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District basketball preview - boys classes 4 & 5
By Joboo | January 24, 2008
Today we take a look at the districts on the boys side of classes 4 & 5. A good number of state ranked teams reside here as well as some very interesting possible match ups. Let’s go.
CLASS 4
District 4 - Union
- Owensville
- Salem
- St. Clair
- St. James
- Sullivan
- Union
Salem could pull a #1 seed here if they can finish strong. Upcoming games with Willow Springs & Thayer will most likely decide their fate. If not them, then St. Clair, who the Tigers lost to earlier this season, or Sullivan, who the Tigers have beaten twice, get the top spot. No real inspiring teams in this district, but none that can be totally written off with the exception of the hosts Union.
Prediction: Unless someone shows some consistency over the next 3 weeks, this is a total coin flip. I think Salem ends with a 3 seed & goes down in the semis. St. Clair over Sullivan.
District 9 - Bolivar
- Bolivar
- Buffalo
- Eldon
- Marshfield
- Willard
Get out your lucky coin here. Buffalo has beaten Willard, Marshfield has beaten Buffalo, Bolivar has beaten Marshfield, etc. Still some games to close the season to help us make sense of this district. But they most likely will be a collective .500 group.
Prediction: When in doubt, go with the home cookin’. I’ll take Bolivar over Marshfield in the finals.
District 11 - Branson
- Ava
- Branson
- Reeds Spring
- Republic
- Rogersville
- West Plains
Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Looks to be Branson’s district to lose playing on their home court, but Republic & Rogersville still may have something to say about it. Branson seems a good bet to get the top seed. But the Rogersville Tournament this week & a season ending game with Republic can call that into question.
Prediction: State ranked Branson has all the tools to get this done & I think they will. But I think the final & the Republic/Rogersville semi-final game will be fantastic. I’ll say the Pirates over the Wildcats in the final.
District 12 - Carl Junction
- Carl Junction
- Carthage
- Cassville
- McDonald County
- Monett
- Webb City
Pretty much a 2 team district, but a great two teams. Webb City is state ranked & owns a big recent win over Branson. Carl Junction is one of the overlooked teams in the area & is the last team to beat Webb City. The Cardinals are playing great ball right now & the Bulldogs seem to be getting better every game. Both are balanced teams that can hit you from all angles but have go to scorers in CJ’s Joseph Fauvergue & Webb’s Alan Pink. And they meet on the 29th at CJ to give us a preview.
Prediction: Let’s get it on! This should be the boys district match up of the year. The outcome of their match up on the 29th will play a huge role in deciding the district winner. I see Webb winning the next round, but that only serving to get the Bulldogs refocused for the stretch run. Carl Junction with the upset of the Cards in the district finals.
CLASS 5
District 10 - Rock Bridge
- Camdenton
- Helias
- Hickman
- Jefferson City
- Rock Bridge
- Sedalia Smith-Cotton
The end of the Lakers rainbow this year is smack in the middle of a tough district. State ranked Rock Bridge is the clear favorite. But another 3 capable teams are present in Jeff City, Helias, & Hickman.
Prediction: Most likely one & done for Camdenton. Rock Bridge over Jefferson City in the finals.
District 11 - Rolla
- Central
- Glendale
- Hillcrest
- Lebanon
- Rolla
- Waynesville
Probably the best top to bottom district in the state. Waynesville leads the pack with their state ranking & recent win over Kickapoo. But the next 4 teams (Central, Glendale, Hillcrest, & Lebanon) are all extremely dangerous. And it’s on Rolla’s home floor.
Prediction: This district is just ripe for an upset. But the Tigers will get a semi-final opponent that’s had to battle to get there, & they have experience at staying focused under pressure. I like them to win it over Glendale.
District 12 - Kickapoo
- Joplin
- Kickapoo
- Neosho
- Nixa
- Ozark
- Parkview
This district really intrigues me. Kickapoo is state ranked & will have districts on their home court. But have shown that they can lose focus for stretches. Nixa is a solid team that has played much better of late. As evidenced by their win over a good Rogersville team that beat them in the first 2 weeks. And then we have Ozark who beat Kickapoo earlier in season, but is just around the .500 mark. They’re a developing team with a talented, young nucleus.
Prediction: No way Kickapoo doesn’t win this right? Right? I’m not so sure. The Chiefs just seem to be missing something. That internal drive & consistency. Here’s my key. The season ending game at Waynesville. If Kickapoo wins that, they will not make it through districts. But my fearless prediction is that the Tigers defend their home court & Kickapoo storms through districts looking for a rematch in state. Ozark takes second & is a year away from making some noise.
Alright! Less than 4 weeks to go. Still some fantastic match ups between now & then. But it should be a great district season this year. Next week, we’ll preview the boys & girls districts in classes 1, 2, & 3 with the girls on Tuesday and boys on Thursday.
Topics: Basketball |