Game Day, Baby - the Missouri Boys and Girls class five and six Championship Finals - March 20th, 2021

 Corrected 8:20am 

Did it feel like Christmas to anyone yesterday?  

It did to me.  I was watching first-round NCAA men's games, Missouri Girls and Boys semi-finals, and finals, and then packages started showing up, left and right, just like it was Christmas!  Of course, the Imperfect Foods fruit and vegetable box always come on Thursday and that is a treat.  You have never seen such humungous carrots or misshapen sweet or baked potatoes unless you order "Imperfect Foods".

But then the mail came, and I was delighted to find a big envelope in the mailbox (well, actually my wife did because I am using a walker to get around after foot surgery Tuesday).  And guess what it was?  A Wonderful gift from Ben Corrigan, a coach and health and physical education teacher and former athletic director from Roosevelt High School.  Ben was so pleased that I wrote about the Roughriders improbably district championship, that he sent me a gratis copy of his new publication called PHL History Record Book, in which he compiled every finish in the league, conference, district, and state playoffs for every Public High League team that has competed in the PHL over the past 109 years.  all 27 schools and sixteen sports.  Ben did a deep dive into newspapers, school records, MSHSAA record books, and oral history to come up with this comprehensive compilation of every high school, including Yeatman which was later renamed Central.  With my foot propped up, while I have the TV and computer live stream going, I am catching up on the PHL history.

During the pandemic, I have "met" a lot of great people while compiling my boy's and girl's ratings.  It has been a fun year, and I appreciate the gentle reminders that I "forgot about the BLANK girls, who are undefeated" and should be ranked ahead of all those others I focused upon.  Your feedback made my model better.

So, how are we doing?

There were some exciting games yesterday and I wasn't surprised.  I thought the two, class six boy's games were PickEm type games and they did not disappoint.  You might look in the box score and say, "What? Kickapoo blew out Chaminade by 18!" but if you were paying attention, it was 48-45 at the end of three and Nade was only down nine with 1:46 to go when Damien Mayo missed a slashing driving attempt at the rim that fell off.  After that, Chaminade would miss a shot. crash the boards and Poo would kick it out for a full-court dunk.  I think Poo had ten of their eighteen spread in the last minute, so it was a nail-biter.  The trio of Anton Brookshire, Trevon Brazile, and Isaac Haney (but you can't forget Liggins and Lowry) was too much for Chaminade and I lean toward that indomitable group to carry the day for Poo in the final.  Chaminade relied too much on the three-point shot.  When they got the ball inside to Tarris Reed, they stayed close, but the three-shot was just too unreliable, especially when you are shooting 22% from behind the line, and trying to close the gap late.

In the second game, the long and versatile Fort Zumwalt North squad could not stop the drives to the rim by Bennett Stirzt or the long-range shots by Javion Byers.  KJ Lee was quiet for most of the game, after missing a handful of shots early.  After that, the team was feeding the beast, Connor Turnball, who had 25 points.  Too bad the Panthers could not have gotten KJ involved early in the second half.  The outcome might have been different.  I had not seen Liberty play before (actually, I hardly watch any games because my ratings are based on final scores, not my juvenile player evaluation skills) but the Bluejays remind me of a "lunch pail" type team.  Competent, rugged, working-class guys that bring a lunch pail to the job site.  Nothing extraordinary, except that they win games with physicality, effort, and true grit.  Nothing flashy, everything crisp with first-rate team play.

I will give Kickapoo an edge tonight just because of Ant.  Anton Brookshire is a difference-maker and when the game gets down to the end, Brookshire will be the Go-To guy who will make the plays.  I rate these teams, although entirely different in styles, a PickEm game.  143.09 to 142.78 ratings.

So far, I have continued to hit predictions at a 80% clip so that makes me feel good about the mathematics for the ratings.  I will publish final class one through six ratings early next week.

Here is how I did yesterday:

Girls - five of seven correct on class four through six semi-finals.  Both Vashon and Kickapoo girls will not make history if the boys win.  There will be no double celebrations for those schools.

In class four, I am picking Mount Vernon over Boonville by 12

In class six, Incarnate Word should win by 16 over Webster Groves but I will root for The Stateswomen to prove me wrong.

Boys - six of seven correct of class four through six semi-finals.  

Congrats to the Cardinal Ritter Lions on another great season.  

In class four, Vashon gets by Westminster by 17.  Another title for the Wolverines.

In class six, the edge goes to Kickapoo.  Could be an overtime or buzzer-beater game.