Here were southwest Missouri's top high school basketball performers of early-season tournaments
Here were our top performers from the high school basketball week that lasted from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3.
The best way to get nominated in these weekly articles is by tweeting your stats at sports reporter Wyatt Wheeler at @WyattWheeler_NL or by emailing him at wwheeler@news-leader.com throughout the week. Submissions will be accepted through Sunday afternoons.
Kael Combs, Nixa
The best athlete in the Ozarks averaged 25.3 points per game while leading the Eagles to a Willard Basketball Classic title. He scored 29 in the Eagles' championship win over Bolivar while outdueling Northern Iowa signee Kyle Pock to make Nixa the team to beat in the Ozarks early in the season.
More:Southwest Missouri high school basketball takeaways from early-season tournaments
Josh Peters, Nixa
A new name to know for the Eagles, Peters established himself as one of the area's best overall shooters by scoring 24 in the Willard Classic title win over Bolivar. He also scored 10 in the Eagles' 43-point win over Flippin to start the tournament and had a 16-point night to help hold off an upset-minded Central squad in the semifinals.
Kaemyn Bekemeier, Republic
Who else? The Missouri State signee led Republic to a Willard Basketball Classic title by averaging 20 points over three games with 17 coming in a championship win over Blue Springs and in the opening round against Strafford. She also put up 26 in the second round against Harrison (Arkansas).
More:For the Republic girls, it's not just the Kaemyn Bekemeier show. That should scare everyone.
Lauren Luebbert, Marshfield
Luebbert picked up where she left off last season and she's hoping to elevate Marshfield to being among the elite teams in southwest Missouri. She scored 18 points in the Morrisville Tournament championship win over Walnut Grove which figures to be a state championship contender this season in Class 1. Luebbert, a junior, was named the tournament's MVP.
Cody Voysey, Strafford
Voysey helped his team win the Strafford Invitational Tournament by putting up big numbers in a two-point championship win over Sparta. He made five 3's with 23 points in the victory. Strafford was dominant throughout the week, which included a 26-point win over Conway and a 24-point win over Cabool. He also scored 20 in the team's opening-round win over Conway.
More:Nixa boys' basketball will still be among the state's elite. Here's why.
Collin Clark, Greenwood
Clark had a lot of hype as a sophomore entering the season and he lived up to it while helping the Blue Jays finish second in the Marionville Invitational. He scored 19 points with seven rebounds in a loss to Marionville to close out the tournament after he scored 32 points with seven boards in a 69-65 win over RUSH in the semifinals. Clark is a 6-foot-7 standout who is certainly someone to watch this season.
Ahlante Askew, Republic
Askew should be in for a big senior season and he got off to a hot start while leading his team to a third-place finish at its own tournament. He scored 29 points to lift Republic over Rolla on Saturday. He averaged 18 points per game over the three-day event. The Tigers are capable of beating anyone in the area with Askew leading the way.
Allyssa Joyner, West Plains
Joyner moved into the starring role for West Plains as she helped lead her team to a Fair Grove Girls' Invitational title. She led the team by averaging 22.3 points per game including a 22-point performance against Fair Grove in the championship game. She also put up 30 in a Nov. 21 win over Willow Springs. West Plains is going to be just fine after losing Ashton Judd to Mizzou.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield area top high school basketball performers Nov. 28-Dec. 3
