High school basketball teams make it to the Final Four

The road to become state champions for two local high school basketball teams continues today in Columbia, Mo.

The Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team won 59-52 over Lutheran St. Charles on Saturday during the Class 3 quarterfinal contest held in Hillsboro.

Saxony Lutheran carries a 24-4 record into today's contest with El Dorado Springs High School.

Scott County Central's boys basketball team will attempt to cap off a strong season when it takes on Stanberry. For the Braves (24-5), playing basketball in Columbia during March has almost become standard. This is the sixth time in seven seasons the team has made it to the Final Four.

Congratulations to both teams on making it to this point in the season. It's thrilling to see local teams make it to the state tournament, and we hope the road continues to championship titles.

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Speaking of championship runs, the excitement continues as finalists announcements are made for the Semoball Awards.

The first-class banquet will be held June 21 at the Show Me Center. The event is brought to you by the Southeast Missourian's five daily newspapers, SEMO ESPN Radio and rustmedia.

Sponsors of the event include SoutheastHEALTH, First Midwest Bank, Harry Blackwell auto dealerships, Technomad and other leading business.

Finalists for fall sports have been announced. Winter sports finalists will appear in print and online at semoball.com/awards beginning April 6.

Listen for commentary about the athletes on the Sports Huddle on SEMO ESPN Radio.

Tickets for the event, which features Cardinals favorite Ozzie Smith, are on sale at semoball.com/awards.

Athletes chosen as finalists will receive a free ticket, and parents will receive an invitation in the mail for discounted banquet tickets.

Sponsorships are available. For more information, call Lucas Presson at 388-3649 or send an email to lpresson@semissourian.com.

We look forward to recognizing the best in high school sports in June.