MOKANE — Considering the atmosphere and competitiveness of Monday’s contest at South Callaway High School between the South Callaway Bulldogs and Fulton Hornets, one would think the two teams were fierce rivals that faced off every season.
That wasn’t the case for South Callaway and Fulton, who are 15 miles from each other, though, as it was the first meeting since at least 2005-06, which is as far back as MSHSAA’s record book goes.
“It’s good to get this game back on the schedule to see how passionate everybody is about it,” South Callaway boys basketball coach Seth Thomas said. “I want to shout out our JV and C teams, who also won tonight, so we went 3-0 on our side. I was grateful to be able to coach just an overall great performance for our program tonight. (Fulton) Coach Justin Gilmore does a great job over there.”
Maybe being the first, if not the first ever, meeting in a while added fuel to the fire as South Callaway (13-6) led by as much as 15 points twice — once in the second and third quarters — before Fulton (4-14) cut it to a four-point game with a little over two minutes left.
The Bulldogs ultimately prevailed, beating the Hornets 55-46.
“We always tell them defense always play; you can’t control how you shoot it,” Thomas said. “We did not shoot the ball very well. I think were were 12-21 from the free-throw line and 7-24 from 3 and 18-51 from the field, so we’re pretty grateful to get out of this game on top. That’s what’s special really the difference was right there. We just need to make some shots and kind of pull away. We let them hang around, but gritty defensive performance by our guys. A good group of guys just found a way to win.”
Heading into the contest, the most intriguing matchup was at point guard, featuring all-district players in South Callaway’s Tayber Gray, who is in the 1,000-point club along with his two older brothers, and Rowdy Gohring, the younger brother of Fulton three-sport legend, Walker Gohring.
Gohring and Gray excelled as Fulton’s starting point guard posted a game-high 21 points (five 3s) and recorded 10 rebounds, while South Callaway’s had 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
“Back-to-back games where he’s had seven assists,” Thomas said of Gray.
While those two did well as expected, it came down to how each team’s remaining four starters did, and the post position proved to be what separated the teams most.
Unlike the Hornets, the Bulldogs have a “true post” in Adam Loucks, all-district like Gray, and he recorded yet another double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds; he also had four steals and two assists.
Not only did South Callaway have a post that performed better, but it also had five players tally at least five points compared to Fulton’s three.
“Dane did his thing from behind the arc, which he does,” Thomas said. “I think Colten Crocker hit another big 3, it’s back-to-back games where he has hit huge 3s in the fourth quarter for us. He hit one almost in the exact same spot, in the wing area they left him open. He made them pay. Big games from everybody. Everybody had their moment in this game, and that’s what you want from a team as deep as we are.”
One of those Bulldogs who did so, Tucker Jones (five points), started the scoring with a left-corner 3 on the game’s opening possession.
Maintaining its fast-paced, intense brand of basketball, South Callaway added another seven points unanswered to go up 10-0. Loucks notched the most points during the run with four, hitting a layup and jumper and collecting a defensive rebound before each basket.
“The guys like doing it; we’ve got kids that can do it,” Thomas said of the Bulldogs’ up-tempo play, like Dennis Gates’ system for Mizzou men’s basketball. “I think it’s fun to watch. I love watching basketball like that. I love playing like it when I did play way back when. We start, really, and I’m very pleased with how we always come out and seem to start well on our home floor. We had another great crowd out here tonight, kind of cheering us on. I think that definitely fueled their fire.”
Paul Bruner halted the Bulldogs’ opening run, getting a layup to fall off a throw-in from Ethan Milius, who recorded 11 points (three 3s) and three rebounds, to put it at 10-2 South Callaway.
Once Gohring got going, Fulton started to reduce its deficit, making it 15-7 South Callaway after he landed a stepback jumper and a right corner 3.
Another Bulldog with at least five points, Colten Crocker (eight points), gave South Callaway a 12-point lead (19-7) through the first quarter, making a layup.
Who else but Gohring brought it back to a single-digit contest on Fulton’s first possession of the second quarter as he pulled up for a top-of-the-arc 3 to put it at 19-10 Bulldogs.
Using its size, South Callaway’s Jones and Gray pulled down two and one offensive rebound, respectively, before Jones scored a putback to further the Bulldogs’ advantage to 21-10.
