The basketball team came out on top this past Thursday at Mizzou Arena, taking down Jefferson City High School 75-56, to be crowned the champions of the Class 5 state tournament.
“It’s originally what I came here to do, obviously coaching the guys and building up their overall skills and building them up as men is one thing,” Coach Kent Willams said, “but also being able to accomplish our goal we had at the beginning of the season, is pretty special for these guys as they had to deal with a few injuries and lower expectations from people other than ourselves, so we went out to prove it to everybody else.”
Just like in the state semifinal game against Winnetonka, the Spartans jumped out to a big first-quarter lead, going 7-for-7 from the three-point line, and held on to bring home the school’s sixth state title and first since 1999.
Riley Massey ’25 led the team in scoring with 21 points. Dillon Duff ’25 hit eight three-pointers and scored a team-high 35 points in two games at the state tournament.
“It’s great to be a part of something bigger than yourself,” Duff said. “It’s a moment we’ll remember forever and I can’t wait to see our names on the banner.”