 p.m. Saturday in Springfield at the Hammons Student Center on the Missouri State campus.
Kleine, a senior, led the Mountaineers with 22 points and nine rebounds.
But it was freshman Shane Williams who provided separation for Mount Vernon, scoring 12 points without missing a shot, including a personal 6-0 run at the end of the third period that extended the Mountaineers’ lead to 47-39 after Seymour had closed the game to a pair of possessions. Williams put in a follow shot at the buzzer, and he also had four steals and four rebounds in the contest.
“Shane has a knack of being in the right place at the right time,” Brock said. “And our seniors do a great job of protecting our young guys.”
Josh Engler and Jackson Tettenhorst, a pair of senior forwards, each finished with nine points for the Mountaineers. Engler also had six rebounds.
Sophomore Kaden Jones scored eight points, missing only one shot.
Jo Jo Barton, a 5-6 senior, led Seymour (20-9) with 14 points, hitting four treys in addition to two steals and four rebounds.
Tyler Lee, a 6-4 sophomore, led Seymour on the boards with eight rebounds while scoring 13 points. Jordon Humbyrd added 12 points for the Tigers, who hit 9-of-25 attempts from beyond the arc.
The game was delayed more than 30 minutes when both teams showed up with white uniforms. Seymour — the designated visiting team — was given a technical foul and had to wait for Bolivar schools to deliver uniforms for the game. The maroon and white Tigers played in Bolivar blue and white.
