Woodland and Kelly win Class 3 District 2 championships

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Addie Johnson said she came into Friday’s game on a cold shooting streak. Her ice quickly turned to fire for the Woodland Cardinals against Scott City.

“I’m just glad it came back for this game,” said Johnson, who scored a game-high 27 points. “We had a good game plan, and I’m glad we could follow through.”

Johnson dropped 11 points during the first quarter, helping Woodland open up a 15-9 lead. That advantage fell to two at the half. Scott City’s Kacie Daigger and Mackenzie Lawless combined for 14 points to keep the Rams within striking distance.

Then Johnson’s hot hand came roaring back in the third, this time for 12 points. Another double-digit quarter including a three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Woodland took a six-point lead and all the moment into the final frame on their way to the district championship.

“Last year we were the first ever (district champions) in school history, boys or girls,” Johnson said. “This year it feels really good to be back-to-back.”

Boys Championship: Kelly vs. Saxony Lutheran

Earlier this week, Saxony Lutheran head coach Justin Callahan had a simple answer about the key to a Crusaders victory:

“We’ve got to put the ball in the basket.”

The reasoning behind Callahan’s message was the threat he saw in Kelly’s offense.

“You go down their roster, it’s just really solid,” said Callahan. “Defensively we’re not going to stop them, that’s for sure, but we can keep them under control.”

Saxony Lutheran trailed 25-17 at halftime. Then all of a sudden, what Callahan said wouldn’t happen, did.

The Crusaders stopped the Hawks. From the start of the third quarter until 1:11 remaining in the game, Saxony Lutheran held Kelly to just six points. During that time, the Crusaders worked up a 36-31 lead. But that final 1:11 flipped all the energy in the gym.

A Joel McClain layup followed by an 8-second violation on Saxony Lutheran, and a McClain corner three off the inbounds pass from the turnover. In the blink of an eye the offense of Kelly that Callahan was talking about had tied the game. Kelly fans in the building brought Chaffee High School to a decibel that would rival any arena in the Heartland.

No more points were scored in regulation. Tied at 36 the game went to overtime where McClain carried over all the momentum.

A minute into extra time McClain drove for a bucket and a foul on back-to-back possessions. From that point on, Kelly controlled the game.

The Hawks claim the Class 3 District 2 championship 51-44 in overtime.

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