CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage Head Coach Nathan Morris gave the four seniors on the team a starting nod, with Max Templeman being the lone underclassman on the floor for the tip-off, in the Tigers 72-50 win over the visiting Branson Pirates on Senior night Tuesday.
Seniors Sylas Browning, Logan Carmickle, Caden Kabance and Joel Pugh were honored before the game.
“I am so happy for our four Seniors,” said Morris. “They are great human beings and ambassadors for our program. They did a fantastic job getting us started during the first quarter tonight. Sylas Browning came out determined for his Senior night to go well.”
Browning hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter to help stake the Tigers to a 17-10 lead going into the second quarter.
Four double-digit scorers helped pace the Tigers on the night and kept Branson on their heels.
“Branson is a team that can score in bunches and we held them to 23 first half points,” said Morris. “Coach Linehan gave our kids one of the best compliments we can ask for, mentioning that our half-court man to man was fantastic tonight.
“We asked 6 different guys to take turns taking away Ethan Jones and Kyle Scarbrough and they were up to the challenge,” added Morris.
Templeman led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points while senior Joel Pugh added 16 points. Clay Kinder finished with 11 points and Tyler Willis chipped in with 10 points. Britt Coy added 6 point while Justin Ray and Browning each had 5 points and senior Logan Carmickle finished with 1 point.
“It’s no secret that we ask Max to do a lot for this team, but he played his most complete game tonight even with limited minutes in the first half due to foul trouble,” said Morris. “Max had 18 big points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists tonight.”
The Tigers are 18-5 on the season (4-3 in the COC) and travel to Ozark Friday.
“This group has been special after the growing pains they experienced last year. They care about each other, do what is asked, and are enjoying playing the game. It’s no wonder that they are 18-5 on the season with a chance to make some noise in the postseason,” said Morris.
