LISTEN TO MISSOURINET SPORTS DIRECTOR DAVID SPRAGUE’S PREVIEW BELOW
CLASS 1 BOYS
BELL CITY VS. TUSCUMBIA, THURSDAY, 7:40 PM
SILEX VS. JEFFERSON, THURSDAY, 9:15 PM
CHAMPIONSHIP, SATURDAY, 1:45 PM
BELL CITY CUBS—The most dominant team in Class 1 in recent years is Bell City. They’re making their fourth trip to the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown in five years and have won the title twice in that span (2002, 2004). They’re led by 6-10 junior William Bogan, who averages 18.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest. Bogan has already signed a letter of intent to play college basketball at Memphis University. The Cubs aren’t one dimensional on offense, though. Sophomore Nicholas Niemczyk adds 17.8 points per contest, while three others average almost 10 points per game Bell City can run up the scoreboard, averaging 77.7 points, but in their four losses defense has been a problem—they’ve given up 75 points per game in losses this season.
Head coach: Brian Brandtner (83-26)
Record: 27-4
Current winning streak: 5
Semifinal appearances: 4
State titles: 2 (2002, 2004)
Sectionals: 82-51, Scott Co. Central
Quarterfinals: 67-57, Verona
Leaders
•Scoring: William Bogan, 18.7 ppg, Nicholas Niemczyk 17.8 ppg
•Rebounds: William Bogan, 10.8 rpg
•Assists: Blaine Stewart, 3.3 apg
TUSCUMBIA LIONS—-After falling to Chamois 49-47 on January 31, Tuscumbia was 11-7 and making the Class 1 Show-Me Showdown was probably the furthest things from head coach Tony Pace’s mind. But after that loss something clicked. The Lions won 11 of their next 12, running through districts, sections and quarterfinals. This is new territory for the team—not only are they in their first final four, this is also their first-ever trip to the playoffs. Tuscumbia only has nine players on their squad and they’re led in scoring by senior Daniel Patterson (17 ppg) and sophomore Marshall Humphreys (16.8 ppg). They’re very unselfish team as three players have at least 120 assists this season.
Head coach: Tony Pace (54-43)
Record: 22-8
Current winning streak: 5
Semifinal appearances: 0
State titles: 0
Sectionals: 56-48, Lutheran (KC)
Quarterfinals: 55-52, Montrose
Leaders
•Scoring: Daniel Patterson, 17 ppg, Marshall Humphreys 16.8 ppg
•Rebounds: Zack Martin, 7.5 rpg
•Assists: Daniel Slone, 5.2 apg, Daniel Patterson, 4.9 apg
SILEX OWLS—Mother Nature has put a damper on what was expected to be a celebration of an impressive accomplishment. Both the Silex boys and girls basketball teams advanced to the Class 1 MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown, but a destructive tornado left a tremendous amount of damage behind in the town. Despite it, the boys and girls have plodded on in preparation of the final four. The boys are in the semifinals for the first time in school history and bring a high-powered offense to Columbia. The Owls are scoring 71.4 points per game and have reached the 80-point plateau eight times this season. They have four players who all average at least 10 points per game and three of them are from the same family. Seniors Bradley and Kyle Mudd average 16.8 and 13.1 points per game, respectively, while sophomore Mike Mudd scores 11.1 points per contest. Four players have at least 105 assists this season
Head coach: Shannon Jeffrey (73-58)
Record: 28-2
Current winning streak: 12
Semifinal appearances: 0
State titles: 0
Sectionals: 42-38, North Shelby
Quarterfinals: 69-51, New Franklin
Leaders
•Scoring: Bradley Mudd, 16.8 ppg
•Rebounds: Joey Pietzman, 12.6 rpb
•Assists: Michael Haines, 5 apg
JEFFERSON EAGLES—The Eagles come into the semifinals with a perfect 30-0 record and a big target on their back, but that target is shared by many on the team. Of the 15 players on the roster, only one has played less than 21 games this season. The Eagles don’t have an apparent weakness, as they’ve shown dominance on both sides of the court in 2005-2006. They score 74.1 points per game and only have allowed 40 or more points just three times this season. Senior Kody Scheiber leads the way with 15.1 points per game. The Eagles are making their sixth trip to the final four and their fourth since 2000. They made a run to the championship game last year, but lost to North Shelby 59-51.
Head coach: Tim Jermain (83-26)
Record: 30-0
Current winning streak: 30
Semifinal appearances: 5
State titles: 1 (2000)
Sectionals: 53-56, South Holt
Quarterfinals: 66-28, Stet
Leaders
•Scoring: Kody Schieber, 15.1 ppg
•Rebounds: Kody Schieber, 6.5 rpg
•Assists: Matt Jenkins, 3 apg
