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By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD – Hartville has been so successful over the past several basketball seasons thanks to its ability to force teams to play the way it wants to play, regardless of the situation.
Kickapoo never gave the Eagles the chance on Wednesday night.
The Chiefs scored 14 of the game’s first 17 points and never lost any momentum, cruising to a 54-35 victory in a Blue & Gold Tournament semifinal at JQH Arena. Kickapoo will play Springfield Catholic at 7 p.m. Thursday for the Blue Division championship in the same building.
Hartville, which won the Blue Division and a state title in each of the past two years, suffered just its fourth loss since the start of the 2019-20 season. The Eagles have gone 70-4 in that span.
But the larger, faster and more athletic Chiefs overpowered them on Wednesday, as the reigning Class 6 state champions built an 18-point lead at the half and led by as many as 22 in the fourth.
“Knowing that you don’t have to press and you don’t have to scramble late (in the) game to try to make plays is huge against them, because then you’re playing to their strength and what you want they want you to do – just waiting until you make a mistake,” Kickapoo coach Mitch McHenry said. “They kind of had to shoot it quick and hit some shots in the second half. But I thought how we started out the game in that first half was executed perfectly with what we’re trying to do.”
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Kickapoo junior Brayden Shorter hit four 3-pointers, including a trio in the first quarter, and finished with a team-high 14 points as the Chiefs avenged a three-point loss to Hartville last season, one of just two losses that Kickapoo suffered en route to winning the state title.
Both sides experienced significant roster turnover – Kickapoo graduated four Division I prospects, Hartville lost all five of its starters – but the Chiefs knew how their start could dictate their fortune.
“We were stressing so much how we have to push the ball and make them play not how they want to play and not let them slow the game down for us,” Shorter said.
And the Chiefs never slowed down themselves, as the quick start transitioned into a sustained up-tempo attack that allowed them to exploit weaknesses in Hartville’s transition game. They also used their size and speed to out-rebound Hartville, ordinarily one of the program’s core strengths.
“We needed to get back and find shooters,” Hartville coach Brett Reed said. “ We didn’t do a very good job of that. And then they killed us on the glass as well. So much more athletic and strong. We were a step late blocking them out and with a team like that, you can’t be a step late. That’s kind of us all night. We could have played better, but they had a lot to do with that.”
Kickapoo, now 8-2 on the season, advanced to the Blue & Gold finals for the 19th time in the 24 seasons it has entered the tournament. The Chiefs have already won a record 12 division titles and will be looking for their first since 2015.
“We’re the biggest school in the area,” McHenry said. “We always usually have a lot of talent, so we’re kind of expected to make a run in this thing. For our kids to be able to do it this year and put themselves in a position to play in the championship game is pretty special for them, because they only really get one crack at it. I get several cracks at it. So, for them, it’s pretty awesome.”
Standing in the way is an undefeated Fightin’ Irish team that upset top-seeded Nixa earlier Wednesday.
“Not to take anything away from Nixa – because Nixa is really good – but Catholic is the real deal,” McHenry said. “And they were the real seed going into this. I think that’s probably the best No. 4 seed that this tournament has seen. They play really, really hard. They guard really, really well. I think it should be a great game tomorrow night.”
Brody McNeil scored nine points to lead Hartville, which lost a Blue & Gold Tournament game for the first time since December 28, 2018. The Eagles fell to 9-2 and will face Nixa at 4 p.m. Thursday at JQH Arena in the third-place game.
“We got off to such a bad start,” Reed said. “That’s a credit to Kickapoo. They made some big shots. We kind of came out shell-shocked a little bit by their speed and athleticism.”
