Advance boys basketball team preps for sectional contest

Everything for the Advance boys basketball team has built up to this moment.

Hornets coach Bubba Wheetley wants his team back in the state quarterfinals.

"It still burns inside to lose that game like we did last year in the quarterfinals," said Wheetley, whose team suffered a one-point loss to Thayer in a Class 2 quarterfinals a year ago. "To get this opportunity to get back here again, I told those kids last year, 'We may never get that opportunity again.' It's tough to win a district and go on, and here we are. We've got a chance now, and I just don't want them to let their guard down."

The Hornets claimed their second straight district title with last week's 66-49 victory over Oran, but Wheetley believes it all stems back to last season, when Advance finished with a 21-10 mark.

"I want this program to build off of last year, and this gives us a little more confidence for them," Wheetley said. "Hopefully we can just keep going."

Advance (16-10) will square off against Class 1 District 1 champion Gideon (20-6) in a Class 1 sectional at 6 p.m. today at Bloomfield High School.

The Bulldogs are led by Kason Lawrence, who scored a team-high 16 points to lead second-seeded Gideon to a 63-52 win over top-seeded Clarkton in the district final. Allen Earnhart added 15 points for the Bulldogs, and Chris Reed contributed 11 points.

"I know they've got a couple big kids. ... They've got a good little guard out there that handles the ball very well," Wheetley said. "I think we've got our hands full."

The winner will take on either South Iron or School of the Ozarks in a quarterfinal at 1 p.m. Saturday at Van Buren High School in Van Buren, Missouri.

Wheetley said he hasn't been pleased with his players' energy this week in practice but hopes the intensity shown in last week's district championship comes to life again against Gideon.

"I talked to these kids after the district championship about how we've got to keep that momentum going. I'm a little disappointed because really the last few days, I haven't seen that energy that I want to see right now," Wheetley said. "You've got to get up every day and be ready, and this team, I don't know. They're young. They may be satisfied with a district championship, but that's not enough. You've got to keep working. ... We've got to come out of the gates like we did against Oran because this club will beat us. They're big and strong. We're going to have to rebound against them."

Girls Class 1 sectional

Oran coach Ethan Evans greets the St. Paul Lutheran coach after the Class 1 District 2 championship last week in Bell City, Missouri. The Eagles will compete in a sectional today at Bloomfield High School. (Glenn Landberg)

Winning back-to-back district championships is never an easy task, but Oran coach Ethan Evans credits last year's team for providing the spark.

"I think our team last year kind of set the tone for this year, getting the program going in the right direction and giving the girls a good taste of winning," Evans said. "It kind of carried over to the program this year, and it's always great to win a district title for your program now and for your future as well."

The next challenge for Oran (14-10) will be to win a sectional. Oran will face Class 1 District 1 champion Naylor (20-6) at 7:45 p.m. today at Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, Missouri.

Senior forward Shayna Tharp and 6-foot freshman center Callee Pickrell are two of Naylor's key contributors. Three of the team's starters are 5 foot 10, according to Evans.

"They're big. I know that for sure," Evans said. "... They're experienced. I think they've been in the sectional game for the last eight years, so they're used to winning. And they've got a good system in progress. They execute it very well."

Evans has been emphasizing to his team the importance of staying focused in the half-court defense.

"We just want to be able to rebound with a team that's as big as they are. That's a big deal right there, just being able to rebound and block out," Evans said. "We've also been trying to put in a new offense against their 1-3-1 [zone defense] because that's what they do, and they don't like to change it. And they won't change it, so we're trying to get focused in on that as well."

The winner will take on either Bunker or Chadwick in a quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Van Buren High School.