Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team begins sectional play today

Led by a group of eight juniors, the Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team heads into its Class 3 sectional with three consecutive district crowns.

Crusaders coach Sam Sides understands his program has come a long way.

"We've been riding a pretty good wave here," Sides said. "This junior class I have is really talented, but even before I got them, the class before them got second in the district. We showed much improvement as the year went on. This group came in as a whole, and we really started playing well.

"It's just beautiful to watch just how much they've matured and gotten better over the last three years, but they were pretty gifted when they came in. They just got a little bigger, stronger and faster, but their competitive nature has really set us up. Like I told them, they're setting records now that'll be here for a long time probably."

Saxony has a perfect 28-0 record and will take on Class 3 District 1 champion Twin Rivers (17-10) at 7:45 p.m. today at Dexter High School in Dexter, Missouri.

Several of the Royals' key contributors are senior Cheyenne Buie and juniors Hannah Baxter and Jaysea Morgan.

"I saw them play in a district tournament against a couple teams. They're a pretty strong, athletic bunch with basketball, softball and everything else," Sides said. "I watched them play, and they're scrappy. They get after you, and they play good defense. They're not real big. They're similar to us in that regard, but they play fast. Their intensity is good. That's what impressed me is how hard they play, so we'll have to be ready to go."

The Crusaders were without starting junior Maddie Brune when they claimed the Class 3 District 2 title with a 62-39 win over Arcadia Valley. Brune, who's known as one of the team's vocal leaders, was forced to miss the game after her flight home from a soccer showcase in Texas was delayed.

Sides said his players have shown their ability to bounce back from adversity all season.

"They're a close-knit bunch, and they watch out for each other. ... We played without three of those juniors the first three games of the year anyway -- injuries and whatnot, a concussion. We lost Ashlynn [Collier] the second game of the year. She's been gone all year with a knee injury," Sides said. "It's just something you kind of deal with and move on, but they handled it pretty well."

The winner will advance to a quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.

"We just try to stay where we're at, as far as maintaining our intensity because for us to be successful, we have to be intense and guard people hard," Sides said. "We're not very big, but we can shoot the ball. We just need to keep working on our shooting and ball-handling and keep focusing on the fundamentals, which are what got us here."

Boys Class 2 sectional

Scott County Central's Jeffery Porter takes a shot against Bernie in the Class 2 District 1 championship last week in Bloomfield, Missouri. The Braves will face Thayer in a sectional today at Three Rivers Community College. (David Jenkins)

Nothing came easy for Scott County Central to pick up its 31st district title.

Fueled by 34 second-half points from Braves guard Jeffery Porter, top-seeded SCC overcame a 13-point deficit in the first half and held on to claim its 12th straight district crown with a 73-63 win over No. 2 Bernie.

"You play for a program like Scott Central, you're expected to win district titles," Braves coach Frank Staple said. "This one this year was tough. It was a very tough district. Bernie's a really great team, and we were fortunate to come out of there with that win. I'm very proud of our boys.

"To win 12 in a row just says so much about just the tradition of the school and the players that have come through here. We're just excited about the opportunity to bring this one home."

SCC (23-4) and Thayer (18-9) will compete in a sectional at 6:30 p.m. today at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Thayer knocked off Neelyville 63-51 in the Class 2 District 2 championship on Monday.

The Bobcats are led by 6-foot-1 junior guard Ayden Henry, who averages 19.9 points per game. Junior Zach Horton (10.9 ppg) and sophomore Zyman Hangley (10.5 ppg) also average double figures for Thayer.

"We saw them some this summer. We didn't play them, but we saw them," Staple said. "They're a solid team. We tell the boys, 'At this point, everybody's good. Everybody's going to be a district champ.' ... We've just been fixing some things that we need to fix of our own."

The winner will move on to a quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Farmington Civic Center in Farmington, Missouri.

"We just have to come out with a lot of intensity," Staple said. "Going back to Friday, Bernie's just such a great team. They really put it to us in the first half, but what we learned is we just have to come a defensive intensity from the beginning. We have to make sure from an offensive standpoint that we're spacing the floor and moving the ball. We just have to make sure that everybody's playing to their maximum."

Girls Class 2 sectional

Chaffee coach Darrin Pruitt hugs his daughter, Jordan Pruitt, after the Lady Devils defeated Scott County Central last week in Bloomfield, Missouri, for their first district title since 1978. The Red Devils will face Neelyville in a sectional today at Three Rivers Community College. (David Jenkins)

Chaffee made history last week with a 63-49 win over Scott County Central in the district championship, becoming the school's first girls basketball team since 1978 to claim a district crown.

Red Devils coach Darrin Pruitt said it's all part of his plan in constructing a winning program.

"It's just a goal that I set out when I went down there to just try and do the best I could for the team and the school," Pruitt said. "This was obviously one of those big goals that we finally accomplished after four years."

Chaffee (22-5) will face Neelyville (21-4) in a sectional at 8 p.m. today at Three Rivers Community College. Neelyville upended Alton 75-53 for its fourth straight district title on Monday.

"Neelyville was in the tournament down there at Twin Rivers, so we did get the chance to actually watch them play," Pruitt said. "They obviously beat Dexter this year, so we know they're quick. And we know they have Shelby Moon, who scores a lot of points for them."

Moon, a 5-5 junior, and teammate Chelsea Petty, a 5-8 junior, are the Tigers' top floor leaders.

The winner will advance to a quarterfinal at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at the Farmington Civic Center.

Pruitt said consistency is the key in his team's postseason preparation.

"Other than just going over the [scouting report], we just practice our practice," Pruitt said. "We don't set out in any one practice ever to just say, 'Hey, we need to practice for this or for that.'"