C2D3: Big-game experience shows for Puxico in rout of Charleston

BLOOMFIELD – For the fourth time this season, and ninth time in the past two years, the Puxico High School varsity boys basketball program was playing in a game with a championship riding on the outcome.

That experience showed from the opening tip on Friday, as the Indians demolished perennial postseason power Charleston 67-42 in the title game of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 tournament at Bloomfield High School.

“We moved the ball,” fourth-year Puxico coach Bryant Fernetti said of his team’s offensive success. “We were patient. We found some mismatches here and there.”

The Indians (25-3) stormed out of the gate and hit virtually every shot they took in the opening period.

Puxico hit 3-pointers, hit spin moves in the lane, hit lay-ins, hit mid-range jumpers… it was clicking offensively, as Fernetti’s kids took a 22-6 lead early in the second quarter.

“The kids did a good job of finding who we needed to get the ball to,” Fernetti said.

In the opening half, Puxico, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 2, got seven points from junior guard Landan Burchard, 14 points from junior guard Jett Hancock, and six points each from senior frontcourt players Karsyn Long and Scyler Zimmerman.

While the Indians, who won this district title for the second straight season, were cruising offensively, their defense was stymieing the Bluejays (14-11).

Charleston, which had won 14 consecutive district championships prior to Friday, was limited to just two baskets in the first quarter and trailed 36-20 at the intermission.

“We had a plan,” Fernetti explained, “We knew what we wanted to do to try and gap it (shutting off lanes) and try to make them make jump shots and then rebound.

“We knew coming into the game that rebounding was the key, and we rebounded well.”

The Bluejays played the Indians competitively in the second and third quarters but couldn’t make up for that devastating opening eight minutes.

In the final period, Burchard, Hancock, Zimmerman, and Long totaled just five combined points, but Puxico didn’t need much offense from those guys, because senior guard Mason Parsley took over the game late.

Parsley scored nine of his 11 points in the final stretch of play.

“Mason is a good player,” Fernetti said, “so if somebody else puts their fourth or fifth-best player on him, he’s going to have a mismatch.

“He can do that.”

The Indians, who won the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament, Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament, and the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament this season, nailed 14 of their 17 free throw attempts and were never threatened following the opening minutes of the game.

“A lot of our guys were (in the District championship) last year,” Fernetti said of his team’s experience in winning. “The Christmas Tournament, District, Sectional, and Quarterfinal (all last year), and we played anybody we could play over the summer.

“That is why we are here.”

Hancock paced his team with 18 points while Burchard added 12, Zimmerman had eight, and Long chipped in seven points.

Charleston, which has just three seniors in its eight-man rotation, was led by sophomores Treshaun Schandon and Demaurion Lane with nine points each.

Bluejay senior Tayshon Clark tallied eight points and sophomore Shilyn Henderson finished with seven points.

Puxico moves on to play Valley (20-5) in the MSHSAA Class 2 Sectional 2 on Monday at 6 p.m. at Bloomfield High School.

Valley beat Meadow Heights 55-43 to win the MSHSAA Class 2 District 4 title.