Yet again, Gohring answered the bell for the Hornets, launching a 3 into the hoop to cut their deficit to 21-13.
Dane Daugherty, who finished with eight points, responded with a 3 on South Callaway’s ensuing drive to increase its lead to 24-13.
That triple started a 7-0 Bulldogs run to end the first half, with Gray registering three points. Gray went 1-2 from the line on South Callaway’s final possession before the break to give the Bulldogs their first 15-point lead at 28-13.
After a Gohring stepback jumper opened the second-half offense, South Callaway went up by 15 for the final time at 30-15 when Ethan Edwards went up for a layup over Fulton’s post.
The Hornets picked up their defensive effort and went on a 12-3 run to narrow their deficit to 33-27. During the run, Fulton did what South Callaway had done more overall: Spread out its offense, with four Hornets scoring — Milius tallied the most with six points from back-to-back 3s to end the scoring surge.
“We talked about it at halftime…they play so hard defense, like if we weren’t turning the ball over and missing so many shots, I think it’s a gap that’s way shorter,” Gilmore said. “So, that’s what we talked about at halftime. Fifteen seems like a lot, but you’re right in this with the way you’re playing defense and rebounding. They came out with a blank slate and continued to grab their lunch meal and go to work defensively in the second half.
“Ethan and Gabe on their two big guys just battling on, and Justin and Gage coming off the bench to give them a break to guard, too. I just thought we guarded so well, and then we had Miles and Thomas and even Ethan at times switching off on Tayber just to give him pressure. I thought we did a phenomenal job. It’s a tall task for some of our guys to put them in that matchup, and they were up to the task tonight.”
Following Fulton’s best stretch of offense to that point, Loucks and Gray combined to score five points without reply before Gohring hit a 3 to bring the score to 38-30 South Callaway at the end of the third quarter.
Remaining resilient, the Hornets cut it to a six-point game (41-35) after Gohring knocked down a 3 and Miles Bethell scored a transition layup off a Milius steal early in the fourth quarter.
Eventually, Fulton scored in three straight possessions, including two consecutive Gabe DeFily layups to put it at 48-44 South Callaway.
Again, the Hornets made it a four-point deficit one more time at 50-46, a possession after a Loucks block sent South Callaway’s bench and fans into pandemonium. Two younger brothers of Fulton’s “big three” from last season, Bruner stole a Bulldogs pass, and then Gohring converted a transition layup.
On the next possession, Fulton’s Milius fouled out, and it seemed to change the momentum since the Hornets failed to score the rest of the way.
Monday’s matchup wasn’t just a one-off game between the teams. Fulton will host South Callaway in its new gym, which has more seats than the Bulldogs and could make for a more extraordinary atmosphere than what already occurred, next season. It’s worth noting neither team will return their all-district players on this season’s team.
“It’ll be great,” Gilmore said. “We drive two hours to Kirksville, two hours to Hannibal; Marshall, and all these faraway schools. And we have a really good basketball team right here…that we can continue to play every year. I think it’s going to be great for the community and great for the players; they all know each other, and they’re friends out of this. So, it’s a super cool thing. I hope we can keep it.”
Fulton hosts district opponent California (12-6) at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Fulton High School.
“Tomorrow’s not easy by any means,” Gilmore said. “We’ve watched a few of their games. They’re very competitive. They like to get up and down and run, too. Hopefully, our guys can rest tonight and give their bodies some rest tonight because it’s going to be another physical up-and-down game tomorrow night. But, we’re happy it’s at our place.”
South Callaway (3-1 Show-Me Conference) hits the road to take on Show-Me rival Russellville (4-15, 0-2 Show-Me) at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Russellville High School.
“They may have been the bottom seed (in the South Callaway Tournament), but they came out of that thing,” Thomas said. “They played Montgomery County tight for a half. They played Linn close, and they played a really, really good game against North Callaway. So, their record is very deceiving. They’re a lot better than their record shows.
“They’re long and athletic. They get out and shoot 3s. We’re going to have our hands full. We know that we’re going to be in a battle, going down there and playing them. We’re glad to play another Show-Me Conference game and try to get to 4-1 in the Show-Me.”