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Springfield girls basketball Class 1 districts preview: Schedule, players, predictions

wyatt d. wheeler, springfield news-leader
·3 min read

It's postseason time for high school basketball across southwest Missouri.

Classes 1-3 will tip off district play on Monday all across the area. We went through and provided the brackets, top teams, players to watch and predictions for each local district.

Check MSHSAA.org for the most accurate times and brackets throughout the postseason.

SPRINGFIELD AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL DISTRICT PREVIEWS: Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3

SPRINGFIELD AREA BOYS BASKETBALL DISTRICT PREVIEWS: Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3

Class 1

No. 1 team: Meadville

The Lady Eagles are the clear favorites to run it back after a 31-0 state championship season a year ago. They remain unbeaten this year and have only played in one game that was within single digits. They're beating teams by an average of 52.1 points per game.

District 2 at Mountain View-Liberty

Feb. 19

  • No. 4 Couch vs. No. 5 Bradleyville

  • No. 2 South Iron vs. No. 7 Koshkonong

  • No. 3 Bunker vs. No. 6 Naylor

Feb. 21

  • No. 1 Chadwick vs. 4/5

Feb 23

  • Championship at 6 p.m.

Team to beat: Chadwick. The Lady Cardinals have been among the top Class 1 teams in the state this season and are coming off a second-place finish in Class 1 last season. They are led junior combo of Kerrigan Guerin and Rae Little who were all-state performers a year ago. They've continued to play at a high level and have their team looking like one that can go on a deep run.

Next best: South Iron. The Lady Panthers will look to defend a streak of seven-straight district championships. Three of those postseason runs have included runs to the state semifinals. They've struggled against some of the better teams on their schedule this year.

Prediction: Chadwick over South Iron

District 3 at School of the Ozarks

Feb. 19

  • No. 4 Billings vs. No. 5 Hurley

  • No. 2 School of the Ozarks vs. No. 7 Wheaton

  • No. 3 Exeter vs. No. 6 McAuley Catholic

Feb 21

  • No. 1 Thomas Jefferson vs. 4/5

  • 2/7 vs. 3/6

Feb. 23

  • Championship at 6:30 p.m.

Team to beat: Thomas Jefferson Independent. Two wins over the No. 3 seed each by 28 points will get you the top seed. The Lady Cavaliers have yet to play No. 2 School of the Ozarks but enter the postseason on a five-game winning streak.

Next best: School of the Ozarks. The Patriots have had some struggles with the better teams on their schedule but they win the games they're supposed to. They only have three losses since the beginning of the new year with one coming to a team from out of the state. They've looked capable of winning a district championship amid one of their best seasons ever.

Prediction: School of the Ozarks over Thomas Jefferson Independent

District 4 at Greenfield

Feb. 19

  • No. 4 Fair Play vs. No. 5 Everton

  • No. 2 Lockwood vs. No. 7 Greenfield

  • No. 3 Humansville vs. No. 6 Dadeville

Feb. 21

  • No. 1 Walnut Grove vs. 4/5

  • 2/7 vs. 3/6

Feb. 23

  • Championship at 6 p.m.

Team to beat: Walnut Grove. The Lady Tigers fell in district play for the first time last year since 2010. They'll be on a mission this year as they're averaging 20-point wins every time they take the court. Their lone losses this season have come to teams at the Class 5 level or to Skyline, the No. 1 team in Class 2. Ellie Smith and Jacie Gavisk continue to be among the best duos in Missouri.

Next best: Lockwood. The Tigers have been up and down and have struggled with the programs with winning records on their schedule. Their lone win over a team with a winning record came on Dec. 11 against Thomas Jefferson Independent. Lucky for them, Walnut Grove is the only other team in this field that's above .500 and it should be able to make a championship game.

Prediction: Walnut Grove over Lockwood

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: Springfield high school girls basketball Class 1 districts preview