Thrilling wins, heartbreakers, impactful seniors mark Purdy campaign
BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
When it comes to entertainment value in high school hoops, the Purdy boys basketball team had no shortage this season.
Finishing at 15-11, the Eagles defeated Wheaton, 75-42, in the Class 2, District 11 opener, then fell to frequent foe Blue Eye in the semifinals, 62-52.
Throughout the campaign, which Brad Stewart, Purdy boys basketball coach, said by all accounts was a success in his first season at the helm, Purdy never lost or won more than two games in a row, except for the 3-0 start to the season in the Verona Tournament.
“We had an excellent season with 20 young men working well together to make each day a success,” he said. “We had a winning record at 15-11, won the Verona Tournament, and played countless exciting games which came down to the final possession.”
Stewart pointed first to a win over the team that ultimately ended the Eagles’ season.
“Our 45-44 victory over Blue Eye in the Verona Tournament championship was definitely a highlight,” Stewart said. “We had multiple victories where we were down by 14 points in the second half and came back to win in an exciting fashion.”
A couple of close games, however, went the way of Purdy’s opponents.
“We lost by 1 point to Monett and in overtime to Crane, which were tough losses,” Stewart said.
Contributing to the winning season were four seniors, one of whom came with 100 points of 2,000 in his career.
“Our seniors, Will Henderson, Teegan Manwarren, Carter Keeling, Jackson Hilburn and Sam Fritz, provided great leadership and will be greatly missed,” Stewart said. “Carter finished the season averaging 27.6 points per game and with a career 1,910 points. He had games of 50, 48 and 47 during the season.”
Purdy should retain three-quarters of its roster, and Stewart said he’s hopeful for seasons to come.
“Looking forward to next season, we return 15 players and a good group of eighth graders,” he said. “We had several players, including some first-year players, improve greatly during the season, and I feel like they really enjoyed playing and being part of the team.”
Stewart said he’s excited for season No. 2, and he’s thankful for the support received this season.
“I look forward to our summer workouts and building next year’s team,” he said. “With this being my first season at Purdy, I greatly appreciated the school, parent and community support. I would like to thank my assistant coach, Drew Williams, who was a big part of our success this year.”
