North County, Festus try to get through Class 5 District 1 boys’ semis on J98

(DeSoto) The North County Raiders and Festus Tigers will try to earn a date with a championship game when they play in the Class 5 District 1 boys’ basketball semifinals Tuesday on J98.

The first semifinal will see North County take on top-seeded Cape Central.

While the Tigers are in the middle of a 20-win season and were receiving votes in the Class 5 state rankings, the fourth-seeded Raiders are red-hot.

North County’s quarterfinal win over the Hillsboro Hawks was their eighth in the last 11 games.

Despite being just 15-12 overall, senior Nolan Reed and juniors Layne Wigger and Andrew Civey are playing their best basketball right now.

Raiders head coach Jimmy Palmer says his guys believe they can defend their district title.

In the second semifinal, Festus seeks to stifle the Sikeston Bulldogs.

It’s been a dominant season for the 20-5 Tigers, powered by stars like junior Arhmad Branch and seniors Cole Rickermann and Eric Ruess.

Standing in the way of their first district title game since 2013 is a Sikeston team that is 17-10.

Festus head coach Jason Therrell says the key to dealing with the Bulldogs is dealing with their fast and furious style.

Festus faces Sikeston after North County takes on Cape Central.

Coverage from DeSoto begins Tuesday evening with the Flieg’s Equipment Pregame Show at 5:45 on J98.