Must-see TV: Neosho Wildcats in need of consistent offense
Jan. 17—The Neosho boys basketball team has lost four games this season. Two were closely contested games. The others were by large deficits.
Those bigger losses both came in tournaments. The first against Crooked Oak (Oklahoma City) in the Neosho Holiday Classic and the next against Francis Howell (St. Louis) in the Kaminsky Classic.
When looking at their season results, there's one thing that stands out to me: This is a defensive unit.
The Wildcats defend well. In their 17 games, only two opponents have managed to score more than 57 points (Crooked Oak 77, William Chrisman 63) on them. The other 15 opposing teams have scored just 57 points or less.
The Wildcats fell to Chrisman as well (63-60). The other close finish that went against Neosho was in the Battle at The Ridge Tournament in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, against County Line (Ark.). This was just its second game of the year and they fell 55-51.
The team is off to a 13-4 start and is allowing just 46.3 ppg. It has currently ran off to a four-game winning streak after dropping two straight in Joplin's Kaminsky Classic.
But, immediately following the tournament, the Wildcats knocked off the Cardinals of Webb City, who took home the championship just three days prior.
Neosho has only scored below that 46.3-mark that the defense allows in two contests. In their loss to Francis Howell, the Wildcats only tallied 23 points. In a win over Carl Junction to end the Kaminsky Classic, they scored 44 points after only registering 13 in the first half.
With the athleticism of Isaiah Green at the guard position and the size down low of Carter Baslee and Kael Smith, Neosho has a good mix of defensive pressure. Add to it the active play of Brock Franklin, Collier Hendricks and Carter Fenske and this team has depth.
Using that depth to stay fresh allows them to be active on defense for all four quarters.
Over the stretch of the next month, the Wildcats have to find ways to stay consistent offensively as they prepare for the postseason. They have to avoid outings where they're scoring below 50 points. A good mark for them most nights will be hitting that 50-point threshold. I believe they can be in any game if they're tallying 50-plus consistently.
The more frequently the team scores north of 50, the more it can keep games close on the defensive end.
Neosho will be tested to see where they're at in mid-January as it hosts undefeated Class 4 opponent Forsyth on Friday. The Panthers are 14-0 this year with a season average of 62.2 ppg.
The Wildcats average 55.5 ppg and tallied a season-high 85 in a win over Class 4 Aurora on Dec. 19.
Head coach Zane Culp has mentioned this season that their focus each night out is their defense. He likes the effort they've shown on that end. He's noted that he would like to see more offense.
His challenges have been for players to take charge on the offensive end. Green leads the Wildcats in many offensive categories and has shown Culp that ability to step up.
The next thing he needs is to see a consistent second option to go get baskets when Green is getting a lot of pressure. Friday night against Forsyth will be a good opportunity to see someone score alongside Green.
