Webb City boys capture first Frontenac tourney title
Jan. 23—FRONTENAC, Kan. — The Webb City boys basketball team reached new heights as a program on Saturday evening.
With a 90-61 triumph over Life Prep Academy, the Cardinals claimed their first tournament title in the Four State Raider Classic. Webb City has reached the tourney championship game the last four years.
The Cardinals, ranked No. 8 in Class 5, improved to 12-4 on the season.
A scorching start propelled Webb City to the victory. The Cardinals scored the game's first 11 points, with Kaden Turner accounting for six of those points during that stretch.
Webb City extended its lead out to 26-11 following the first quarter period. A 6-0 run from the Cardinals in the latter stages of the second quarter elongated that lead to 41-18 after a pair of freebies from Dante Washington at the 2:37 mark.
And a last-second bucket from Trey Roets gave Webb City a 47-23 advantage at the break.
In the second half, the rout was on for the Cardinals as Turner knocked down two charities to increase Webb City's lead out to 66-38 with 1:34 to play in the third quarter.
The Cardinals emptied their bench in the fourth quarter as a number of reserves contributed down the stretch. In fact, a whopping 12 players scored for Webb City in the game.
It marked the second contest the Cardinals have scored at least 90 points in a game this season. The last came in a 93-69 win over Parsons in the 4 State Shootout on Dec. 18, 2021.
Washington, a 5-foot-11 guard, scored a game-high 21 points to lead Webb City on the offensive end. The junior hit 7 of 14 shots, including 1 of 4 from long distance and 6 of 7 from the charity stripe.
He also had four rebounds, three assists and three thefts.
Turner had 20 points along with six rebounds. The lanky 6-foot-4 combo forward pulled down six boards and had a block.
Roets finished with 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds. He hit 8 of 11 shots total.
Webb City point guard Cohl Vaden, scoring six points in the championship game, was named tournament MVP.
The Cardinals shot 51% from the field overall and held Life Prep Academy to 38% shooting. Webb City forced 23 turnovers and committed only 10.
Life Prep, a private school from Wichita, Kan., was paced by Michael Johnson with 20 points.
After collecting three wins in as many days, Webb City plays at Hillcrest at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
