Missouri Boy's and Girl's Class One through Three State Tournament Picks

Missouri Boy's and Girl's Class One through Three State Tournament Picks - March 7th, 2021

March 07, 2021

It has been an interesting run-up to the State tournaments for Missouri Boys and Girls, especially with the pandemic hanging over the entire season. It is gratifying just to see a series of state tournaments on the near horizon when we did not know if there would even be a season. At this time last year, in the early stages of the coronavirus, when state tournaments were cancelled, little did we realize what a tumultuous year it would be.

For me, the ratings have been satisfying. I feel like the statistics are working and the predictability of spreads has been quite good. Over the last week, I have rated 323 games and gotten 78% right. Although I have doing boys longer than girls, the girl's predictions are slightly better than the boys.

But you do not care about past predictions, do you? You want to know what is happening on March 12th and 13th, right?

So, it comes down to four teams in each class for boys and girls classes one, two and three. Some of them will be very competitive and some will not. Let's take a look:

Girls Championships

In class one, South Iron has a chance to join the Panther boys for dual state championships, assuming the boys win out. Unfortunately, while South Iron might get past Leeton, I do not think they can beat Walnut Grove. The championship goes to Walnut Grove.

In class two, Blue Eye and Wellington-Napoleon are clear semi-final favorites but the championship is a toss-up, but I give Blue Eye a slight edge. The championship game is a coin toss PickEm.

In class three, the Lift for Life girls also have an opportunity to join their counterpart boys team as state champions but I think Steelville has a slight edge. Only Scott County Central boys and girls have every both won a championship in the same year and they have done it FIVE TIMES. Look for Skyline to edge Steelville in the championship game.

Boys Championships

The boys class two championship could any way but class one South Iron and class three Hartville have the clear edge in their tournaments.

In class one, South Iron will knock off Higbee and Mound City should have a slight edge over St. Elizabeth. South Iron should easily handle Mound City in the final.

In class two, any of the four teams could conceivably win but I give a slight edge to North Andrew, who knocked off favorite Lakeland this weekend. Campbell has a slight edge over Norwood but both teams have a shot at the title. North Andrew is five points better than Salisbury but that is not much of an advantage. North Andrew is my pick for class two champions but it could be any of the four teams.

In class three, Lift for Life has a chance to make history with their girls, but Hartville may be too much to handle. A tough Monroe City team should knock out Summit Christian but may not be up to the task against Hartville in the final. Class three champion is Hartville.