The Jennings Warriors will be competing in the Final Four of the Missouri Class 4 state tournament this weekend in Columbia.
The fact that Jennings is in Mid-Missouri for another Final Four appearance is nothing new. However, the twist to the story is that it will be the Jennings girls making the trip to the Mizzou Arena for their very first taste of Final Four basketball. The boys have made several Final Four trips over the years, but they will play the role of cheerleaders for their female counterparts this weekend.
Jennings (20-8) will face Ozark (22-8) in the semifinals of the Missouri State High School Athletics Association state tournament at the University of Columbia at 1:45 p.m. The winner will face either St. James or Lincoln Prep Academy on Saturday afternoon for the state championship.
Jennings advanced to its first state tournament by defeating St. Francis Borgia 42-37 in the state quarterfinals at Hazelwood Central last Saturday. The Warriors also won their first-ever district title over Rosati-Kain in the process.
“I still can’t believe this is all happening,” said coach Theresa Kackley. “This feels great because we made history at our school. I’m so exciting for my girls. The seniors have been saying that they were going to state ever since they were freshmen and they made good on their promise.
“Sometimes, we have this stigma at Jennings that our kids have the potential, but when it comes to the moment, we don’t handle under the pressure. For our girls to keep fighting and not give in to the pressure says a lot about them and our school. This is great for our community. I can’t say enough about our girls and their will to win.”
The champions of the Suburban East Conference, Jennings seemed primed for a state run with an 11-game winning streak between January 7 and February 8. Then, adversity struck during the last week of the regular season. Kackley lost four starters and other key players for the next three games due to a variety of injuries and illness. What happened were three consecutive losses to Rock Bridge, St. Charles and Orchard Farm by an average margin of 22 points to close the regular season. What looked like a promising season was suddenly turning into potential postseason heartbreak.
“I was worried, because everyone was getting sick at the same time,” Kackley said. “We just needed to get healthy. Once that happened, I thought we would be good to go.”
Everyone returned to lineup just in time for the district tournament, which Jennings won with victories over St. Elizabeth and Rosati-Kain. A 41-38 victory over Villa Duchesne in the sectionals set up last Saturday’s thrilling victory over Borgia.
The Warriors have featured a balanced scoring attack, but the leader is 6’2″ senior center Maria Bratcher. A four-year starter, Bratcher had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in the victory over Borgia in the state quarterfinals. Bratcher is averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks this season. Bratcher has scored 1,437 points and grabbed 1,158 rebounds during her career.
“Maria has been wonderful during the postseason,” Kackley said. “She as enjoyed a great career at Jennings.”
Seniors Denita Brown and Ebony Smith have been with Bratcher on the varsity for the past four years. The 5’5″ Brown is averaging nearly 10 points and six rebounds a game while hitting a team high 41 3-pointers. Smith is the team’s primary ball handler averaging 8.3 points while leading the team in assists. Bratcher, Brown and Smith are part of a senior group that has been successful as a unit since their days in grade school.
A big key to Jennings’ success was the return of 5’9″ junior Brittany Noel to the lineup. Noel was one of the area’s top freshmen in 2003, but chose not to play basketball last season. Noel, who averages 10 points and six rebounds a game, is a versatile player who can play multiple positions. The fifth starter is 5’6″ junior Sabrina Morris.