Brett Pierce just wants to play basketball, but his body keeps getting in the way.

The Mid-Buchanan senior point guard missed three full games and parts of two more during the past two weeks with a mysterious internal malady. This break in play comes after he missed time last January after having his appendix removed. Pierce also missed time as a sophomore year due to illness.

Fighting through chest and abdominal pain through recent weeks, Pierce tried to play early last week against Tolbert Academy at the North Platte Invitational. He then missed the semifinal and championship games against Plattsburg and Jefferson.

“He’s having a tough time with it because he’s a competitor and wants to play,” Mid-Buchanan coach Bryce Kemper said. “It’s nothing life threatening; it’s just causing him some discomfort.”

After undergoing a second abdominal CAT scan on Tuesday, doctors cleared Pierce to play.

The generously listed 5-foot-7 spark-plug and sharpshooter played double-digit minutes in Tuesday’s 53-21 win against Mound City and scored six points off the bench. Kemper hopes to round him back into playing shape for the stretch run.

Pierce’s problems first cropped up Jan. 12, forcing him to miss that night’s game against Bishop LeBlond.

The pain seems to be behind him, and Kemper doesn’t expect him to miss anymore time. Senior Shane Carver occupied Pierce’s starting role in the interim, while junior Brandon Wyatt also took on additional ball-handling duties.

All the while, Mid-Buchanan didn’t lose a game.

After winning the North Platte title last week, Tuesday’s win moved the Dragons to 16-1, and they rank No. 5 in the most recent set of Class 2 Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association rankings, released Wednesday.

“It’s always a blow, but our motto is next play,” said Kemper, now in his fifth-year with the Dragons. “There’s going to be a lot of stuff that goes bad in life that’s out of your control so you’ve got to continue to do your job at the best of your ability. These kids know what we expect from them.”

Fabulous freshmen

While guards Sierra Michaelis and Courtney Owens garner headlines as Mercer’s talented freshmen duo, Colton Hartley continues to put up incredible numbers for the Cardinal boys. By the way, the 5-foot-10 guard is also a freshman.

Hartley entered Tuesday night’s game at Winston averaging more than 28 points per game. He tallied 20, as Mercer collected its fourth win of the season.

First-year Mercer boys coach Tina Holt knew Hartley possessed the skills of a natural scorer, but even she took pause at the amount of points Hartley put up early in the season. Juniors Derek Berndt and Ty Noe continue to increase offensive support for their freshman teammate — a positive sign for the team’s development.

“We’re not necessarily young,” said Holt, who came to Mercer after a successful career as the girls coach at Gilman City. “We have several seniors, a few juniors and several in the sophomore class, but we’re inexperienced. (Hartley’s) ability to step up and take control of games at times has been helpful, but there are other boys I want to step up into that role as well.”

So with Michaelis and Hartley averaging nearly 30 points per game, who wins the friendly games of one-on-one between the longtime friends?

“We kind of split ’em most of the time,” Hartley said.

LeBlond takes a hit

The toughest year for LeBlond basketball coach Steve Vertin in his 11-year tenure took another hit this week.

Senior forward Mark Nold — the Golden Eagles’ leading scorer and rebounder — missed Tuesday’s game at Maryville due to a suspension related to school policy. Vertin confirmed the suspension Tuesday afternoon and could not comment on Nold’s possible return.

LeBlond (4-12) lost by 21 to Maryville, on the heels of an 0-2 showing at the Cameron Invitational. Nold played in both games last week. He was averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game.

Vertin complimented the effort of his team in each of the three recent losses but continued to lament turnovers. Senior Andrew Nellestein especially stood out after putting up a team-high 29 points in the Eagles’ first effort without their star against Maryville.

With or without Nold, he expects the team to continue its spirited play in the team’s stretch run.

“They have no choice,” Vertin said. “The thing you find out in a deal like this is what your seniors are made of, and they’re answering the bell. You also find about your young guys, which ones are ready and which ones still need to work on some things.”

Assistant sports editor Ross Martin can be reached at rossmartin@npgco.com