Nevada started the tourney with a match up against 5A Hot Springs. It was a low scoring game, that saw Nevada take a 29-27 lead into halftime. The Blue Jays and Trojans would begin the final quarter knotted up 40-40. Hot Springs would start to give the Jays some trouble with their press, as Nevada would turn the ball over in some key moments that would lead to some easy buckets for Hot Springs.
Hot Springs would pull away and win 62-50. Kavion Coleman and Brycten Harris would combine for 33 points, as Coleman scored 17 and Harris with 16. Cardi Adaire (7), Caleb Moss (6), and Keyonte Wingfield (5) would round out the Nevada scoring.
Nevada would match up with a well coached Dragons team from Genoa Central on Thursday. The Blue Jays would hit the floor running, as they scored 18 points in the opening quarter, followed by 26 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 44-23 lead going into halftime behind great offensive starts from Brycten Harris and Kavion Coleman.
Harris would score 17 points in the first half and Coleman would score 16 in the first two quarters. The offensive production would not slow down for Nevada as they cruised to a 76-53 win over the Dragons. Kavion Coleman would pace the Jays offense as he torched the nets for 31 points. Brycten Harris played a great all-around game and scored 23 points. Carid Adaire would score 9 points for Nevada, Keyonte Wingfield would add 6 points, Brogan Rhodes chipped in 4, and Hurkillis Burns scored 3.
The win over Genoa would set up a game with the Redbugs from Fordyce on Friday. It was a slow start for the Jays offensively, as they managed only to score 26 points in the first half against Fordyce, trailing Fordyce 28-26 heading into the break.
Nevada would come out after halftime and torch the Redbugs 24-8 in the third quarter, as once again the Blue Jays would make adjustments, then come out after halftime and display a great brand of basketball. Nevada would score 16 more in the final quarter to beat Fordyce 68-54.
Kavion Coleman would lead the Jays with 25 points on Friday. Brycten Harris scored 17, 10 of which came in the second half. Keyonte Wingfield scored 12 points, including some big free throws down the stretch. Cardi Adaire added 8 points and Caleb Moss added 4 points. The Blue Jays would shoot 94% from the free throw line in the win over the Redbugs.
"We got better this week. We got to compete against different styles of basketball, and my guys responded well," Nevada Coach Jamario Bell said Friday about his team's effort this tourney. Nevada was without Kobe Hughey all week and had players step up in his absence.
Nevada is back in action on January 4th as they host Strong in a conference matchup. Nevada is 4-0 in conference play, while Strong is 2-2.
