Photo Gallery

Cameron v. Lafayette basketball

CAMERON, Mo. — When Cameron stormed back to take its first lead since the second quarter, Tim Nelson knew how he wanted to react.

The Lafayette junior point guard hit a clutch pull-up jumper with 3 minutes, 19 seconds left in Friday night’s Midland Empire Conference matchup at Cameron High School. Nelson went on to score seven of his team-best 16 points in the fourth quarter to match a season high.

The Fighting Irish finally pulled away for a comfortable 46-36 win in a physical game played in a spirited atmosphere. No player on the court stepped up to the situation like Nelson.

“You have to, you have to play through adversity,” said Nelson, who made 5 of 8 free throws in the final minute and a half. “We went down, and we needed somebody to hype us up. I was there to do that tonight.

“With a great atmosphere, you have to play tough.”

In a game predictably dictated by staunch defenses, the critical MEC matchup also featured touchy foul calls and tension between the two teams’ benches.

Lafayette (15-6, 3-0 MEC) went a long way toward defending its league title, which the Irish won last year for the first time since 1992. Already with a road win against Maryville, Lafayette’s remaining slate includes only one team above .500 (9-8 Smithville) as well as city rivals Benton and Bishop LeBlond and struggling Chillicothe.

“Both (Cameron and Maryville) still have a chance and a had chance when we faced them to be conference champions,” Lafayette coach Chris Neff said. “Really formidable, state-ranking worthy teams — just huge wins.”

Lafayette built its lead during the second and third quarters with help from 16 of Cameron’s 20 turnovers.

Once the Irish solved Cameron’s suffocating zone with a three first-half 3-pointers, their unrelenting press-and-trap defense befuddled the Dragons. The lead ranged from two to eight in that span, and Nelson’s 3-pointer just shy of the third-quarter buzzer made it 28-22.

“They put hands on you,” Cameron coach Kevin Nichols said of Lafayette’s physical defense. “When officials let you put hands on, you can’t beat them. When you have hands on, it’s a tough game. You have to be a man.

“They’re a better team than us. They proved that tonight. They’re a much better team than we are and better coached and everything. They should be really proud of the victory, beating up on Cameron.”

But just when the Irish looked ready to pull away, Cameron (13-5, 3-1) broke off a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter.

Aaron Gould’s 3-pointer from along the left baseline gave the Dragons’ a 29-28 advantage — their first lead since early in the second quarter. Neff responded with a timeout, hoping to avoid a collapse.

Out of the stoppage, Taylor Deayon drove to the basket and drew a foul, making both free throws on his way to 12 points. Then a defensive switch allowed Lafayette’s Tyrai Skeen to pick the ball away from 6-foot-6 Mitch Hatten, and Skeen drove the length of the floor for a contested left-handed layup.

Cameron then turned it over, and Nelson hit his signature shot of the night.

Lafayette led 34-29 at that point, and after Cameron closed within three before another 5-0 Lafayette run made it 39-31 with only 1:43 left.

“No. 1 a timeout and then talk about how important the defensive end is going to be,” Neff said of his team’s response to falling behind in the fourth quarter. “Then try to get something on that board that is going to work offensively.

“Then a lot of really good things happened, and I don’t know how much of that was me.”

Cameron led the entire first quarter, breaking out to a 7-0 lead behind four of Hatten’s game-high 17 points and a 3-pointer from Trace Naylor. Lafayette’s first five possessions ended with two turnovers and a trio of missed 3-pointers against Cameron’s sagging 2-3 zone.

Finally, Nelson broke Lafayette’s scoring drought of 4:36 with a 3 from the top of the key, the first of three for the 5-9 guard.

Freshman Jeff Leeson added the Irish’s only other first-quarter field goal with 15 seconds left before the second quarter. Grant Richardson’s 3 with 6:16 gave Lafayette its first lead, which it didn’t relinquish until the fourth quarter.

The 3-point shooting forced Cameron out of its zone, and the scoring allowed Lafayette to turn up the defensive pressure.