NEW MADRID BOYS TO FACE REEDS SPRINGS IN CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS

NEW MADRID -- If anybody knows what it takes to win in Columbia, it's Lennies McFerren.

The veteran coach has made 11 appearances in the final four, claiming seven state titles at Charleston to form a dynasty that stretched over three decades. In his sixth year at New Madrid County Central, it appears he may have another dynasty in the making.

McFerren will make his 12th trip to Columbia on Friday, when his sophomore-dominated Eagles take on Reeds Spring in the state semifinals at 12:25 p.m.

NMCC has had an extraordinary season so far, but can such a young squad compete with the best 3A teams the state of Missouri has to offer? "I'm very comfortable taking this team up there," said McFerren. "I feel like these guys have proven they can play in all situations. This is for the championship, and the schedule we've played has really helped us get prepared for this weekend." Reeds Spring checks in with a solid 26-4 record, having defeated such highly-touted teams as Jefferson City, Parkview, Kickapoo, Nixa, Ozark and Logan-Rogersville.

"We have played good competition," said Reeds Spring head coach Doug Arnold. "The Central-Ozark Conference is the toughest conference in the state in my opinion.

"From what I've heard, I'm sure (NMCC) is going to guard us as well as anybody has all year long. That's just accredit to their coach, he did it at Charleston and he's getting the same results now at New Madrid." The Wolves win games on the defensive side of the ball as well, slowing down the speed of the game with their half-court offense. This season, Reeds Spring's motto has been "You can't win if you can't score," and that has been the case as they've held 17 opponents under 50 points.

"We just have to make them play at our speed and get them winded," said McFerren. "Our strength has been playing up-tempo. If they can withstand 32 minutes of our basketball, they deserve to win. Our ballclub doesn't play its best game walking the ball up the court and setting up the offense. We're going to have to make it a full-court game. (Reeds Spring) is very good at half-court. They're heady basketball players and are very deliberate. They've got size and they've got guards that can really break you down and penetrate." As a team, Reeds Spring shoots .502 from the field and .727 from the foul line, scoring 63.5 points a game with 29.8 rebounds on average.

Senior guard Mark Schweitzer (6-2, 185) is their most dangerous offensive player, averaging 16.4 points per game while shooting nearly 80 percent from the foul line. In the post, center Dan Durrer (6-7, 225) and Terry Zumalt (6-4, 230) are both averaging a little over 10 points a game, with 6.6 and 6.1 rebounds respectively.

Guard Greg Bittle (6-1, 170) is averaging 11.6 points per game, and pointman Ryan Brown isn't much of a scorer, but he's racked up 121 assists this season.

"We match up with them pretty well," said McFerren.

"They haven't been there before, and our guys haven't either, so everybody is going to be really excited about playing. I'm not looking for any change. I'm approaching this like a regular season game. If we took it any different, we would be asking for trouble.

"This game is just like the game we played in the championship of the Sikeston Tournament. We don't need to worry about winning the state championship, we need to worry about winning this game."

The most glaring weakness of Reeds Spring is their depth. Their starting five could play with any team in the state, but they only go six men deep. That could be a serious problem considering NMCC's style of play, but Arnold downplays the significance.

"A lot of times late in the postseason, it's a possession game," said Arnold. "Even though we don't play a lot of kids, we're in the best shape we've been in all year. Their dribble penetration is the concern.

It sounds like it's really hard to stay between them and the basket." Dereke Tipler (5-10, 160) is the engine to NMCC's offense, creating open shots off the dribble. His ability to knock down shots through the lane has forced opposing postmen to give help, opening up the baseline for Ronland Ranson (6-2, 195) and Ricky Smith (6-2, 190).

Byron Minner (5-10, 160) has been the big-time shooter for the Eagles this season, hitting the must-have basket when called upon, and Thomas Perkins (5-10, 160) has been the defensive stopper in the backcourt.

Terrance Smith, Daniel Perschbacher and Carnell Price have all been productive off the bench.