Takeaways from the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament's first half of opening-round games
Through eight games of the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament, we've seen the single-game scoring record go down along with a seeded team.
Here are our takeaways from the morning session of the first round games at the Blue and Gold.
Ash Grove's Brady Nicholson broke Aminu Mohammed's single-game scoring record
When you're breaking records set by Greenwood's Aminu Mohammed, you've done something special.
Ash Grove senior Brady Nicholson, a Drury commit, tipped off the tournament with a 50-point performance during the 9:30 a.m. Gold Division game, an 82-80 win over Willow Springs. Nicholson topped Mohammed's mark (49) by a point, set in the 2019 tournament.
Nicholson scored 20 points in the second quarter and was a perfect 14 of 14 from the line throughout the game. He was clutch down the stretch by making nine of his free throws in the final frame. He was instrumental in a seven-point fourth-quarter comeback to avoid an upset.
More: What to know about the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament: Brackets, top players, storylines
Greenwood, Sparta set up district showdown in Gold quarterfinals
One of the best possible matchups in this year's Blue and Gold Tournament will happen in a quarterfinal round of the Gold Division.
Sparta and Greenwood will meet up after each earning first round wins. The pair are Class 3, District 11 rivals. Sparta was ranked No. 5 in the state with Greenwood ranked sixth entering the week, according to the latest Missouri Basketball Coaches Association polls.
More: 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament: The top performers from Tuesday's opening round matchups
Greenwood cruised to a win over Crane after jumping out to a 15-0 lead to start the game. Star player Collin Clark scored 22 points with Logan Sanders adding 21 with five made 3s.
Sparta followed the next game by taking a 16-2 lead after the first quarter. Four different Trojans scored in double-digits with Rowdy Ball scoring a team-high 14 points en route to a 61-24 win.
Mountain Grove upsets Lebanon in Blue Division
Lebanon was the first seeded team to fall as the Blue Division's No. 8-ranked team fell 65-62 to Mountain Grove in Hammons Student Center.
Bradley Henry scored 29 points for Mountain Grove with 16 coming in the first quarter. He made five shots from deep.
Lebanon found itself down in a 10-point hole it tried to climb out of after Henry's hot start. The Jackets chipped away in the second quarter but couldn't overcome their slow start.
More: Takeaways from the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament's second half of opening-round games
The No. 1 seeds showed why they're considered the best in the area
The Blue and Gold selection committee had to have been feeling pretty good about their choices for the two top seeds after their performances to tip off the day.
Nixa topped Reeds Spring 72-19 in the Blue Division while Central beat Skyline 86-51 in the Gold. Neither game was competitive at any point.
More: Predicting the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament. Is this Central's year? Will Nixa repeat?
With running clocks at the end of the game, both were able to go to their benches throughout the second half and rest up for the days ahead. Tyrique Brooks scored 24 points for Central while Josh Peters scored 18 for the Eagles.
Reeds Spring scored one point in the entire second half against Nixa.
Fair Grove pulls away from tough Aurora squad
Fair Grove and Aurora both play extremely hard on both ends of the floor. The Eagles had a bit more talent and were able to come out with a first round win.
A 56-43 victory for Fair Grove saw it overcome a handful of Aurora runs to try and make it a game. Whenever it seemed like the Houn Dawgs had a chance, Blake Winterberg had an open look at the other end or Tyler Barnett found himself open underneath the basket.
Winterberg scored 14 points for Fair Grove with Barnett contributing 20. Aurora's Cannon Thornhill scored 29 with 24 coming in the second half.
Rogersville wakes up after first quarter to run away from Camdenton
The Wildcats trailed 14-13 at the end of the first quarter. They ended up forcing a turbo-clock en route to a 71-45 win over Camdenton.
Logan-Rogersville got its wakeup call in the form of freshman point guard Chase Branham who scored 12 of his 23 points in the second quarter. He knocked down three second-quarter 3's before adding a fourth in the third quarter.
More: 5 big things we're looking for in the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament
His second quarter performance helped the Wildcats outscore the Lakers 31-4.
Scott Metz scored 14 for the Wildcats. The Lakers got 25 points out of Jackson Basham.
Blue Division results and schedule
Mountain Grove 65, No. 8 Lebanon 62
No. 1 Nixa 72, Reeds Spring 19
No. 5 Fair Grove 77, Aurora 64
No. 4 Logan-Rogersville 71, Camdenton 45
5 p.m. — No. 7 Catholic vs. West Plains
6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Republic vs. Buffalo
8 p.m. — No. 6 Willard vs. Bolivar
9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Hartville vs. Stockton
Gold Division results and schedule
No. 8 Ash Grove 82, Willow Springs 80
No. 1 Central 86, Skyline 51
No. 5 Greenwood 64, Crane 40
No. 4 Sparta 61, Spokane 24
5 p.m. — No. 7 Branson vs. Ava
6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Ozark vs. Clever
8 p.m. — No. 6 Strafford vs. Mount Vernon
9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Glendale vs. Marshfield
Blue Division quarterfinal schedule
Winner's bracket games in Great Southern Bank Arena
5 p.m. — No. 1 Nixa vs. Mountain Grove
6:30 p.m. — No. 4 Logan-Rogersville vs. No. 5 Fair Grove
8 p.m. — TBD
9:30 p.m. — TBD
Gold Division quarterfinal schedule
Winner's bracket games in Great Southern Bank Arena
9:30 a.m. — No. 1 Central vs. No. 8 Ash Grove
11 a.m. — No. 4 Sparta vs. No. 5 Greenwood
12:30 p.m. — TBD
2 p.m. — TBD
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament: Opening round takeaways, scores
