Columbia, MO – The Lift for Life girls basketball team surprised many people around the state in 2021 when they came from nowhere to win the Class 3 state championship.
This week, the Hawks returned to the Final Four as a young, powerhouse unit and it showed as they defeated Park Hills Central 75-57 on Thursday night to win the Class 4 state championship at The Mizzou Arena on the campus of the University of Missouri.
The Hawks broke open a close game in the third quarter as they sprinted to their second state championship in four years. A game Park Hills Central team had cut the Hawks lead to 38-36 midway through the third quarter, but the Hawks went on a 26-6 run to end the quarter with 64-42 lead.
The final four minutes of that third quarter was Lift for Life basketball at its best as its speed and pressure defense overwhelmed a tiring Central team. Whether it was a Zha Harris steal, an Amaya Manuel drive, a Diamond Polk 3-pointer or a Paige Fowler offensive rebound and putback, the Hawks were relentless as they took total control of the game.
“Our coach pretty much said that this season, the third quarter has been our best quarter,” said Fowler, who is one of only two seniors on the team. “And I felt like them being that close kind of lit a fire under us and we knew that we didn’t want to lose.”
Amaya Manuel, a talented freshman guard finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals. She led a group of five Hawks players who finished in double figures. Harris, a sophomore guard, finished with 18 points, four rebounds, five assists and a game-high nine steals.
Fowler, a 5’9” forward, scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Cara Manuel, the freshman twin sister of Amaya Manuel scored 11 points while Polk finished with 10 points.
When the final buzzer sounded, the girls sprinted across the court to their cheering section to share the moment with their fellow students, which included the Hawks boys basketball team.
“Our school has supported us so much and our fans have supported us,” said head coach Chantell Polk. “So, I felt it was only right for us to go over there and support them.
*314 Day in Columbia
On 314 Day in St. Louis, three St. Louis area teams celebrated the day by winning state championships. Joining the Lift for Life girls were the girls from John Burroughs and the boys from DeSmet.
John Burroughs defeated Lutheran St. Charles 57-41 to win the Class 5 state championship. It was the second state title in three years for the Bombers, who were led by senior guard Allie Turner’s 24 points. Junior guard BreAunna Ward added 10 points while senior Alice Crowley had eight.
DeSmet won the Class 5 boys state title with a 75-56 victory over Jefferson City. It was the Spartans first state championship since 1999. The Spartans put on one of the great shooting displays in state tournament history on Thursday as they made 11 of their 17 3-point attempts, which was good for 64 percent. DeSmet shot 90 percent in the first half as they made 10 of 11 from long range.
Junior guard Riley Massey led the way with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. Junior guard Dillon Duff scored 17 points, and he really got the Spartans rolling with five 3-pointers in the first quarter. Freshman guard Will Foulk came off the bench to score 12 points while Liam Russo and Jordan Boyd finished with nine points each.
Vianney brought home a third-place trophy as it defeated Winnetonka 76-57. The Golden Griffins were led by 7’3” sophomore Symon Ghai, who finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. Junior guard Luke Walsh finished with 19 points, five rebounds and six assists and sophomore Eddie Smajic finished with 22 points.
