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By Jim Wieners

McCluer North High School Boys Basketball and Incarnate Word Academy Girls Basketball will be heading to Columbia, Mo. March 11-12 for the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class Five Championships to be played at Mizzou Arena on the University of Missouri campus.

McCluer North will play the first of two Class Five Boys State Semifinal games, March 11 at 3:20 against Lee’s Summit North followed by a 5 p.m. contest between Troy-Buchanan and Columbia-Rock Bridge. Incarnate Word will close March 11 activity with an 8:20 game against Webb City after St. Joseph’s Academy has a 6:40 game against back-to-back state runner up Blue Springs.

Third place games for the March 11 losers will open play on March 12 as the boys tip off at 11:30 a.m. while the girls follow at 1:15. After completion of the Class Four state championship games, boys and girls, the boys Class Five championship game starts at 6:40 while the Class Five Girls championship game at 8:30 is the last game of the weekend.

McCluer North is making their third final four appearance in school history, all within the last five years. Current head coach Randy Reed guided the Stars to a 2007 State Championship but Webster Groves denied the Stars a chance at repeat in the 2008 title game.

McCluer North (27-4) avenged three losses by defeating these opponents in rematches in route to Columbia. In District Two at Hazelwood Central the Stars got payback against the top two teams in the Suburban North with wins over McCluer (68-56) and Hazelwood Central (60-44) after losing Feb. 7 at Hazelwood Central (81-63) and Feb. 9 at McCluer (65-58).

The Stars assured themselves a trip to Mizzou Arena with a 57-56 win March 5 at a jam-packed UMSL Mark Twain Building over previously undefeated Chaminade in the state quarterfinals three weeks after losing 76-58 before a sellout crowd at Lindenwood University’s Robert Hyland Arena and was televised on ESPNU.

McCluer North opened District Two play Feb. 21 with a 75-39 rout of Riverview Gardens and was a 63-51 Sectional winner March 2 over Cape Girardeau Central at the Farmington Civic Center.

Incarnate Word (25-4) is making their 10 final four appearance and the defending state champion is seeking their fourth title and their first repeat title. IWA won Class 3A in 1995 when Jim Johnson was the head coach and also won in 2006 with now current head coach Dan Rolfes. IWA was second to Rock Bridge in 2008, took third place in 1993 (3A), 1996 (3A), 2004 and 2005 and was fourth in 1999 (3A).

IWA  is seeking to avenge losses to the other three teams that are in this year’s final four. The Red Knights lost to Webb City, 61-57 Jan. 8 at CBC, at home Jan. 14 to Blue Springs, 43-42, and at MWAA White Division Champion St. Joseph’s Academy, 61-53, Jan. 29. Incarnate defeated St. Joe, 64-63, in the Visitation Academy Christmas Tournament Championship Dec. 27, 2010.

IWA began their road to Columbia by winning the District Five championship late February at DeSmet, hammering Parkway North, 74-28, and Hazelwood West, 72-40. In the March 2 sectionals at Meramec the Red Knights more than doubled the score on Kirkwood, 48-45. However, in the March 5 Quarterfinal at UMSLs Mark Twain Building IWA pulled off a 48-45 win over Fort Zumwalt West on an off-balance three-pointer by freshman guard Nakiah Bell with no time left in the fourth quarter.

MORE BOYS-Lee’s Summit North (21-6) is making their first state semifinal appearance, defeating Blue Springs, 66-62, and Blue Springs South, 60-55, in District 14, Ruskin, 45-40, in the sectional and Liberty, 52-41 in the quarterfinal. Troy Buchanan (19-8) is in their ninth final four appearance after winning District Seven at home — over Francis Howell, 61-41, and Fort Zumwalt West, 56-42 — won the sectional at Maryville University over Fort Zumwalt North, 51-37, and the quarterfinal at UMSL over DeSmet, 68-56. Rock Bridge (24-4) is in their sixth final four after winning District Nine — over Columbia-Hickman, 60-46, and Jefferson City, 71-48 — winning the sectional over Waynesville, 68-46, and the quarterfinal over Branson, 57-45.

Troy-Buchanan and Rock Bridge are each seeking their first state title. Troy Buchanan took second in 1960 (Class M), took third in 1954 (Class B) and finished fourth six times, most recently in 1999 (Class 4A). Rock Bridge, who is less than three miles from Mizzou Arena, finished third four times, most recently in 2008 and was fourth in 1975 (Class 3A)

MORE GIRLS–St. Joseph’s Academy, which defeated Blue Springs 71-69 on Jan. 15, is making their 13th state final four appearance and is looking for their seventh state title. The Angels won in 1975 (Class AA), 1991 (Class 4A), 1992, (Class 4A), 1993 (Class 4A),  1994 (Class 4A) and 2004, finished second in 1978 (Class 3A), 1979 (Class 3A), 1999 (Class 4A) and 2003, third in 2008 and fourth in 1981 (Class 4A)  St. Joe (27-3) won District Three at Webster Groves over Ursuline Academy,  60-27, and Nerinx Hall, 56-37, and in state games at UMSL won over Lafayette, 65-47 and over Hazelwood Central, 56-34..

Webb City (27-2) is making their second state final four appearance after finishing second in Class Four in 2009. In District 12 Webb City won over Willard, 70-26, and Springfield-Central, 70-43, then won over Ozark, 59-49, in the sectional and  West Plains, 68-50, in the quarterfinal

Blue Springs (27-2) is in their third straight final four appearance, sixth overall, after finishing second the last two years (2009-2010), took third in 1999 (Class 4A) and fourth two times (1991, 1997, both in 4A)..

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