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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’s not quite like winning a state championship.
But, it may be tougher to do if you’re a Class 2 school. For Hartville, it’s certainly as rewarding.
Blue and Gold champs.
Hartville defeated Logan-Rogersville 52-46 on Monday night in the Blue Division title game at JQH Arena.
It’s just the second Blue and Gold championship all-time for Hartville, and first since 1996.
The school from Wright County with an enrollment of 172 knocked off four big schools along the way.
“Some would say that it’s harder to win the Blue and Gold (as a Class 2 school) than a state title,” said Hartville coach Brett Reed. “Some years, that’s probably true.
“It’s a dream come true for me. I know it’s a dream come true (for our players). And nobody deserves this more than our community, who gives us great support.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Cody Mahan had a team-high 15 points for the Eagles (12-0 overall), who never trailed again after rallying from an early 7-2 deficit.
Eli Cook, Brady Ward, Holton Simmons and Ryce Piper all scored eight or more for a balanced Hartville offense.
“It’s a different person every night,” Mahan said. “If one person’s off, another person’s on. It’s team basketball.”
Mahan’s the newbie on a team that has played together since they were kids. He moved to Hartville from Crane about four years ago.
“Never expected it to come to this,” Mahan said. “This team is great.”
The Eagles won the game with their transition offense, capitalizing on Rogersville turnovers and missed shots.
Rogersville cut Hartville’s lead to 44-40 with under two minutes remaining. The Eagles responded with fastbreak layups from Piper and Cook to make it an eight-point game.
“Coach (John) Schaefer at Logan-Rogersville does such a great job with his matchup zone. It’s hard to score against,” Reed said. “We thought if we could score a little bit in transition, we’d do enough to stay in the game and maybe even win.”
The Wildcats got within five points on three occasions over the final five minutes.
Cade Blevins and Josh Linehan scored 16 apiece to lead Logan-Rogersville (6-5 overall), which had won five straight games entering Monday night. The Wildcats were seeking their second-straight Blue and Gold championship as a No. 6 seed.
Hartville’s tournament title run included two victories over Class 4 schools (Marshfield, Rogersville) and two victories over Class 5 schools (Branson, Willard).
“(Our players) believe with the right effort and attitude, they can beat anybody,” Reed said. “They have huge hearts.”
Said Mahan: “It just takes a big heart; we never quit. We always push.”
Hartville 52, Logan-Rogersville 46
Logan-Rogersville 9 11 10 16 — 46
Hartville 14 13 5 20 — 52
Logan-Rogersville – Cade Blevins 16, Josh Linehan 16, JJ O’Neal 6, Jordan Williams 5, Zach Bergmann 2, Kanon Gipson 1
Hartville – Cody Mahan 15, Eli Cook 9, Brady Ward 9, Holton Simmons 8, Ryce Piper 8, Braden Branstetter 3
