The Springfield Kickapoo boys’ basketball team beat competition from around the nation to win the 21st Annual Tournament of Champions at the Hammons Center. They beat Rufus King High School of Milwaukee 68-53 yesterday in front of 6,200 fans. It’s the first time a Springfield-area high school has won the tournament since Glendale won the T of C in 1994. Kickapoo held off defending champion White Station High of Memphis, Tenn. 52-50 in their opener on Friday, then topped Tyler Hansbrough and 2nd-ranked Poplar Bluff 64-50. Shane Laurie, who has committed to SMS, was named the Tournament MVP, averaging 23 points per game in the tourney. Poplar Bluff beat St. Raymond’s High School of the Bronx 78-65 in the third place game. Hansbrough, who will attend North Carolina this fall, exploded for 44 points.
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