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Kickapoo Rallies in 2nd Half for big win
Kickapoo was on this stage a year ago but a broken foot by Kaya Goldsby in the final practice before the Final Four was too much for the Lady Chiefs and they fell to Webster Grove in the semifinal game. This year the Lady Chiefs look to improve on the 3rd place finish a year ago but first stood Blue Springs South. IT was an early struggle for the Lady Chiefs as they couldn’t get a bucket to fall until just over a minute left in the opening quarter. Then the floodgates opened for Kickapoo led by Bella Fontleroy. The future Lady Bear (Baylor) caught fire and led the game with 10 first half points but the Chiefs and Jaguars were locked at 18 at the half. Bella really got going in the third quarter with 11 points and capped off a double-double after three quarters and Kickapoo outscored Blue Springs 24-8 in the quarter. Neither team scored much in the 4th and Kickapoo held on for the 51-36 win.
Coach Osborne Goes For Gold in Final Game
Could you write a better story? Coach Jay Osborne has gone 675-245 but win 676 would mean a state championship in his final game at the helm for the Nixa Eagles. Nixa took care of business behind 37 combined points from Kael Combs and downed Staley 53-43. Now comes the challenge of taking down Goliath in CBC and the trio of Larry Hughes, John Bol and Rob Martin.
What to Watch For Tomorrow?
Incarnate Words Inevitable Crowning
I am writing this in the third quarter of the first girls semifinal game so Kickapoo and Blue Springs South haven’t played yet. Does it matter? I don’t think so. The Red Knights have dominated the 28 games they have played so far and have only had one game in single digits. They are led by junior Natalie Potts who holds offers from multiple major DI programs including Oklahoma State, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas State, Wake Forest, and Illinois along with Missouri State. I expect the cream of the crop and the who’s who of college hoops to be in on her soon as well. They look to be on the way to a 50 point semifinal win so the question is will Kickapoo match up better with them? Sure, I don’t anticipate the Lady Chiefs to fall by 50 to them but they will have their work cut out for them.
Championship Basketball
We will play witness as the two championships from the big dogs in class 6 will be played. Incarnate word will put their 67 game win streak on the line as they take on home town power Kickapoo in what should be one of Incarnate’s toughest challenges thus far. The two squads played once this year back in December as Incarnate defeated the Chiefs 62-42 in the Stephanie Phillips Classic. Kickapoo will look to flip the script at 2:00 tomorrow. As for the boys side, we will have a high octane matchup CBC with a roster full of guys who will make an impact at the next level led by John Bol, Rob Martin, and Larry Hughes Jr. They will take on
Tournament of Championship Caliber Talent Everywhere
Lets just start by going through who all will be playing aside from CBC, Chaminade, Nixa, and Staley. Lets start with Vashon who has been the best team in Class 4 all season. They take on New Madrid County Central who was in this year’s TOC field. Jadis Jones and Marcelous Phillips were two of the best players in the state for most of the season. Oh and Jones is just a sophomore. The other Class 4 semifinal pits 21-4 Pembroke hill against Father Tolton. Tolton features Pepperdine commit Jevon Porter who comes in averaging 23 points and 13 rebounds per game. However, the guy I am most looking forward to see do his thing is perhaps the best freshman in the state in point guard Aaron Rowe. I would expect to see Rowe at the TOC before his time at Tolton is all said and done. Then we have Whitfield and Webster Grove girls. Before you start yelling that they cant play in the TOC, there is plenty of talent starting with K-State commit Eliza Maupin of Webster who stands at 6’2. Whitfield won the title a year ago so they will be another team to watch. On the other side of that one we have West Plains and Mizzou bound Ashton Judd and sophomore sensation Allyssa Joyner taking on a Smithville team that has one of the best defenses in Class 5. On the boys side Cardinal Ritter and Murray State Commit Braxton Stacker takes on a TOC team from a few years back Webster Grove. Opposite from them Springfield Catholic and Zach Howell, MSU football commit Liam O’Reilly and Saint Mary commit Ty Lyon take on the leading scorer in the big school final four Desmond White and Jeff City Helias. It is going to be an insane amount of talent on the court and we are here for it!