Carson and Collin Parker got to see their younger brother, Clayton, compete in the Class 3 Show-Me Showdown on March 8-9 in Columbia.

They didn’t have to travel far to do it.

Carson and Collin, members of the Columbia College men’s basketball team, made the trip crosstown to watch Clayton play at the state event at Mizzou Arena, which is just two miles from Columbia College. Clayton helped the Montgomery County High School squad make its fourth State Final Four appearance.

“It’s great,” said Collin, who is a junior at Columbia College. “I’m proud of him. He got to do something that everyone dreams of doing since they grew up and that is playing here in the Final Four at Mizzou Arena, so it’s good.”

The Wildcats finished fourth in the tournament. Carson and Collin went to both the semifinal game against Summit Christian Academy and the third-place contest against Thayer.

Clayton was thrilled with his older brothers’ support.

“I feel like I’m the player I am today because of them,” Clayton said. “If they weren’t there with me, I wouldn’t be pushed as hard. They still push me to this day. They wish me good luck every game. I would do the same for them.”

Clayton is enjoying an outstanding career at MCHS, earning all-Eastern Missouri Conference honors three times and helping the Wildcats win two EMO titles and two district championships. This year, he was the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 20 points per game. He scored 40 points in the two games at the Show-Me Showdown.

Carson and Collin played together for three years at MCHS. They helped the Wildcats win 25 games and capture an Eastern Missouri Conference championship in the 2019-2020 season. Carson and Collin graduated from MCHS in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Carson said he was happy that his brother helped his alma mater play in its first State Final Four in 50 years.

“It’s always good when hard work pays off,” said Carson, who is a senior at Columbia College and plans to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration. “They’re in the gym a lot. They played together since they were in second or third grade. We had open gyms in high school. Clayton, Jay (Rodgers), Tyler (Erwin), Isaiah (Thomas) and all of those guys would come play with us.”

The MCHS team had a shootaround at Columbia College just hours before its semifinal game against SCA. Carson gave the squad a pep talk.

“Just enjoy the experience,” Carson said. “Don’t get too hard on yourself. Just play hard.”

Carson and Collin have been valuable players at Columbia College after three years. The brothers have combined to score 2,000 points, helped the Cougars finish with their third straight winning season and earned many awards. Collin was recently named the American Midwest Conference Most Valuable Player.

Carson and Collin helped Columbia College qualify for the NAIA national tournament for the second straight year. The Cougars will play second-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University at 5:30 p.m. on March 15 in a first-round game at Marion, Ind.