The Monday Morning Wrap Up – HSSC – March 21, 2022

John Burroughs girls’ basketball team claimed their first hoops state title in school history to highlight a historic weekend at the Missouri State High School Activities Association Basketball Championships for the St. Louis metro area. Five teams claimed state crowns this past weekend while another one fell just short in their championship match-up as the area swept two of the three classes at JQH Arena.

Photo Courtesy of Cheap Seats Photography

Starting in Class 6, Incarnate Word claimed their fifth consecutive crown with a 67-50 win over Kickapoo Friday to get things going for the area. The Red Knights broke open a tight contest by outscoring Kickapoo 16-9 in the third quarter to grab a 44-30 advantage after three periods and held on to win their 68th straight game. Saniah Tyler capped off her senior season with a game-high 24 points while Natalie Potts added 15 markers and four steals to propel IWA to the state title. In the third-place contest, St. Joe’s fell to Blue Springs South 63-43 to cap off an outstanding season.

On the boys’ side in Class 6, CBC also used a solid third quarter to defeat Nixa 68-51 as the Cadets earned their first state championship since 2014. After taking a 31-27 lead into the halftime locker room, CBC outscored Nixa 17-9 in the third stanza to extend their lead to 48-36 and cruised to the state title. Larry Hughes Jr. led the way for CBC with 20 points while Robert Martin added 18 points to pace the Cadets in the win. In the third-place game, Chaminade lost to Staley 67-46.

In Class 5 girls’ action, Whitfield fell in the title contest to West Plains 50-37 after defeating Webster Groves 55-42 in the semifinals. The Warriors took control of the semifinal against the Statesmen in the second half as JaNyla Bush scored 24 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field to propel Whitfield to the final. Ellie Paloucek paced the Webster Groves attack with 13 points. In the championship game, the Zizzers grabbed a 31-29 lead after three quarters and exploded for 19 points in the final period to defeat the Warriors. Bush finished the contest with 14 points while Brooklyn Rhodes added 13 markers and eight rebounds in the loss. Webster Groves won the third-place game with a 54-33 win over Smithville.

In the Class 5 boys’ final, Webster Groves led from the opening tip to defeat Helias 72-53 to earn their first title since 2018. The Statemen opened the weekend by defeating Cardinal Ritter 60-57 in the semifinals. After leading the Lions 30-22 at the break, Cardinal Ritter chipped away at the lead in the second half and pulled to within a point with 52 seconds remaining. The Statesmen then would go a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final minute to move into the championship game. Matt Enright led the Webster Groves attack with 23 points and was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc while Iziah Purvey chipped in with 15 points in the win. In the championship game, the Statesmen raced out to a 34-11 lead at the half and never looked back as Webster Groves won their fifth state title. Purvey finished the evening with 19 points and eight rebounds to pace Webster Groves while Jalen Purvey chipped in 12 points in the victory. In the third-place game, Cardinal Ritter defeated Springfield Catholic 53-51.

John Burroughs brought home their first basketball state title with a 54-46 come-from-behind victory over Benton in the Class 4 title game. The Bombers defeated St. James in the semifinal 51-37 to advance to the championship. John Burroughs raced out to a 14-6 lead at the end of the first period to take control of the contest to move on in the tournament. Allie Turner scored 15 points and Monet Witherspoon added 14 markers to push the Bombers to the final. In the championship game, Benton took a 21-19 lead to the halftime locker room and extended the lead to 30-25 with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter. John Burroughs outscored Benton 29-16 over the next 10 minutes to claim the title. Turner led all scorers with 19 points and grabbed six rebounds while Witherspoon chipped in 16 points in the win.

Vashon claimed their third straight title in the Class 4 championship with a 57-49 victory over Father Tolton. The Wolverines moved to the championship game with a 48-39 win over New Madrid Co. Central in the semifinals. After trailing the Eagles 12-9 after the opening period, Vashon outscored NMCC 30-16 over the next two quarters to take a 39-28 advantage as they cruised into the state title game. Kennard Davis led the way for Vashon with 14 points with Jayden Nicholson adding 11 markers to put the Wolverines in the championship. In the title game, Vashon used a strong second quarter to pull away from Father Tolton as the Wolverines won their 13th state title. That is the second-most titles in MSHSAA history. Davis paced the Vashon attack with 15 points and six rebounds while Cameron Stovall chipped in with 11 points in the win.

Spring sports get underway this week with many baseball, girls’ soccer, and track events scheduled for the next seven days while lacrosse, water polo, and boys’ volleyball are in full swing. We will start to cover all of the outstanding spring athletes over the next few weeks and we will unveil our baseball and soccer top 10 rankings as well.