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Smithville High boys basketball coach Chad Jones was beyond frustration.

After a 30-minute post-game talk, Jones emerged from the locker room looking like a beaten man, tie undone and searching for answers.

Springfield Glendale, a team that started three players under 6-foot and two that were 6-2, outmuscled, outhustled and outworked the Warriors Monday, Dec. 28, in a 62-43 victory in the opening round of the Nelson Division at the Bank Midwest/William Jewell Holiday Classic.

"The problem is the lack of toughness and the lack of intensity," Jones said. "They are not willing to work hard to be good. It is embarrassing is what it is. It is embarrassing for myself and the community to put a team out there that won’t work hard enough and be disciplined enough to win the game."

The only bright spot was the performance of junior center Dillon Deck. He scored 30 of Smithville’s 43 points with 14 rebounds and five blocks.

"Dillon is a good player, he is going to get his no matter who guards him," Jones said. "If a little guy is guarding him he is going to score 30. If it is a big guy he is going to put up 20. He does his part of it."

The problem for Smithville was 26 turnovers and finding someone to pick up the slack while Deck sits on the bench in foul trouble.

"I don’t know," said Jones when asked if he has any ideas on who that player could be. "I don’t know the answer to that one."

Deck picked up his second foul halfway through the first quarter.

At that point Deck had six of Smithville’s eight points.

When he reentered the game midway through the second quarter the Warriors were trailing 22-15. Deck scored 19 of the next 20 points for Smithville over the next two quarters, but by that point the deficit was 13 points.

Sports writer Bill Knust can be reached at 389-6605 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .