Every program in Missouri has dreams of playing basketball into the month of March and making a trip to Columbia for spring break. Three programs have turned that dream into a reality and each one will have a chance to bring home the first state championship in program history this weekend. Here's why each team could win, and what they gave to contend with.
Mountain Grove (27-4)
2nd Final Four appearance
State championships won: 0
Coached by Duane Hiler
This is the most difficult class in terms of winning a state championship, in the entire state. Not only do you start getting public schools with decent enrollment numbers, but you also have to contend with private schools. Mountain Grove has had a tremendous season, but the Panthers join a Final Four that includes the a team that has played for the Class 3 state championship two years in a row, winning it all last year (Barstow), a team that has beaten nearly everyone in it way and boosts two of the nation's top recruits (Father Tolton Catholic) and an unranked Whitfield team that knocked off No.6 Park Hills Central to get to Columbia.
If you watched Saturday's quarterfinal then you understand why Grove is still alive. This team reminds me of one of the mid-major teams that get hot and make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Hiler has a superstar (DJ McNew), a good point guard (Carter Otwell) and a roster that can shoot the lights out and isn’t intimidated by a big stage; keep in mind, these are the same kids that made an Elite Eight run in football and are the reigning district champs in baseball. McNew (20 PPG, 6.5 RPG) is an enigma. He's 6-foot-1, has insane genes (his mom is former Branson/MSU volleyball player Amy Russell) and the athleticism didn’t skip a generation. But the most impressive part of his game is his ability to make shots. That sounds silly, but McNew doesn't need much space and his ability to elevate allows him to get his shot off anywhere. He has a Carmelo Anthony feel to his game with his ability to create space and operate anywhere on the floor and was giving Fair Grove defenders the Kobe treatment last Saturday. He loves big stages and he can stack up points in a hurry; this weekend could be his coming out party. Otwell plays quarterback for the football team, which is fitting because he quarterbacks on the hardwood too. He plays the game a million miles an hour and is on the cusp of being out of control at times, but that's what makes him brilliant; he is constantly putting pressure on you at both ends. This will be paramount because not only does Barstow have 6-foot-7 Nebraska signee Jeriah Horne and 6-foot-6 North Carolina preferred walk-on Shea Rush, but junior point guard Jacob Gilyard is the best high school point guard in Missouri. He will likely guard Otwell and be guarded by Otwell when Grove goes man; it is imperative to make him work at both ends. But here's the deal, to upset Barstow and Tolton, which is what MG has to do to win a state title, it'll take the full cast playing well. This has been the case for the last two years and is the reason Mountain Grove has won back-to-back SCA titles. Junior guard Treye Collins (6 PPG, 6 APG) reminds me of that old, crafty cat at the Y that is dropping dimes, scoring a little bit and talking a the entire time; he has a ton of flare to his game. Senior Thomas Clifton is slick, especially in transition and a more than capable scorer and sophomore Cade Coffman (10.6 PPG) is one of the best shooters in the Ozarks, hitting 70 3s at a 45% clip. Against Fair Grove he caught a ball on the 3-point line, watched his defender fall down and then stared at him before pulling a three; he has zero chill from deep. I love the swagger this team has and they’ll need it going into a Final Four where they’ll be considered a heavy underdog to win a state championship. Lastly, you can’t ignore the great equalizer; the 3-point shot. Mountain Grove shoots it at 37% as a team. This is the time of the year where knocking down shots, specifically 3s, allows teams to hang around in games that they seemingly shouldn’t. The Panthers have the ability to put five guys on the floor that can all shoot it. And, if they happen to shoot it well enough in Columbia, they might be able to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the year.
But, here’s what they are up against…
Michael Porter Jr., 6-foot-9 wing – No. 1 recruit in Class of 2017 (uncommitted)
Jontay Porter, 6-foot-8 forward– No. 45 in Class of 2018 (Washington commit)
pic.twitter.com/Fh9F8Z2JzJ
— Jontay Porter (@JontayPorter) May 31, 2015
Jeriah Horne, 6-foot-7 forward – 3-star Nebraska signee; No. 129 in Class of 2016
Jacob Gilyard, 5-foot-10 guard – 3-star prospect in Class of 2017
Shea Rush, 6-foot-5 wing – unranked (UNC preferred walk-on)
Hartville (27-4)
5th Final Four appearance
State championships won: 0
Coached by Brett Reed
No one was more ready for Hartville to end its nearly 20-year Final Four drought than Brett Reed. Hartville has won at least 23 games in each of the last four seasons, but the Eagles seem to always come up just short of a trip to Columbia, including a loss in 2014 thanks to a game-saving block by Strafford’s Dalton Taylor. This group remembers that loss and is eager to create their own legacy. The good news is Hartville has been the No. 1 team in Class 2 for nearly the entire year, defending that ranking with a pair of wins over Mountain Grove and another over fellow Final Four qualifier Iberia. Hartville hasn’t lost to a Class 2 team since last year’s sectional loss to Gainesville. The Class 2 Final Four is loaded with No. 2 Wellington-Napoleon, No. 5 Iberia and No. 8 Bloomfield all advancing. This is Iberia’s third trip to Columbia in the last four years, but the Rangers are still looking for a state title. Basically, this weekend will come down to Hartville’s ability to play its game. When the Eagles do what they do best there is no one better in Class 2. Few are better at pressuring the length of the floor and Dune Piper (10 PPG, 4 APG, 4 SPG) is the triggerman for this; he is the best on-ball defender in the Ozarks. Piper is really the straw that stirs the drink and the team typically takes on his demeanor; when he is confident and aggressive, especially at the offensive end, the Eagles are just a better team. The Hartville way is forcing the opponent into a bad shot or turnover and then converting that into a transition opportunity. They aren’t very big, so getting out in transition is key. Seniors Ryan Ward (20 PPG) and Grant Dedmon (14 PPG) are lethal in the open floor, getting to the rim or shooting it from deep, and junior Deric Jones (16 PPG, 6 RPG) will be one of the most athletic kids on the court this weekend. When they are able to impose their will and force the game to be played at its tempo, Hartville is a handful. Just ask any of the top Class 4 or Class 5 programs (Nixa, Lafayette, Republic) that went toe-to-toe with the Eagles and nearly found itself on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Playing those teams only helps Hartville’s cause as nobody they will see this weekend is better than those three. Playing on a college floor will only intensify the effect of Hartville’s pace. This team just has a tremendous will and a swagger about them; they truly believe that they have unfinished business. The only team in Columbia that will be capable of beating Hartville is Hartville.
Hartville does have a major roadblock in Iberia and 6-foot-10 Missouri Southern commit Dexter Frisbie. Foul trouble limited his effectiveness in the first meeting, but great footwork and soft touch have made him dominant at the high school level. Riley Halley, 6-foot-6 guard, is no stranger to Columbia either. I’m expecting these two to meet again on Saturday.
Wellington-Napoleon has seven guys averaging between 15.3 PPG and 5.3 PPG; they put up 70 PPG as a team and their M.O. isn’t turning over the basketball. They love shooting it from 3 although they only shoot 31%, something that could play right into Hartville’s hands (long rebounds equal fastbreaks). In Wellington’s lone loss (Lafayette County 71-50) they turned the ball over 17 times. One of just two times all season that the Tigers gave it up 17 times or more in a single game.
Bloomfield is a relative mystery in Class 2, but playoff wins over Scott County Central and Thayer, in the same week, suggests that they won’t be a pushover.
Walnut Grove (29-2)
3rd Final Four appearance
State championships won: 0
Coached by Darin Meinders
Well, you either love him or hate him, there’s not much room for anything else, and Darin Meinders is okay with that. Regardless of how you feel about him, the man can coach some basketball. Furthermore, he is the king of getting his teams to embrace the villain role and feed off of everyone else’s dislike of them; which is exactly the reason their pregame shirts are loaded with shade for all detractors to bask in. Bottomline is Walnut Grove can play; you don’t win 29 games by accident. Furthermore, the wins over Mansfield and Iberia turned out to be really, REALLY quality wins. The biggest thing those wins proved is that trying to outmuscle Walnut Grove isn’t really as easy as it seems because of the amount of pressure they put on opposing guards. Honestly, their game is very similar to Hartville; the Tigers are going to hound you for 94 feet with in-your-face pressure. Walnut Grove is led by senior Dallas Meinders and sophomore Logan Thomazin (we’ll get to them in a minute) but sophomore Hunter Gilkey is the reason they can play at a high-octane pace and pressure people all over the court. He embraces his role of being a pest to the opposing point guard, which usually works in his favor; at 6-foot he has decent size, but he has long arms and quick hands too. Walnut Grove doesn’t always come up with stops, but they just force opponents to play faster than they are used to. Coach Meinders also has one of the most lethal backcourts in the state. Grand View signee Dallas Meinders (17.1 PPG, 5 RPG, 5 APG, 3 SPG) and Thomazin (23.7 PPG, 7 RPG) put constant pressure on opposing defenses and most Class 1 teams don’t have two perimeter defenders good enough to take both of them away and playing too much zone is not an option. Meinders is relentless off the bounce and Thomazin is one of the best baseball players in Missouri, but he also happens to be one of the state’s top shooters. His 134 3s is not only a school-record, but is unofficially the third most in state history. Oh, and he shoots it at a 41% clip. These two guys remind me of Saint Joseph’s when Jameer Nelson and Delonte West led them to the Elite Eight after an undefeated regular season (if you’re in high school you may not get this reference, but it happened in 2004 and was one of the most entertaining runs in the last 20 years). All year it has been Final Four or bust for this team and they haven’t been shy about making that known. They now find themselves in a Final Four that includes No. 1 and undefeated Stanberry, which is making its third Final Four trip in the last four seasons, as well as No. 5 Glasgow and No. 8 Gideon. Stanberry has a trio of 6-foot-5 forwards in seniors Daniel Hailey (18.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG) and Alex McQuinn (14.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG), as well as sophomore Brad Hailey (10.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG). Many have already given them the title. It will be interesting to see which style wins out should Walnut Grove get past Gideon in the semifinal.
