Bouncing is the name of the game around Boone County.
Almost every high school basketball team in the county has experienced some adversity in the past week, whether on the court or by the hand of Mother Nature.
Starting at Columbia, both Hickman teams are aiming for a rebound week. The Kewpie boys fell to Tolton 82-58 and at home 56-53 to Mexico; the girls suffered their second loss of the season 49-38 against Helias.
Those losses were hard pills for Hickman to swallow. The boys had foul issues against Tolton and couldn’t follow, while the girls had to foul and hope Helias would miss his free throws, which the Crusaders did not.
The Kewpie girls will have a tough test on their hands on Tuesday in an effort to bounce back. Hickman hits the road to play Troy Buchanan (9-4).
The Kewpie Boys will also be away from home this week, competing in the CW Stessman Tournament at Liberty. Hickman’s trainer, Cray Logan, will have had a few days to get his Kewpies into the theater, which he says is a necessity.
“We’re extremely young, so the movie does a great job for us in helping us review a lot of things that we can when everyone comes to practice,” Logan said after the game against Tolton. “With the years to come, we are going to have a chance to play in big rivalry games.”
The need for a rebound win also extends to some of the other parts of Boone County.
The Southern Boone Girls, ranked No. 2 in Class 4, fell 58-44 to Jefferson City, despite how the Jays struggled a bit to start the season and how Southern Boone had Hickman on the ropes last month.
The Jays finally brought back the missing piece to their team: Hannah Linthacum. The Missouri women’s basketball team led Jefferson City with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Jersee Wren paced the Eagles with 21 points against Jefferson City, a continuation of his great week. She scored 23 points against St. Clair.
Southern Boone had the chance to play one more time last weekend, but their match against Union on Saturday was canceled due to wintry weather.
Snow also eliminated the Harrisburg Shootout, which means the Harrisburg boys and girls haven’t played a game since Jan. 11, a doubles sweep in Knox County.
It’s not always easy to bounce back from a tough loss or an extended break, but it’s been done before this season.
The Tolton boys shrugged off a tough overtime loss on the road to Moline, Illinois to face the Kewpies. The Rock Bridge boys have won four straight games after a 65-54 loss to Booker T. Washington (Okla.) on Dec. 29.
In mid-January, the teams still have time to understand what they are talking about.
In February, however, suitors will emerge.
Top artists from January 10 to 16
Rock Bridge G Brady Bowers: 24 points in 78-72 against Union
Battle F Justin Goolsby: 16 points in the 63-54 victory against Lift for Life
Rock Bridge F Kyrah Brodie: 18 points in the 54-15 victory against Capital City
South Wren Boone G Jersee: 23 points in 88-29 win over St. Clair
Colombia team records
*All rankings are from the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association
Boys
Father Tolton No. 6 (11-4, 2-0 in AAA)
Hickman (9-6, 2-0 at CMAC)
Rock Bridge (8-4.1-0 in CMAC)
Battle (7-6, 2-1 in CMAC)
Girls
Rock Bridge No. 2 (12-0, 3-0 in CMAC)
Hickman (11-2, 2-1 in CMAC)
Battle (8-6, 1-1 in CMAC)
Father Tolton (2-7, 0-3 in AAA)
Around Boone County
Boys
Hallsville (6-9, 2-4 at Tri-County)
Southern Boone (4-9, 2-3 at Tri-County)
Sturgeon (6-8, 3-2 in the center)
No. 6 Harrisburg (10-3, 3-1 at Lewis & Clark)
Centralia (6-7, 2-0 to Clarence Cannon)
Girls
Hallsville (11-3, 1-0 at Tri-County)
No. 2 Southern Boone (11-2, 3-0 at Tri-County)
Sturgeon (6-9, 2-4 in the center)
Harrisburg (7-6, 3-1 at Lewis & Clark)
Centralia (6-4, 1-1 to Clarence Cannon)
Upcoming matches to watch
Girls – Monday: Rock Bridge vs. Blue Springs South
Girls – Tuesday: Hickman @ Troy Buchanan
Boys – Wednesday: Father Tolton against Battle
Girls – Thursday: Hallsville v Salisbury
Boys – Friday: Sturgeon @ Glasgow
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing sports coverage for the University of Missouri and Boone County. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at [email protected] or 435-414-3261.
