Neosho Holiday Classic: The Glue Guys

<p>The 65th annual Neosho Holiday Classic is one of the most historic tournaments in the area that brings a nice blend of local teams and talented squads from around the region into one town for a three day holiday hoops frenzy.  The entire town packs the gym to support the event even when their team isn't playing and that is something that makes this event truly special.</p> <p>The tournament was broken down into two divisions: Black and Gold.  In Gold Bracket play, it was dominated by the Natural State.  Three of the top four teams in this division were from Arkansas.  The 3rd place game saw a very strong Joplin squad take-down Morrilton (AR).  The championship game was an exciting one, with the size and athleticism of West Memphis eventually wearing down sharpshooting Bentonville West to claim the title 58-49.</p> <p>The Black Bracket brought a great deal of buzz thanks to an impressive run by the host school, Neosho.  It was Huntsville squeaking out a thriller over East Newtwon in the 3rd place game, and Bentonville (AR) played the role of spoiler by making a big second half run and taking down Neosho in the championship game.</p> <p>Every good team has to have that one guy that brings everything together and contributes in multiple ways.  Here's a look at some of the top glue guys from championship Saturday at Neosho:</p> <p><em><strong>6'3 Sr Tommy Hafer | Joplin</strong></em></p> <p>Tommy is a guy that can stuff the stat sheet and also impact the game in ways that don't show up on paper.  He can knock down the open three, he picks his times to drive and finish at the rim, plays smart and hard defensively, and will get in there and rebound.  He is always in the right spots and I love seeing him get dirty and on the floor for loose balls.</p> <p><em><strong>6'1 So Hayden Shanks | Bentonville</strong></em></p> <p>Hayden is a team-first guy that does all the little things well for Bentonville.  For three quarters of the championship game, he played the role of keeping the ball moving offensively and digging in defensively.  He didn't force anything.  However, in the fourth quarter he saw his moment to strike and seized the opportunity.  He erupted for 11 points in the frame, including three consecutive bombs from long range, that effectively put the game away.</p> <p><em><strong>6'2 So Riley Buccino | Bentonville West</strong></em></p> <p>He is an excellent side-kick to star guard Dillon Bailey.  I love his effort on both ends.  He is a guy who has the ability to score 20 on any given night.  He proved that by burying some big three pointers and attacking an imposing West Memphis front-line with some crafty finishes.  He is also completely fine with being the guy flying around defensively, getting deflections, jumping into the bench for loose balls, and sliding across the floor to secure 50/50's.</p> <p><em><strong>6'4 Jr Connor Killion | East Newton</strong></em></p> <p>Connor does it all for East Newton and he gets things rolling for his team.  Versatile offensively as a quality outside shooting threat that is big and strong enough to be a factor inside as well.  Willing rebounder.  Came up with a number of steals and deflections on the defensive end as well.</p> <p><em><strong>5'11 Sr Immanueal Hoard | West Memphis</strong></em></p> <p>Hoard is surrounded by some big time talent on West Memphis, but is an invaluable piece to the Blue Devils team.  He serves as a critical floor spacer that can knock down drive and kick threes and he stays on the floor with his effort and intensity on the defensive end.</p>