Semoball in CoMo: Day 1 recap

Posted Friday, March 11, 2016, at 2:05 PM

Southeast Missouri was represented by five teams at the small-school state basketball tournaments, and three of those teams will compete for state championships on Saturday.

The Class 1, 2 and 3 girls state championships will feature schools from Southeast Missouri, including a pair of teams from the Ozark Foothills Conference located only seven miles apart.

Callee Pickrell scored a game-high 17 points in Naylor's 37-32 win over Walnut Grove in a Class 1 semifinal, while conference rival Neelyville eased past New Franklin 63-45 in a Class 2 semifinal. Both teams will compete for state titles on Saturday -- Naylor will square off against Mound City at 6:20 p.m., and Neelyville will face three-time defending state champion Crane at 2:40 p.m.

The Saxony Lutheran girls, led by a senior-heavy group, will also play for a state championship when they take on Strafford at 11 a.m. Saturday. Led by 14 points and 10 rebounds from Maddie Brune, the Crusaders powered past Southern Boone in the fourth quarter and came away with a 53-40 victory in a Class 3 semifinal.

A pair of boys squads from Southeast Missouri -- Bloomfield in Class 2 and Gideon in Class 1 -- went to overtime and lost, sending them to Friday's third-place action.

The Wildcats got 27 points and nine rebounds from Noah Vandiver, but it still wasn't enough to upend Iberia, which scored all 14 of its overtime points from the charity stripe to secure a 65-58 victory in a state semifinal. Bloomfield will go up against Wellington-Napoleon in the third-place game at 4:15 p.m.

Gideon will take on Glasgow for third place at 7:45 p.m. Kason Lawrence finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for the Bulldogs, who dropped a 59-54 decision.

For Neelyville and Naylor updates, follow @semoballBen on Twitter, and for updates from Saxony Lutheran and Gideon, follow @semoballTrent. Scott Borkgren will provide updates @semoballScott for followers of Bloomfield.

While you're at it, be sure to follow @semoball and @darsports for local sports updates from around the area.

Updated state tournament brackets can be found here.