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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Three weeks ago, it was hard to imagine the Bolivar Liberators being in this spot.
Bolivar (16-12 overall) finished the regular season on a three-game losing streak and barely survived through its district tournament.
It goes to show: A team-first culture can work wonders this time of year.
And no one preaches “team” more than Bolivar.
“Everyone looks at our record and wonders what in the world happened,” said Bolivar coach Robby Hoegh. “We just kept improving all throughout the year.
“What I’m most proud of with this group is how they love each other and how they have enthusiasm for one another. That’s what we want to be about at Bolivar.”
Bolivar came to life in the final quarter of Thursday afternoon’s Class 5 Show-Me Showdown semifinals at JQH Arena.
The Liberators outscored Lutheran South by 13 and made their free throws down the stretch to earn a 61-51 victory at JQH Arena.
In less than a month, the Liberators have gone from below .500 to one win away from a state championship.
“We had adversity for sure,” said Bolivar guard Kyle Pock. “We weren’t sure if we were a final four team. We were going to go as far as we can. Now, we’re going to the state championship game. It’s amazing.”
Pock, Bolivar’s selfless sophomore, led the way with a game-high 26 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Bolivar will play Cardinal Ritter at 2 p.m. Friday at JQH Arena in the Class 5 state championship game.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
It’s Bolivar’s second appearance in a state championship game. The Liberators made it in 1960 and 2017. In 1960, Bolivar won the Class M championship under head coach Bob Brown.
“It’s pure excitement right now,” Pock said. “We’re still not satisfied, but it’s definitely good to win the first one. It’s a breath of fresh air and we’ll be recharged tomorrow for the championship.”
Pock symbolizes Bolivar’s team-first culture.
Leading up to this week’s final four, Hoegh said he compiled season stats and discovered that Pock had eclipsed 1,000 career points about “four or five games ago.”
Such an oversight could bring on complaints from player and parents.
“I was like, ‘Oh, sugar biscuits. I missed Kyle’s 1000th point,” Hoegh said. “I called Kyle’s dad and said, ‘Hey, what do you want to me to do on this? Normally we do something for that (achievement).’ He goes, ‘Oh coach, we’re not about that.’ He didn’t want anything.
“Kyle probably still doesn’t know he has 1,000 points. To me, that’s when a team wins. When it’s a zero-sum game and it’s all game.”
Pock’s 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter put Bolivar ahead 43-40. It was Bolivar’s first lead since the first quarter and the Liberators would not relinquish it.
Bolivar sealed the win at the free throw line, going 21-for-24 overall and 11-for-13 over the final two minutes.
Pock was 12-for-12 at the line. The Liberators also got a huge lift late from reserve Deacon Sharp, who came in after Joshua Bowes (13 points) fouled out with 1:21 remaining and Bolivar clinging to a 52-48 lead.
Sharp had five points in the final minute (3-for-5 at the line) to help Bolivar maintain its lead.
“Those were big security blankets,” Hoegh said of Sharp’s free throws.
Pock, who is receiving interest from Division I schools such as Purdue and Creighton, took over in the second half. He scored 23 of his 26 points after halftime after battling foul trouble for much of the game.
“First half, I wasn’t getting a lot of looks and we were going inside,” Pock said. “Second half, I got freed up a little bit more. We just take what the defense gives us. In the second half, the (defense) was kind of shifting away from me so I was able to do what I do.”
Joshua Bowes added 13 points for Bolivar.
Lutheran South shot a sizzling 6-for-10 from 3 in the first half but only led 27-22 at halftime. The Crusaders shot 1-for-8 on 3s in the second half.
Austin Reis led Lutheran South with 18 points. He only scored five after halftime.
“It was a grinding game,” said Lutheran South coach Brian Lind. “(Bolivar) got the ball inside real well. We were fighting the best we could and I think by the end of the game, (Bolivar) was wearing us down a little bit. You could see the shots we were making early weren’t falling anymore.
“Bolivar did a great job at the free throw line as well. They couldn’t miss. They did what good teams do: They defended well and made their free throws when they had to.”
Bolivar 61, Lutheran South 51
Bolivar 15 7 12 27 — 61
Lutheran South 17 10 10 14 — 51
Bolivar (16-12 overall) – Kyle Pock 26, Joshua Bowes 13, Lukas Gabani 9, Cooper Cribbs 6, Deacon Sharp 5, Jace Krueger 2
