Buffalo took three teams to the 60th Annual Neosho Holiday Classic in Neosho, MO December 29-31. Competing were the Varsity Lady Bison, JV Lady Bison, and Varsity Bison. When all was said and done, the Varsity Lady Bison brought home the second place trophy.

“Neosho was an exciting trip. All of the kids had a lot of fun and competed very well against some schools triple our enrollment,” Lady Bison Head Coach Jozette Jenkins said. “I’m extremely proud of the girls.

Varsity Lady Bison

The Varsity Lady Bison took on Carthage, MO in their first game of the tournament. The game was a pool game since both teams had a bye the first round. Buffalo fell to Carthage 42-52.

Maci Hoffman led the Lady Bison with 14 points. Jordan Jenkins followed with 8, Taryn Morman and Allison Grissett 6 each, Taylor Shelton 5, and Lauren Helmcamp 3.

On Tuesday, the Lady Bison took on Forrest City, AR. Buffalo took a 64-41 win to advance on to the Championship game.

Hoffman led Buffalo with 30 points. Morman followed with 9, Jenkins 7, Shelton and Grissett 4 apiece, and Marissa Jones and Kendall Lee 3 each.

“Competing in Neosho was very exhausting, and also fun, but most importantly it benefited us by being able to compete against such big schools,” senior Marissa Jones said. “The competition that we had there will help us prepare for the remaining of the season.”

The Lady Bison met up with Neosho, MO in the Championship game. Buffalo led 19-11 after one quarter of play and led 31-22 at halftime.

However, the host of the tournament came out on fire in the second half. Neosho took a 41-40 lead going into the final quarter of play. The Neosho girls ended up defeating Buffalo 63-54 to win the tournament for the second year in a row.

Jenkins led the Lady Bison with 20 points. Hoffman followed with 10, Morman 9, Helmcamp 6, Grissett 4, and Jones and Shelton 2 each.

Hoffman and Jenkins were named to the All-Tournament Team.

“Playing in the Neosho Tournament was really great for us as a team. We got to spend time together and grow closer as a team,” junior Taylor Shelton said. “Getting to go out of state is always a great opportunity for all of us to see different types of play. We are all so thankful for Coach Jenkins who is willing to get us out there and be seen by different colleges. The Neosho Classic had some tough competition and I think it prepared us for what we will face in district and hopefully further in the playoffs where we plan on going.”

JV Lady Bison

The Lady Bison JV lost all three of their games, but they were playing against Varsity teams from much larger schools.

Buffalo received the Sportsmanship Award for bringing the JV girls to compete in the tournament.

Varsity Bison

The Varsity Bison basketball team met up with Neosho, MO for their first game of the tournament on Monday afternoon. Buffalo fell to the 5A host team 59-72.

Rhett Kilgore led the way for the Bison with 22 points. OT Garcia added 16, Layne Shelton 10, Bryce Ryder 8, Dylan Harris 2, and Jacob Fishbeck 1.

On Tuesday, the Bison met up with the Ruskin Eagles from Kansas City, another large school. The Bison fell 39-85.

Kilgore led the way for Buffalo with 18 points. Shelton followed with 11, Ryder 5, Matt Gilliam and Rudy Salazar 2 each, and Garcia 1.

In their final game of the tournament, the Bison played Marionville, MO. The game was close and Marionville pulled away with a 64-55 win.

Kilgore led the way for the Bison with 26 points. Garcia followed with 15, Ryder 7, Gilliam 5, and Shelton 2.

“The Neosho Tournament was a great opportunity for us to grow closer as a team,” senior Layne Shelton said.