Cassville Democrat: High School Sports: Purdy boys are district champs (03/06/08)

The Purdy Eagles made it a perfect sweep on Tuesday night, knocking off the McAuley Warriors 47-35 just two hours after the Lady Eagles beat the Lady Warriors to win their championship.

The boys game was definitely a defensive battle for both squads despite usually good offenses. McAuley came in averaging 61 points per contest and Purdy 58, but neither offense was able to get much done.

The Eagles got out to an early lead using an 11-4 spurt. McAuley answered in the second and grabbed the lead, scoring six straight to go up 12-11. It would be the only lead for McAuley all night. Purdy quickly put a 7-0 run together to regain the lead and took an 18-14 advantage in at half.

The team's offenses found a little more room in the second half with Purdy scoring 29 and McAuley 21.

McAuley closed the gap in the third at 20-19, but once again Purdy rallied, scoring 9 consecutive points to put the game out of reach. The 9 points was part of a 14-1 run for the Eagles. McAuley again made a few runs but got the gap under 10 only once more as the Eagles marched on to victory.

The Eagles' biggest strength in the ball game was their aggressiveness, particularly on the boards. Purdy out-rebounded the bigger and taller McAuley team 38-32. Purdy's defense also held the Warriors in check. McAuley's top three scorers, who average 41 points, were held to a combined 19 points.

Blake Williams led the Eagles on the evening, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Williams, with his slim 6'0 frame, took rebounds away from the 6'4, 250-pound McAuley center. The junior did an excellent job of using his athletic ability to help the Eagles.

Mason Roller also had a good night. The junior showed off the versatility of his game, scoring 15 points and coming up with seven rebounds. Others scoring for Purdy included Michael Shuey 8, Ryan Veith 2 and Trent Goetz 2.

The Eagles (18-8), coached by Chris Kennedy, will now move on to play state-ranked Clever (25-3) on Wednesday at Missouri Southern State University at 7:30 p.m. If Purdy wins that contest, the Eagles will face either Mansfield (19-7) or Laquey (25-3) at Willard High School on Saturday, March 8 at 2:45 p.m.