The Whitfield Warriors are headed to the Final Four of the Class 3 tournament this weekend in Columbia and went through quite a journey to get there.
Whitfield (25-5) will take on Father Tolton in the semifinals on Thursday afternoon at 3:20 p.m. at the Mizzou Arena. The winner will face either Barstow or Mountain Grove for the state championship on Saturday at 12:50 p.m. The third place game will be held on Friday at 12:45 p.m.
The road to the Final Four was quite an interesting one for Whitfield to say the least. After winning the District 4 championship, the Warriors were slated to take on Park Hills Central in the sectionals last Wednesday night. On the day of the game, it was learned that three of Park Hills Central’s top players would be suspended for the game along with its head coach. Whitfield went on to take a 63-48 victory.
In the quarterfinals, Whitfield defeated Caruthersville 67-63 in one of the most bizarre endings in the history of the state tournament. Last Saturday’s game took place at Jefferson College in Hillsboro. With the Warriors clinging to a one-point lead in the final minute of play, the lights suddenly went out in the gym. The game was delayed for 45 minutes while everyone stood around in darkness.
With the entire college campus in the dark, the game was moved to nearby Hillsboro High School for the exciting finish. And exciting it was. Whitfield trailed by three points near the end of regulation when senior guard Bryce Berry swished a 40-footer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Whitfield went on to win the game in the extra session to clinch its spot in the Final Four for the fourth time. The Warriors won the Class 2A state championship in 2000, finished third in 2008 and second in 2009.
The Warriors are led by 6’4” sophomore guard Torrence Watson, who is averaging 18 points a game. The talented Watson has already received scholarship offers from Division I schools such as Missouri, Saint Louis U. and Kansas State.
Watson gets plenty of support, much of which comes from the 6’0” Berry and fellow senior DeVaughn Rucker, a 6’5” forward. Berry is averaging 14 points a game and has been on a late-season surge with some big scoring games. Rucker is a versatile forward who plays every position on the floor. Senior Chadd Montgomery is a 6’0” guard who specializes in 3-point shooting.
The Warriors also have some young talent on the squad in sophomore guard Will Matthews, a powerful 6-footer who can score in the lane. Freshman forwards Cyrus Alexander and Luther Taylor are future standouts while junior Jordan Crouch and sophomore Amichee Ramsey provide backcourt depth.
Timberland makes history
Wentzville Timberland made history by winning their first ever district championship in boys’ basketball. The T-Wolves defeated host Troy 54-45 for the Class 5, District 3 championship. Senior forward Andrew Voss had 17 points, eight rebounds and six blocks to lead Timberland. The Wolves have been led all season by the 6’7” Voss and fellow seniors Enrique Tankins and Jahwan Sims.
Overtime thriller
Arguably the most exciting district championship game last week was the Class 5, District 5 girls’ showdown between Parkway North and Hazelwood Central. North pulled out a 68-67 overtime thriller to repeat as district champions. Sophomore guard Amaya Stovall scored 21 points to lead the Vikings, including the game-winner in the closing seconds. Senior forward Mya Johnson added 19 points and 14 rebounds. The Vikings were able to offset a spectacular performance by Central’s Kelsie Williams, who scored 35 points in the losing cause. Williams hit a remarkable eight of 10 from 3-point range.
