The theme of last weekend’s Missouri Class 4 and 5 state basketball championships in Springfield was simple; repeat.
The boys of Webster Groves and girls of Incarnate Word Academy and Kirkwood came to the Final Four on a mission to defend their state championships from last season and that is exactly what happened.
Webster Groves had the hardest job of the three, but the Statesmen came through to defeat Chaminade 101-90 for the Class 5 state championship in an All-St. Louis final.
Incarnate Word was dominant in defeating Carl Junction 69-35 to win the Class 4 girls state championship. Not only was it a repeat for the Red Knights, it was also five state titles in six years and nine overall for the top girls’ basketball dynasty in the state of Missouri.
Kirkwood won its second successive state title with an impressive 67-50 victory over Springfield Kickapoo in the Class 5 state championship game. With the victory, the Pioneers were able to gain some revenge on a Kickapoo team that defeated them for the state championship in 2016.
For the Statesmen, it was their third state championship in the past 10 years and fourth overall. They had five players score in double figures, led by five-star point guard Courtney Ramey, who had 27 points, six rebounds and six assists against Chaminade. Saint Louis U. bound forward Carte’are Gordon had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Junior guard Ray Adams had 17points, including five 3-pointers while senior R.J. Wright and junior Amorey Womack had 16 points each. Gordon scored a career-high 40 points the Statesmen’s 81-61 victory over Liberty in the semifinals.
Chaminade’s Jericole Hellems closed out his stellar career with a couple of big performances in the Final Four. The North Carolina State signee had 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the finals against Webster Groves. He also had 31 points and 11 rebounds in the Red Devils’ 80-77 victory over Rock Bridge.
Kirkwood’s girls used a balanced attack in their victory over Kickapoo in the championship game. Senior guard Jaidah Stewart led the way with 22 points, seven rebounds and five 3-pointers. Senior guard Jayla Everett had 15 points and seven assists, senior guard Makayla Wallace had 14 points, five assists and five steals and sophomore forward Natalie Bruns had 12 points and six blocks. Everett and Stewart combined for 30 points in the Pioneers’ 51-29 victory over Liberty in the state semifinals.
Incarnate Word ran away and hid from Carl Junction in the Class 4 finals as senior guard Nakalya Jackson-Morris scored 18 points and senior guard Sonya Morris added 17 points. The semifinal game was a different story as the Red Knights survived a 49-47 thriller against Kearney in overtime. Jackson-Morris scored on a three-point play in the overtime period for the game-winner. Jackson-Morris finished with 12 points while center Rickie Woltman scored a game-high 14 points for IWA.
The Jennings High boys were making their first Final Four appearance since the 2000 season and the Warriors came away with a third-place finish. After a narrow 61-57 loss to Raytown South in the semifinals, the Warriors came back to defeat Sikeston 79-74 in overtime to take home the third place trophy. Standout senior guard Kyle Younge, Jr. scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Warriors while fellow guard Terran Jackson had 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Senior forward Jordan Brown had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 A pair of girls’ teams in St. Joseph’s Academy and Miller Career Academy were also participants in the Final Four last weekend. St. Joseph’s finished in third place in Class 5 and Career Academy took home a fourth-place trophy in the Class 4 state tournament.
