Lopsided Third Quarter Gives Kirksville Edge Over Moberly

Kirksville outscored Moberly 19-8 in the third quarter of a Class 5 District 15 semifinal Tuesday to pull away and win 65-49. Kirksville came out of the gate quickly and held an 11-point lead late in the first quarter. Derieus Wallace drained a near half court buzzer beater to end the first quarter to spark a Moberly run.

Austin Ward with the calls on KWIX. The Spartans chipped away and cut the deficit to as little as one point but could never take a lead before the lopsided third quarter. Coach Cord Hagedorn…

Jaisten Payne had a game-high 25 points. Moberly struggled with rebounding after grabbing 17 offensive boards in last week’s win over Kirksville. Hagedorn explained the difference.

Kirksville coach Tyler Martin believes the rebounding edge was the difference maker in the win. He said the positive third quarter was encouraging to see.

Martin assessed the defensive effort after his team held the Spartans to 30 less points than they did eight days ago.

Noah Copeland led the team with 17 points. Isaac Danielson and Keaton Anderson had 16 and 13 respectively. Kirksville moves to 16-6 and will play Mexico in the district finals Friday. Moberly ends its season 8-15.

Moberly coach Cord Hagedorn:

Kirksville coach Tyler Martin: