Hartville boys, Skyline girls advance to high school basketball state championships
Two of southwest Missouri's small-school juggernauts from the 2023-24 season will compete for state championships on Thursday night. The two will play in back-to-back games at Mizzou Arena in Columbia hoping to bring home first-place trophies.
Here's what happened Wednesday in state semifinal action.
Hartville boys advance to Class 2 state championship for second year in a row
Hartville held South Pemiscot to just 11 points in the second half, including only three in the fourth quarter, to make it back to the state championship for the third time in the last five years.
The Eagles' 44-27 semifinal win saw them hold the Bulldogs to single digits in each of the final three quarters.
A dominant fourth quarter put the game away with South Pemiscot going 0 for 11 from the field while finishing the game shooting 23.5%. It was, by far, the fewest points the Bulldogs scored all season with their previous low being 48 in a loss to Class 3 Portageville in mid-January.
Hartville had three players score in double figures with Payton Cogdill scoring 11 and Jalon Cryer and Jackson Ward each adding 10. The Eagles won the battle on the boards 44-27 and dominated inside the paint 38-8.
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With a win on Thursday, the Eagles would wrap up their third state championship in five years. They finished in fourth place last season. A championship would be the fourth in the school's history.
The Class 2 championship will be played at 6 p.m. on Thursday in Columbia against Weaubleau which knocked off No. 1 state-ranked and defending champion Salisbury 70-61 on Wednesday. The Tigers will compete in their first-ever state championship when the two tip off at Mizzou Arena.
Ashlen Garrett's big second half leads Skyline to Class 2 championship game
The top-ranked Lady Tigers will have the chance to prove its season-long No. 1 ranking and play for the Class 2 state championship.
A 47-42 win over Tipton on Wednesday afternoon places Skyline in its first championship since 2021. A victory over Principia (on Thursday at 4 p.m.) would give Skyline its seventh state title in school history and first since 2017.
Skyline was led by Ashlen Garrett's 21 points with Shelby Redd adding 11. Tipton was held to 31.1% shooting from the field and never shot above 40% in a quarter.
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Down two at halftime, the Lady Tigers outscored Tipton 17-7 in the third quarter before building their lead up to 15 with 6:02 left in the fourth. The Cardinals scored seven points in the final 19 seconds to make the final score closer than how the second half went.
Eight of Garrett's 21 points came in the third quarter before she scored six in the fourth on 5 of 7 shooting. She was held to just 3 of 11 from the field in the first half.
Norwood falls to Principia in Class 2 semifinal
Norwood was held to 23.1% shooting from the field and its lowest-scoring outing of the season while falling in a Class 2 state semifinal for the second year in a row.
A 37-25 loss to Principia sent Norwood back to the third-place game. The Lady Pirates finished fourth in the state a year ago. The Norwood girls' basketball program is two years removed from a 2-24 season and three years from a 1-22 finish. What it's done in a short amount of time is remarkable.
It had its chances Wednesday in a game tied with 6:11 remaining. The Lady Pirates didn't score for the remainder of the game as the Panthers finished on a 12-0 run.
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Power 5 prospect Dasia Scott, the No. 1 freshman in the state, scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Panthers with 10 points coming in the fourth quarter. Only two other players for Principia scored.
Norwood was led by Addy Gray's nine points with Quinncy Vestal scoring six. Gentry Devault scored five points with eight rebounds.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri high school basketball Class 2 state semifinal results 2024
