March 9, 2008                        Check Out previous Blogs

Class 4 and 5 champions have been crowned, it was another terrific weekend of basketball in Mizzou Arena. Get an inside perspective, some ironical situations, stars of the weeknd and more...

One crucial story all weekend were the injuries to key players on many teams. Customarily, players have many bumps, bruises, slight sprains at this time of the year-- a long, hard season.  This year Drew Hanlen (WG), Kramer Soderberg and Brian Maurer (St Charles West), Jill Wilmas (Notre Dame-St Louis). Each had a different reaction and outcome.

While warming up on Friday for theWebster Groves game against Truman, it was apparent that Drew Hanlen was "favoring" his ankle. While he struggled to move laterally on defense, he was able to blast by defenders or to pop loonnnggg three's. Late  in the 1st quarater, he knocked down two treys consecutively that sent a message to everyone in the Arena! I can play ! When the game was on the line late in the 4th, WG ran their usual delay. That meant, that Drew Hanlen would have the ball. He'd drive, dish, pop or fascinate everyone with his ball handling. True to form, he hit 10 of 12 from the line to lead the Statesman to a 64-60 semifinal win over the Patriots. On Saturday, Coach Jay Blossom, went against his own defensive principles, and went zone against the taller McCluer North Stars (the defending state class 5 champs). All season long, the North Stars had dealt with zones well. Not on this night though. The quick statesman raced around the court to challenge the perimeter shooters of the North Stars all night long. A late rally fell short as WG walked off the court as the 2008 state champions. How did Hanlen's ankle react to a 2nd day of fierce activity ? You be the judge--19 points, 5 of 7 from the field, 7 of 9 from the line and 5 assists!

From courtside, we could see Kramer Soderberg grimacing each time he moved quickly or landed slightly off balance. He was a "gamer" though. He led the Warriors of St Charles West to an OT win over Webb City. He and his teammates struggled against the aggressive match-up zone of Cape-ND on Saturday. Cape seemed just a bit quicker than the Warriors and they won 48-36. Actually Soderberg was high scorer each day for the Warriors.  Coach Paul Hale(Cape-ND) began "icing" the ball with 6 minutes remaining in the game. His well-drilled machine worked off time, drew fouls, converted free throws on their march to the victory circle. Meanwhile, Brian Maurer of SCW who suffered a dislocated knee just 2 weeks ago was seldom viewed as dealing with a severe injury. HIs knee brace was noticeable but he played right "through it". Maybe he didn't have all his speed but he sure had plenty of heart !

Jill Wilmas suffered a possible ACL very early in the semifinal game of Notre Dame (St Louis). She was forced into watching and cheering for her teammates all weekend long. The Rebels fell to ND de Sion in the semis and the Berkeley Bulldogs blinding speed and press also proved a bit too much for them in the 3rd place game! The Rebels were enjoying their first trip to STATE and only their 2nd district championship (1st was 1983).

What were the odds...there are three Notre Dame schools in Missouri. All three were in Mizzou Arena this weekend!  In girls action, ND (St Louis) faced ND de Sion (KC) while Cape-ND boys team won the state championship for class 4. The girls game pitted two all-girls schools against each other for the first time.

It really is tough to go unbeaten these days in large school brackets. Raytown Bluejays(boys) were toppled by the Truman Patriots in the quarterfinals and didn't set feet on the Mizzou Arena floor. The Hickman Mills Cougars came into Columbia riding high. Heading back home on Saturday night, this talented team had tasted defeat twice ! Hickman Mills lost to IWA on Friday and St Joe Academy on Saturday. Nevertheless, Cougars' Jaleshia Roberson really put on a show as she hit for 30 points in Saturday's loss. The Cougars were 12 points down early in the 4th but fought back only to fall a bit short 70-67 to the Angels. Interestingly enough, out of the many trips to the Final Four, this was the first 3rd place finish for the Angels in their history.

Best championship game of the weekend was the Class 4 Girls game. The Bolivar Lady Liberators turned the ball exclusively to their star, Casey Garrison, for each possession in the overtime as Bolivar edged ND de Sion  47-43. The Storm of ND de Sion hit a three ball at the buzzer to send it into OT but Bolivar used their All-Stater to lead them to the title ring.

Rock Bridge Bruins of Jill Nagel made the first trip to the final four a great one as they handled St Joe and IWA. The Bruins used tremendous defense (using a half court trap early in a possession then changing on the fly to a m/m), some brilliant offensive patterns, patience and poise with the ball and a strong inside game the Bruins played like a championship team all weekend long.

Crowds were very good. The St Charles West-Cape ND was the largest (from  my view) of the weekend. Fans don't have to leave after every game so some may have been fans from other games. All fans seemed positive for the most part. Student sections were very vocal in support of their team. The best part is that we do it all over again this weekend with Classes 1, 2 and 3. GAmes are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Prepcasts will take you directly to the games--just hit our link under the MSHSAA logo.

MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB

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