Vashon and John Burroughs saw their basketball teams advance to the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 4 quarterfinals while Duchesne fell in a tightly contested Class 3 state semifinal Thursday afternoon in Springfield, Mo. The MSHSAA quarterfinal round caps off a busy weekend of hoops as teams look to click their tickets to Springfield.
At JQH Arena in Springfield, Duchesne fell in the state semifinal to Charleston 56-53 Thursday afternoon. The Pioneers trailed the Blue Jays by double-digits at one point in the second quarter only to battle back to trail by 33-30 at the end of the first half. Duchesne opened the third period on a 6-2 run to take a 36-35 mid-way through the stanza, but Charleston answered with a run of their own to take a 43-41 lead into the fourth quarter. The Blue Jays held on to the lead in the period to hold off the Pioneers and advance to the state title game. Ethan Kessell led the Duchesne attack with 17 points while Cam Lee chipped in with 12 markers in the loss. Duchesne will play in the Class 3 third-place game Friday at noon against Thayer.
In girls’ Class 4 sectional action, John Burroughs held off a frantic comeback bid by Cardinal Ritter in the final quarter to defeat the Lions 64-60 and advance to the quarterfinals Saturday. After three quarters, the Bombers held a 51-41 advantage and needed to hold on as Cardinal Ritter outscored John Burroughs 19-13 in the fourth period to claim the victory. Allie Turner paced the Bombers with 21 points and nine rebounds with Sydney Starks adding 12 points to push Burroughs to the quarterfinal round.
In boys’ Class 4 sectional play, Vashon outscored MICDS 22-12 in the second quarter to grab a 37-25 lead and held on to defeat the Rams 64-49 to move on to the quarterfinals Saturday.
In another Class 4 sectional game, Lift for Life kept their state title hopes alive with a 65-49 win over Sullivan. The Hawks led from wire to wire in the win as they advance to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season. Odis Grissom led the way for the Hawks with 16 points while Dennis Olds chipped in with 15 in the win.
The MSHSAA quarterfinal round is Saturday as nine boys’ teams and seven girls’ teams look to advance to the state final four next weekend in Springfield.
On the boys’ side in Class 4, Lift for Life will take on state-ranked New Madrid County Central at 2:45 p.m. at Jefferson College. The Hawks are looking for their first state title after placing fourth last year in Class 3. Vashon travels to Francis Howell Central to take on Mexico at 2:45 p.m. The Wolverines are trying to win their 13th state title and third in the last four years.
In the girls’ Class 4 quarterfinals, John Burroughs is looking to advance to their third final four and first since 2003 as the Bombers travel to Howell Central to take on Hallsville Saturday at 1 p.m.
In Class 5, Webster Groves will take on Cape Central at 2:45 p.m. at St. Louis CC-Meramec Saturday. The Statesmen are looking to win their fifth state title as they are attempting to get back to the final four for the first time since 2018. Cardinal Ritter will take on St. Dominic in another Class 5 quarterfinal Saturday night at Meramec starting at 7:45 p.m. The Lions are looking to win their third straight title and 10th overall.
In Class 5 girls’ play, Webster Groves joins their boys’ team in the quarterfinals as the Statesmen take on Cape Notre Dame Saturday at Meramec at 1 p.m. Webster Groves defeated Cape Notre Dame 45-40 earlier this season at the Nixa tournament. Whitfield is attempting to defend their Class 5 title as the Warriors take on Warrenton Saturday at 6 p.m. at Meramec.
In Class 6 boys’ quarterfinal action, CBC heads to Lindenwood to take on St. Louis University High in a contest set to begin at 2:45 p.m. The Cadets are looking to return to JQH Arena after placing second in 2019 while the Jr. Bills attempt to make their 16th in the state final four. Chaminade and Ft. Zumwalt South head to Maryville University in another quarterfinal set to begin at 2:45 p.m. The Red Devils placed third last year and are looking for their first state title since 2016. The Bulldogs are looking to play in the state final four for the third time in school history.
In Class 6 girls’ play, the upstart St. Joe’s Academy Angels take on Jackson at 1 p.m. at Lindenwood. The Angels knocked off the top three seeds last weekend in the district and are looking to return to the state final four for the 18th time in program history. Incarnate Word is attempting to return to the state final four for the 20th time and will look to win their fifth straight title as the Red Knights head to Maryville University to take on Troy Saturday at 1 p.m.
Jim Powers has been covering prep sports in the St. Louis area for 15+ years and a part of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Championship Broadcasts for the past 11 years. Powers is also a part of the Fox 2 Verlo Mattress Prep Zone Friday nights at 10:10 during the football and basketball seasons. If you have a prep sports story, please contact Jim at japowers2421@yahoo.com. Follow Jim at @hssportscaravan
