Clarkton threepeats C1D1 title

CLARKTON, Mo. - Lightning might never strike twice in the same place.

But it's struck three times in as many seasons at Clarkton, where head coach Cole McBroom's basketball team overcame adversity and claimed the MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 Tournament championship Saturday for the third straight year.

In a stunning upset, the No.3-seeded Reindeer (10-18) defeated head coach David Mathis' No.1-seeded Cooter Wildcats (17-11) 54-45.

“That was just a game of runs,” McBroom said postgame. “These were two really physical teams that played really hard.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Mathis,” he added. “He does a great job with his kids. They always play so stinking hard and I hate to be so cliché. But they just do.”

Indeed.

The contest began when 6'7” Wildcats' center Caleb Gunnels tipped off to his teammates, who lost control of the ball.

Clarkton's 1,000-point guard Amauri Gorman put the ball in play with a pass to Alex Juarez, who drove downtown. Juarez passed off to Reindeer James Johnson, under the glass.

Johnson went in for the layup and promptly was stuffed by Gunnels.

Cooter's Caleb Gunnels is swarmed under the board at Saturday's C1D1 championship game at Clarkton.Photo by Steve Hankins

“Caleb Gunnels is a really good player,” McBroom emphasized. “He's a problem in the best sense of the word.”

That initial series of possessions continued and found the Wildcats' Tyson Banks zeroing in on a three-point target. That shot attempt failed. The ball was rebounded by Gorman who attempted a layup and missed.

Cooter rebounded and the Wildcats' Ethan Strickland took control. Strickland slowed the game's roll before passing off to Gunnels at the top of the key. Gunnels passed off to Jayden McLevain, who drove inside and missed an attempted layup. Gunnels rebounded, was swamped under the board and drew a foul.

Gunnels stepped to the line and took aim. He hit the first foul shot, but missed the second.

The Wildcats drew first blood from the foul line, 1-0 Cooter with 6:59 left in the first quarter.

Clarkton's Johnson was relayed the ball and attempted a layup, failed but rebounded his own shot and went up for a goal, 2-1 Clarkton.

The game progressed and seconds later, after three Wildcats' attempts at the glass, Gunnels rebounded and sank a bucket, 3-2 Cooter.

Clarkton junior Kaleb Hunter with his cut of the net at Saturday's C1D1 championship at Clarkton.Photo by Steve Hankins

The Reindeer worked the ball under the glass only to have Gunnels again stuff the shot. Gunnels grabbed the ball, drove coast-to-coast and was overwhelmed by a Reindeer defense led then by Gunnels' Clarkton counterpart, Kaleb Hunter.

Clarkton's Caleb Godsey, Gorman, Johnson, Juarez and Hunter were unmerciful and unflinching in their efforts to shut down the Wildcats' center.

Gunnels tossed up a shot, missed, Gorman rebounded and lost control of the ball when it bounced off his shoe during a drive. The score stood at 3-2 with 5:05 remaining to play in the first period.

The Wildcats were up by three 11-8 entering the second quarter.

A few minutes into the second and the score 16-10 Wildcats found Clarkton's Juarez aiming for three and sinking his only trip of the game, a really beautiful shot, 16-13 Wildcats with 4:51 left to play in the second.

Clarkton's Amauri Gorman descends with a rebound at Saturday's C1D1title game at Clarkton.Photo by Steve Hankins

Wildcats' ball and running a wicked offense left Ryce Lynn to shoot. Lynn missed, Clarkton's Gorman rebounded, traveled uptown to lay in a bucket and nudged the Reindeer closer to the Wildcats, 16-15 Cooter.

Gunnels was called for a foul that sent a number of fans into momentary delirium. Mathis, visibly upset, scolded his center on the court as he pulled Gunnels from the game and pointed him toward the bench.

The contest resumed immediately with Gorman scoring and the Reindeer took the lead 17-16 with 3:40 left in the half.

The Wildcats' Strickland drove in for a layup, missed and the rebound was passed to Lynn, who this time fired a three-point missile from the top of the key that landed and the lead flipped back to Cooter, 19-17, 2:27 left to play.

Clarkton's Alex Juarez with his portion of the net cut at Saturday's C1D1 Title game against Cooter.Photo by Steve Hankins

The Reindeer found Juarez open, he aced a two-point goal and tied the score 19-19 with 1:53 remaining to play in the half.

Strickland took the ball, drove inside and drew a foul. He sank two and the Wildcats were on top 21-19.

The half closed with Gunnels remanded to the bench and after McLevain fought his way to the basket to score, 23-19 Wildcats.

With 4:48 left to play in the third period and Gunnels reinstated to the floor, Clarkton's Johnson missed a layup, rebounded his own shot, attempted a second, was overrun by defenders and the ball was rebounded by Clarkton's Caleb Guyton. Guyton sank a nice layup, scored two of his total four points and the score was 28-23.

After a Cooter failed three-point attempt, Gorman rebounded and flew east-to-west to lay in a bucket, 28-25 Cooter.

The game continued with Gorman on a roll and the Reindeer's fearless brick-house of a player Clayton Godsey muscled his way under the board to score, 28-27 Cooter. Godsey drew a foul in the process, stepped to the line, sank it and tied the game at 28 each with 2:55 left in the third.

Clarkton's Amauri Gorman up for two against Cooter's Jayden McLevain Saturday at the C1D1 championship game at Clarkton.Photo by Steve Hankins

Gorman began a six-point run, laid in a bucket and Clarkton took the lead 30-28 with 2:39 remaining on the third-period clock.

