11-2-23 Boys Postseason #4
by Admin on 11/02/23
November 2, Boys Postseason #4
The postseason march to a championship season or a Final Four berth almost always comes with adversity and “that moment” that separates those who advance and those who don’t.
Two-time defending C4 champ and overall #1 Rockhurst faced that moment last night.
Seemingly cruising toward its 12th straight district championship in D6 against #3 Ray-Pec, the Hawklets led 2-0 with under seven minutes to play. Then things got interesting.
The Panthers scored twice within three minutes, forcing OT and certainly stunning the 20-0 Hawklets, and bringing both teams to “that moment.”
Once again, Rockhurst found a way behind 2022 MO Class 4 Player of the Year Baka Kante. Kante scored twice, including the game-winner on a penalty in OT to propel Rockhurst into a quarterfinal next Saturday in Springfield.
C3 D5 2 seed (#10 overall) Springfield Catholic also faced its crucial moment - Monday in the district semi against Rolla. Trailing by a goal with just 16 seconds to play, the Irish forced OT and won it there, leading to last night’s 3-0 district championship win over #4 Cap City in Jefferson City’s D5 final. The Irish took advantage of two precision first half finishes to get some separation and then a late breakaway sealed it. Catholic advances to host the quarter Saturday vs. the C3 D6 winner.
C3 D8 #1 East KC cruised to a 5-0 win over #2 Platte Co. in a game that was only separated by .01 in the MPR. A statement win for the 16-2 Bears, last year’s C3 second place squad.
C2 D8 #1 Excelsior Springs also advanced with a 2-0 win over #3 Bishop LeBlond. The Tigers are shooting for a third consecutive Final Four after 3rd place finishes in 2021 and 2022.
C1 #1 D8 Maryville punched its ticket to the quarters by knocking off #2 Cristo Rey 4-1. The 15-3 Spoofhounds won their 4th consecutive district.
Some other games of note from the 11-1 slate:
C1 D3 #3 STEAM Academy, a -1.80 underdog to #2 Soldan, used a solid offensive game to win 5-3, where it will take on heavily-favored Duchesne in the final.
C1 D5 #3 Green Ridge (12-12) surprised #2 Smithton (16-8) 2-1 to advance to tonight’s final in Stover. Green Ridge had lost three previous games against Smithton this year and will now face the host squad for the fourth time. Green Ridge won the season opener 4-2, but Stover earned 2-1 and 6-1 wins later in the season.
C3 D4 #2 Hannibal saw its season end against #3 Ft. Zumwalt South, -.58 underdogs, 3-1. The Bulldogs have spent the past two years under .500 after winning three of four C3 titles, but found a way to advance to another championship against #1 Ft. Zumwalt East, 2-0 winners over #4 Holt. East beat South 2-1 in 2OT in the regular season.
On to tonight’s schedule, where 13 titles will be decided amongst the 31 matches. Nine districts will play semis.
C1 D3 #1 Duchesne (18-7) (+3.01) vs. #3 STEAM (7-14)
C1 D5 #1 Stover (15-11) vs. #3 Green Ridge (+.06) (12-12)
C1 D7 #1 Lone Jack (10-8-1) (+.11) vs. #2 College Heights Christian (9-11)
C2 D2 #1 Westminster Christian (17-5) (+.27) vs. #2 Clayton (16-6)
C2 D4 #3 Fulton (13-10) (+.33) vs. #4 School of the Osage (7-15-1)
C2 D6 #3 St. Paul Lutheran (15-9) vs. #4 Sacred Heart (22-4) (+.67)
C3 D1 #1 Farmington (12-6) vs. #3 Cape Notre Dame (14-11) (+.33)
C3 D2 #1 Rockwood Summit (17-4-1) (+.82) vs. #2 Borgia (18-7)
C3 D3 #2 Whitfield (12-9) (+.28) vs. #5 Ladue (9-14) Note: Ladue trying to win as #5 seed…hasn’t been done in the recent format.
C3 D7 #2 Raytown (16-3-1) vs. #4 Van Horn (12-10) (+.12)
C4 D7 #1 Rock Bridge (17-6-3) (+.34) vs. #2 Blue Springs South (10-10)
C4 D8 #1 Park Hill South (17-2-1) (+.67) vs. #2 Park Hill (12-7)
A quick note: After 146 postseason games so far, the MPR has accurately picked 115 (79%), while the district seedings have been correct 114 times (78%). The average upset loss of MPR teams is .4528, which basically stays consistent with our findings over the past few years of doing this.
Enjoy tonight everyone!
