Springfield girls basketball Class 3 districts preview: Schedule, players, predictions
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 3
No. 1 team: El Dorado Springs
It's been a battle back and forth between El Dorado Springs and Fair Grove for most of the season as to who sits atop the Class 3 rankings. The Lady Bulldogs have pulled away in recent weeks thanks to a three-loss season with one of them coming to a power out of Arkansas, and they have the most recent win over the Lady Eagles. No one would complain if the two area Class 3 powers were to meet up again in the state championship for the second year in a row.
District 10 at Seymour
Nov. 19
No. 4 Seymour vs. No. 5 Houston
No. 3 Willow Springs vs. No. 6 Conway
Feb. 21
No. 1 Licking vs. 4/5
No. 2 Mountain View vs. 3/6
Feb 23
Championship at 6 p.m.
Team to beat: Licking. The Lady Wildcats enter as the favorite having beaten the two and three seeds. A 20-win team for the 10th time since 2013, Licking will look for its eighth district championship over the same stretch. Hannah Medlock has been the senior leader for Licking this year with Allie Hock being a standout junior.
Next best: Mountain View. A 51-43 loss to Licking on Dec. 28 has the Eagles as the two seed but they've been a hot team since late January. Recent wins include some over the likes of Branson and Willow Springs.
Prediction: Licking over Mountain View.
District 11 at Catholic
Feb. 19
No. 4 Catholic vs. No. 5 Forsyth
No. 3 Sparta vs. No. 6 Pleasant Hope
Feb. 21
No. 1 Fair Grove vs. 4/5
No. 2 Strafford vs. 3/6
Feb. 23
Championship at 6 p.m.
Team to beat: Fair Grove. The reigning Class 3 state champion has faced one of the tougher schedules in the area and has played against higher-ranked competition. It should have the Lady Eagles prepared for what could be another deep postseason run. Sure, they've had their troubles with teams like Republic, Skyline and Marshfield, but we've seen them split their two matchups with El Dorado Springs, who they beat in the state title game last year. A collision course between the two wouldn't surprise anyone with the Lady Eagles ranked second in the state. Ashton Bell, Brooke Daniels, Allison Findley and others helped lead a team that lost one senior from last year to a championship. They're capable of doing it again.
Next best: Strafford. Counting Strafford out is always foolish, although it remains in an unfamiliar spot as an underdog. It has a recent seven-point win over El Dorado Springs and has continued to play a few of the best teams in the state late in the year. Elsie Larsen is one of the best young players in the state and senior Lauren Jones has been a great leader for this team as well.
Sleeper: Sparta. The Lady Trojans have been on fire as of late and have victories over Strafford, Hartville, Norwood, Marionville and Blue Eye this season. Averi Leyland has been a great bright spot for Sparta which is capable of beating the tough competition this district offers.
Prediction: Fair Grove over Strafford.
District 12 at Lamar
Feb. 19
No. 4 Lamar vs. Southwest (Washburn)
Feb. 21
No. 1 Clever vs. 4/5
No. 2 Diamond vs. No. 3 Sarcoxie
Feb. 23
Championship at 6 p.m.
Team to beat: Diamond. It's rare when you'll find the two-seed as the team to beat in the district, especially when they have a loss to the No. 1 seed, but that's how great Diamond has been since the beginning of January. The Wildcats only have one loss since 2024 began which came to a Kansas program. They've beaten up on everyone they've played since then as they seek their second district title in a row. Grace Frazier, a Missouri Southern signee, has her team looking like one that can take another step this year.
Next best: Clever. The Lady Jays are the lone team in the state to top Diamond this year which came early in the season on Dec. 8. Clever has played an extremely tough schedule which has included games against some of the top teams in the state, including those at higher levels like Class 6 Republic and Glendale. Ireland Jones has lived up to expectations and has been one of the more fun players in the area to watch.
Prediction: Diamond over Clever.
District 13 at Adrian
Feb. 19
No. 4 Butler vs. No. 5 Sherwood
Feb. 21
No. 1 El Dorado Springs vs. 4/5
No. 2 Adrian vs. No. 3 Stockton
Feb. 23
Championship at 6 p.m.
Team to beat: El Dorado Springs. For the reasons listed above, the Lady Bulldogs have been the best Class 3 team in the state this season. They're one of two to beat Skyline this year, they split their series with Fair Grove and other impressive wins include ones over Republic, Nevada, Rolla, Camdenton and Willard. Neely Schaaf is creating her own legacy as her standout sister did before her. Gracie Mead has been an outstanding senior for El Do.
Next best: Adrian. The Blackhawks have been a bit up and down this year having not won more than two games in a row since about mid-December. Only their Dec. 8 win over Windsor was against a team that was more than two games above .500.
Prediction: El Dorado Springs over Adrian.
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 3 districts preview