Gunnels again committed a foul, Cooter lost control of the ball to the Reindeer and Mathis pointed his center to the bench for the second time in the game.

Clarkton passed the ball among the players and after a missed Gorman shot, Godsey powered under the glass, rebounded, scored and stretched the Reindeer lead to 32-28 with two minutes remaining in the third period.

Clarkton defenders denied Cooter's attempt at a three-point goal and with the Clarkton stands ignited, Gorman continued his run. The 1,00-point senior hustled the ball from end-to-end and sank a layup for two, 34-28 Clarkton with less than two minutes remaining in the third.

Cooter's next goal attempt was no good, Clarkton rebounded and Gorman took control. The stands went wild as Gorman sprinted the length of the court to sink his third-straight bucket, 36-28 Reindeer. Time out Cooter.

The Reindeer came up with the ball in the next possession on Johnson's steal. Johnson blasted his way downtown for a goal and the Reindeer were up by 10, 38-28 with 58 seconds left in the third.

Not to be outgunned, the Wildcats' fought back and Tyson Banks put up a three, 38-31, Reindeer on top with 50 seconds remaining on the third-period timer.

Clarkton's Clayton Godsey with his cut of the net at Saturday's C1D1 championship game at Clarkton.Photo by Steve Hankins

Clarkton's Godsey, again with the ball, bullied his way to the goal and scored, 40-31 Reindeer at the end of three.

The final period opened with the Reindeer scoring, 42-31 Clarkton and found Reindeer Alex Juarez on his back grabbing his ankle.

Juarez walked it off and the game proceeded with Gunnels returning and the Reindeer losing control. The Wildcats' Lynn took aim and fired from outside the key for three, 42-34 Reindeer.

A rebound and a pass from Clarkton's Godsey to Gorman resulted in a Gorman layup for two, 44-34 Clarkton, 5:35 left in the game.

Cooter's Tyson Banks with the ball at Saturday's C1D1 title game at Clarkton.Phot by Steve Hankins

Cooter's Banks drew a Juarez foul and scored one of two foul shots, 44-35 Clarkton as excited spectators rocked the gym.

Gorman rebounded a Cooter miss and drove quickly downtown to land a jump shot, 46-35 Clarkton.

Cooter's Banks took over, ran in for a goal and was stuffed ferociously by Clarkton's Hunter.

Gorman attempted a three-point shot, missed and the Wildcats took possession. A Cooter failed layup attempt resulted in Clarkton's Johnson rebounding and muscling his way to the glass to score, 48-35 Clarkton with 3:37 remaining in the game.

A subsequent Cooter goal brought the tally to 48-37 Reindeer.

Clarkton's Amauri Gorman sails down court against Cooter's Caleb Gunnels Saturday at Clarkton. Photo by Steve Hankins

Clarkton's ball, Gorman defending, rebounding and gathering up to sail down court for a bucket, 50-37 Reindeer, 2:36 left n the game.

Ten seconds later, the Wildcats' Gunnels fought his way to a goal, 50-39 Reindeer.

A Gorman-to-Godsey pass resulted in Godsey drawing a foul as he attempted a layup. The game continued with the Wildcats taking control, Gunnels going up and missing a layup. Gorman came up with the ball, 1:11 left and a timeout called.

One minute remaining and here come the fouls, the result of two very physical, very hard-playing teams competing fiercely.

Gorman scored a foul shot for Clarkton and increased the Reindeer lead to 51-39, before Cooter's McLevain dropped a three from beyond the key, 51-42 Reindeer with less than a minute left to play.

Timeout, 51 seconds left in the championship game.

Another Cooter foul found Johnson at the line where he dropped one, 52-39 Reindeer.

A Cooter three-point attempt failed and Gorman rebounded. Gorman is fouled with 34 seconds on the clock. Gorman sank two foul shots and stretched the Reindeer lead to 54-39.

Cooter scored another goal, 54-41 Reindeer.

Cooter's McLevain with the ball, passed off to Lance Luay who fired a three-point bullet that found its way home and the game ended, 54-45 Reindeer.

“About five months ago I told Kaleb Hunter we were gonna win the district and he was gonna be a key part of it,” McBroom noted. “He was tonight.

“I'll say it again,” the coach added. “Caleb Gunnels is a really excellent player. Hunter did as good a job against Gunnels as anybody has this season. Kaleb Hunter, for the first time in his life, I think, this year pushed himself and he's seen the benefits of it. I'm just so proud of him.”

Clarkton's Kaleb Hunter on the deck as teammate Clayton Godsey fights his way to the glass among Cooter defenders Saturday at theC1D1 title game at Clarkton.Photo by Steve Hankins

Hunter said during postgame festivities that his second trip to the title was sweet.

“It was an awesome game,” Hunter said. “We just came out here and competed.

“It was a war going on,” he continued. “I just knew I had one job. That was trying to control Caleb Gunnels in the paint.”

The 6'7” Gunnels scored 30 points Thursday in Cooter's 78-64 semifinal victory over Delta C-7 (Deering).

Saturday the high -scoring center was limited to 12.

From left, Clarkton 2022 grad and 1,000-point scorer Caleb Plunkett, 2023 grad and 1,000-point scorer Owen Morgan, and 2024 grad and 1,000-point scorer Amauri Gorman with their C1D1 title plaques at Saturday's championship game at Clarkton.Photo by Steve Hankins

“I'm so proud of these kids,” McBroom said. “There were so many times that they could have rolled over, quit and given up on the year.

“We lost some games that we gave away,” the coach added. “We also play a really tough schedule. That's to prepare us for this. So this team was ready. Our record is 3-0.”