David vs. Goliath: Oak Ridge takes on Delta for district title

Delta will take on Oak Ridge for the Class 1 District 1 championship on Friday, Feb. 23 at Scott County Central High School in Sikeston, Mo.

Delta is the overwhelming favorite. The Lady Cats’ 26 wins are the most since their state runner-up season in 2022. They average 82.1 points per game and hold opponents to 38.6 per game.

The Lady Cats dominated the FSCB Holiday Classic and Scott-Miss Conference Tournament and have scored over 100 points in seven games this season. After defeating the hosting Bravettes 108-31 on Feb. 21, there seems to be no stopping Delta.

Oak Ridge is the David to Delta’s Goliath. The Blue Jays enter the final round with a 46-29 win over St. Paul that same day. Reagan Howe, as she has throughout the season, led the Blue Jays with 14 points and 10 rebounds to give Oak Ridge its program record 16th win. It’s also the Blue Jays’ first-ever winning season in their five-year history.

“No matter the outcome on Friday, we have surpassed our team goals this year and I could not be more proud of my team,” Oak Ridge head coach Julie Ward said. “We have had a good year for girls' basketball at Oak Ridge.”

__Class 3 District 2: Saxony Lutheran vs. Scott City__

As the boys' version of the Class 3 District 2 tournament is considered the “district of death”, so too can be said of the girl's version. Scott City and Saxony Lutheran will duke it out for the title on Friday, Feb. 23 in Bloomfield, Mo.

The Lady Rams edged Kelly 45-35 in the semifinals, led by the duo of Lilyan Landis (13 points) and Mackenzie Lawless (10 points).

Kelly senior Jada Griggs, who recently passed the 1,000-point benchmark, ends her career with a bang, as she led the Hawks with a game-high 20 points.

Scott City enters the final round with an 18-8 record, its most since going 21-6 in 2022. The Rams are looking for their first district championship since 2011.

Saxony Lutheran made it back to the finals after a 66-47 win over Woodland in the semifinal, ending the Cardinals’ run of three-straight district titles. The Crusaders (17-8) haven’t won a district title since leaving Class 3 District 2 in 2020. Prior to that, they enjoyed a run of eight straight championships.

__Perryville prepares for Class 4 district tournaments__

Class 4 through Class 6 will begin their district tournaments next week at various locations. The Perryville girls' basketball team enter the Class District 2 Tournament in Park Hills, Mo., after beating Windsor 56-36 on Wednesday to close out the regular season 18-8.

This is the first time since MSHSAA.org started keeping track of historical records (2009) that Perryville finished the season with 18 wins. The Lady Pirates take on the Ste. Genevive (12-14) on Feb. 28.

If the Perryville boys basketball team will have a chance at winning any game in the Class 4 District 1 Tournament, it be dependent on the sharpshooting of junior Jake Cissell.

The Pirates lost 54-40 against Ste. Genevive at home on Thursday, Feb. 22, but Cissell became the school record holder for three-point baskets in the single season with 90. He recently became the school career leader in three-pointers and currently has 154 made three-pointers with one more year to go.

The Pirates (2-23) will begin the Class 4 District 1 Tournament against Kennett (5-18) on Feb. 27 in Ste. Genevive, Mo.