Central Returns, Potosi Upsets, District Championship Is Set

(Ste. Genevieve) In the Class 4 District 2 Semifinals tonight, Central and Potosi boys basketball squads carved their path to the district championship game.

In the first semifinal, Central ran away with the win against the Herculaneum Blackcats 73-54. The fifth-seeded Blackcats started off strong and were more than capable of stepping toe-to-toe with the top seed Central Rebels, playing gritty defense and turning steals into points.

Late in the second quarter, the Rebels got some big contributions from sophomore guard Caden Casey to create space from Herky. They went into halftime up 9.

The second half was all about the free-throw as Central made numerous trips to the charity stripe. In total, Central shot 39 free throws and converted 28. The Rebels would sustain a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

Head Coach Brad Gross said he got contributions from everybody.

Kendall Horton was our Applebee’s of Farmington Player of the Game with 16 points, but 4 other Rebels also finished in double-digit scoring. Central improves to 19-5 and advances to the district championship for the second year in a row. Herculaneum ends their season with a record of 17-9, their best season since 1985.

In the fourth and final meeting of the season, the Trojans of Potosi were finally able to slay the Dragons of Ste. Genevieve, 44-36. The Trojans set the tone early with tough defense and offensive rebounding.

Potosi led 26-20 at the half. The Dragons trailed by as much as 12 in the game but kept fighting til the end.

In the end, Potosi made the plays to pull through.

Freshman Carter Whitley was the Applebee’s of Farmington Player of the Game with 13 points.

Ste. Gen defeated Potosi in the first three meetings of the season. Trojans coach Jackson Conaway says that didn’t matter to his kids.

Potosi improves to 15-11 and will face Central in the championship game Thursday night on J-98. Ste. Genevieve’s historic season comes to an end at 19-8.

Coach Brad Gross: