Advance gets nostalgic, revives school's final-four tradition

~ The Hornets will make the school's eighth final four appearance, but the first in 31 years.

Southeast Missouri boasts some of the most successful boys basketball programs in the state.

Scott County Central holds the state record with 12 state titles, Charleston has won nine state titles, and Portageville won three straight in the early 90s and has four championships overall.

Advance has not tasted success recently, but the Hornets have seven top-four finishes and will add to that this weekend.

After a three-decade absence, Advance earned a berth in the Class 2 final four with a quarterfinal win Saturday. The Hornets (24-7) will face defending Class 2 state champion Marionville (26-3) at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

"That's something we talked about with this crew since I coached them in junior high," second-year Advance coach Joe Shoemaker said. "A lot of the kids' parents were part of those state teams in the early to mid-70s. They know what it's about."

Advance won state titles in 1972 and 1975, book-ending a string of four straight final four appearances. Now the Hornets are just two games away from adding a third state title.

"It's going to be pretty exciting if we win state," senior Jeremy Limbaugh said. "Thirty-one years and a team like this, this is the first year we've played together. It would be a big deal for us all."

After practicing and playing in a gym filled with championship banners representing the program's rich past, the Hornets players already are picturing where their banner will hang. The only question remaining is what type of finish that banner will show.

"We just have to get past that first [semifinal] round, then go into that title game and win it," Limbaugh said. "Just keep doing what we're doing and we'll be fine."

The Hornets have lost just twice since Christmas, winning 19 of 21 games. They avenged a late regular-season season loss to South Iron in the district final, and their only other loss during that streak was against Class 1 final four qualifier Bell City.

In a small town such as Advance, the current players are continually reminded of the past. The Hornets have drawn big crowds all season.

"We've had people that were on those [state final four] teams come to our games," senior Daryl Wade said. "We've had people that came up short come to the games. Everyone around town is supporting us right now."

Added Limbaugh: "Just a small town, everyone knows everyone. You can't walk down the street without someone telling you good game. Now we're going to state, and everyone knows us. It feels good."

Marionville has plenty of recent state success. The Comets are headed to their third consecutive final four and fourth in five years. Marionville defeated St. Vincent in the state title game last season after finishing second in 2004.

Heading into Thursday's semifinal, Marionville has lost just one of its last 19 games. The Comets have followed a similar pattern to last year's title run, winning sectional and quarterfinal games by a combined eight points. In the quarterfinal, Marionville held Thayer to 27 points.

"They have a lot of expectations, a lot of experience," Shoemaker said. "This is their third time in the final four in three years. They've seen it. They know what it's about. They want the score down in the 30s."

Clash of styles

The Comets will feature a slow-down style Advance has not seen this season. The Hornets have not scored less than 58 points in a game this season, while Marionville has allowed 50 or more points just twice. Last year, the Comets did not allow more than 39 points in any of their four state playoff games.

"We usually play a faster tempo. Controlling the tempo is a key to the game," Shoemaker said. "That's going to be the big adjustment for us -- that slow-down, deliberate offense."

The Hornets offer plenty of problems for opposing defenses, with four players averaging in double figures. All five Advance starters average at least eight points. Advance has shown the past two games it knows how to find the hot hand, with Wade scoring 28 in a sectional win and 6-5 senior James Masters adding 28 in the quarterfinal win.

"They do a good job of finding what is working that night, and trying to do that that night," Shoemaker said.

With a veteran group featuring six seniors, the Hornets plan to savor their trip to Columbia.

"That's been our goal since first grade to get to state," Wade said. "Now that we're here it's really cool. It's really exciting."

Shoemaker said the team plans to do a little more than just have fun in Columbia.

"I told them we want to enjoy this, but our goal is the same," Shoemaker said. "We go into each game wanting to win."