By Brad Ziegler
Most of the South Kansas City area high schools have wrapped up their winter sports season, some at the state championship level, and a few area teams are still competing!
Boys and Girls Basketball
The Center High School boys basketball team (17-10) advanced to the Class 4 State Quarterfinals after defeating Nevada in the Class 4 Sectionals on Monday. They face St. Joseph Benton (26-3) on March 14 for a chance to advance to the semifinals of the state championship tournament. The Yellowjackets girls team finished the season with a record of 9-18.
The Grandview Bulldogs girls basketball team (19-8) defeated St. Michael the Archangel in the Class 5 District 7 championship game on Tuesday. They now advance to the Missouri Class 5 Sectional Round where they will face St. Teresa’s Academy (19-5) on Saturday. They are currently ranked 20th in Class 5 and are led by senior guards Jada Smith and Taniya Cruthird. The Grandview boys team finished 16-11, winning their last eight games prior to their district loss to Summit Christian Academy.
Rockhurst High School (23-4) defeated Raymore Peculiar for the Class 6 District 6 championship on March 10 and advanced to the Class 6 Sectionals on March 14, where they will face Nixa (26-2). The Hawklets are led by senior forward Callen Eskew and junior forward Kevin Sullivan.
Notre Dame de Sion (16-12) won the Class 4 District 13 championship game against Pleasant Hill and faced Boonville in sectional play on Tuesday, falling 37-35. The Storm is ranked 14 th in Class 4 and was led this season by senior forward Taelyn Smith and senior guard Abby Wendte.
The Belton Pirates boys basketball team completed their season with a 13-14 record, losing to St. Michael the Archangel in their Class 5 District 7 matchup. The girls team finished 10-17, starting the season losing ten straight games but finishing with six straight wins before falling in the second round of district play to Grandview.
The Lutheran High School boys finished their season 8-18, falling to Faith Christian in the Class 1 District 13 playoffs, while the Lady Knights team finished 1-19.
The Ruskin High School boys team started the season off with a 4-4 record but went 2-14 the rest of the way and lost to Summit Christian Academy in the Class 5 District 7 tournament. The Eagles girls team finished the season 1-20.
Barstow High School has completed their boys basketball season, finishing 8-19 after losing to Nevada in the Class 4 District 13 playoffs. Their girls team (7-11) finished the season with a loss to North Platte.
Wrestling
The Belton girls wrestling team won their fourth straight conference title and finished fifth at the Missouri Class 2 State Wrestling Championships, just two points out of second place in the team standings. It was the team’s third straight top ten team finish at the state championship meet.
The Pirates were led by junior Sydney Stifter, state champion in the 120 pound division, senior Louise Juitt, state champion in the 140 pound division, and senior Savannah Franklin, who finished third in the 135 pound division.
Franklin ended her high school career with the winningest record in Belton history, winning over 90% of her matches. Belton coach Greg Linhart described Franklin as “the face of Belton girls wrestling since her freshman year, also wrestling during her youth years with the Belton youth wrestling club. Many of our young girls today have grown up with Savannah as their role model and someone they want to emulate”.
Juitt ended her high school career with 193 victories, the most in Belton and Missouri girls high school wrestling history.
The Pirates boys wrestling team finished 19th at the Missouri Class 3 State Wrestling Championships and were led by junior Quinten Attebury, who finished fifth in the 175 pound division, and junior Jameson Lyons, who finished fourth in the 215 pound division.
Girls Swimming and Diving
The Missouri Girls State Swimming Championships were held February 21-22 and Notre Dame de Sion finished in sixth place as a team. The team was led by several outstanding individual performances, including junior Naya Narciso, the state champion in one meter diving, sophomore Stella Henderson, who finished fourth, and freshman Kate Sobba, who finished ninth. Sophomore Finley Glennon led a strong team effort in the swimming events, finishing fourth in the 50 yard freestyle and eighth in the 100 yard breaststroke.
Belton’s Emma Gillespie finished seventh in the diving championships.