High school basketball roundup: Central, Glendale look to build momentum before TOC

Springfield's two local participants in the 2024 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions have been getting in their final tune-ups before going up against the national powers the tournament annually brings in.

Central continued its dominance while Glendale came up short against one of the best teams in the state. A matchup between two of the best high school girls' teams in the area went down, one of the area's best coaches earned a milestone victory and a pair of brackets were released for another one of the area's top local tournaments.

Here's what happened last week.

Central continues momentum heading into Tournament of Champions

The ridiculous dominance of the Central boys' basketball team continued with a 31-point win over Republic, a team that made a Blue and Gold Tournament championship and is considered one of the best teams in southwest Missouri.

It was the Bulldogs' fifth consecutive win that resulted in a running clock. Keion Epps had 17 points and three 3's by halftime with Central knocking down 13 total 3's in the game. Epps finished the night with 21 points with Tyrique Brooks adding 17 and Bryce Walker scoring 12.

More: Here is the 2024 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions bracket, schedule

Central has now beaten four of the front-runners in what's being dubbed the "District of Death" in Class 6, District 5. The closest game was a one-point win over Nixa on Dec. 19 and the Bulldogs will be considered the favorite to beat Kickapoo when they meet Jan. 30 at The Pit.

The Bulldogs host Bolivar on Tuesday for their final game before the Tournament of Champions. They're playing some of the best basketball the area's seen in recent years and should be on fire heading into the area's biggest event.

Rogersville tops Marshfield for John Schaefer's 500th win

Logan-Rogersville head coach John Schaefer has been among the elite coaches in southwest Missouri for over a decade. He earned a milestone win on Friday night in a close matchup with a Big 8 East rival.

The Wildcats squeaked out a 44-42 win over Marshfield to advance to 9-2 this season.

Ta'Veaion Washington scores 44 vs. Rolla but Glendale comes up short

Glendale's senior leader scored 44 points and had the third-best scoring night out of anyone to wear a Falcons uniform but it wasn't enough to beat one of the better teams in the state.

Rolla, the No. 6 team in Class 5, edged Glendale with an 83-81 overtime victory on Friday night in Springfield.

More: Central wins first Blue and Gold title in 40 years after Gold Division win over Glendale

After the Falcons hit a late 3 to take a one-point lead in overtime, the Bulldogs answered right back with a layup with three seconds left to regain the lead. Glendale turned the ball over on the inbound before sophomore star Ethan Brown put the finishing touches on the game from the free throw line where he scored his 31st point.

Glendale (8-4) will host Waynesville on Tuesday night before playing nationally ranked No. 1 Paul VI in the first round of the Tournament of Champions.

West Plains stays hot by topping Glendale girls

The Lady Zizzers have rebounded nicely since losing their first-round game to Willard at the Pink and White Tournament. They went on to win the event's consolation bracket and followed Thursday night with a 49-44 win over Glendale.

Allyssa Joyner led West Plains with 21 points with Oliva Lawson adding 12. One of the best duos in the area proved to be a bit difficult for one of the better defenses in the area to slow down.

More: Kickapoo wins third Pink and White title in four years in Pink Division championship

Glendale, coming off a fourth-place finish at the Pink and White, has now lost three in a row since starting its season 11-0. Two of the defeats came to a pair of the best teams in the area while the other was against Greenwood (Arkansas) which won the White Division title.

The Lady Falcons should have a few opportunities to get right against teams with winning records over the next two weeks. They travel to Waynesville on Monday night before hosting Bolivar on Thursday. They'll then compete in the Gary Keeling Invitational in Bolivar — a tournament they won a year ago.

Nixa Invitational Tournament brackets released

Nixa annually runs two of the best in-season tournaments that aren't the Blue and Gold or Tournament of Champions. The storylines on the girls' side are more attractive than the ones on the boys.' The possibility of Nixa coach Jenny Talbert going up against Fair Grove, which she led to a state championship last season, is as good as it gets.

Girls Tournament - Jan. 18-20

Jan. 18

• 4 p.m. - Nixa vs. Howell Central

• 5:30 p.m. - Republic vs. Cape Notre Dame

• 7 p.m. - Marshfield vs. California

• 8:30 p.m. - Fair Grove vs. Helias Catholic

Boys - Jan. 25-27

Jan. 25

• 4 p.m. - Logan-Rogersville vs. Park Hill

• 5:30 p.m. - Marquette vs. New Madrid

• 7 p.m. - Nixa vs. Cape Notre Dame

• 8:30 p.m. - Troy vs. Hillcrest

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. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Central dominant heading into Bass Pro Tournament of Champions