After the Montgomery County boys basketball team lost to Thayer 61-49 in the third-place game of the Class 3 Show-Me Showdown on March 9 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, seniors Mason Leu and Jake Stellwagen were the first players to hoist the fourth-place trophy in front of a large group of MCHS fans.

It’s the first time in 50 years a MCHS boys basketball team got a state trophy. The Wildcats finished third at state in the 1973-74 season.

With the Wildcats having nine returning players next year, MCHS basketball fans hope they don’t have to wait another 50 years to see a team hoist another state trophy.

“We have a group of kids who are going to be seniors and they know exactly what the standards are,” said Scott Kroeger, who wrapped up his seventh season as MCHS coach. “They know exactly what they’re going to have to do to lead a basketball program because these dudes showed them that. These dudes got to show that last year with our senior group as well. That’s what building a program is all about.”

Tyler Erwin, Clayton Parker, Jay Rodgers, Sean Rodgers, Isaiah Thomas and Tatum Wessel will make up next year’s senior class. Also returning next year will be sophomores Chase Queathem, Seth Walton and Noah Beck.

The fourth-place trophy at state concluded an outstanding season for the Wildcats. They finished 25-7, captured their second straight Eastern Missouri Conference title and won their third district championship in four years. MCHS finished with its sixth-20 win season in the last 10 years.

After beating Hermann in the Class 3, District 7 title game on Feb. 24 at New Bloomfield, the Wildcats had their sights set on ending their 50-year State Final Four drought.

“I felt like we really knew we could do it after we won the district championship by beating a team we lost to before,” MCHS senior Jake Stellwagen said. “It was a real confidence booster.”

The Wildcats cruised past Versailles 56-40 in sectional play on Feb. 27 to not only advance to their first Elite Eight in seven years, but also completed an undefeated February with a 9-0 record.

MCHS advanced to the Show-Me Showdown for just the fourth time in program history with a 42-40 overtime win over Priory in the state quarterfinals on March 2 at Fulton High School, earning the Wildcats a short, one-hour trip to Columbia.

The loss to Thayer ended the high school basketball careers of Stellwagen, Mason Leu, Cade Smith and Maddox James. They became part of a group of 23 MCHS seniors in the history of the program who played in the Show-Me Showdown.

“Their legacy is going to live on in a stinking banner, which is pretty cool,” Kroeger said. “Their legacy is going to burn on well beyond that as well as these kids they got to play with.”

MCHS began its season on Nov. 21 with a 61-29 road win over Winfield. The Wildcats won the South Callaway Tournament and placed second in the Montgomery County and Hermann tournaments. They also beat Hogan Prep Academy in the Twelve Courts of Christmas on Dec. 29 and St. Louis University High in the Midwest Showdown Shootout on Dec. 16.
MCHS cruised past the competition in the EMO, winning all 10 of its games by double digits. The Wildcats clinched their eighth league crown with a 55-39 win over Clopton on Feb. 15.

Parker was again the Wildcats’ top offensive threat, averaging 20 points per game. He also earned all-tournament honors at Montgomery County, South Callaway and Hermann, was named district player of the year, earned all-conference honors for the third year in a row and received all-state notice for the second consecutive year.

Stellwagen, a transfer from Verona High School, was a strong addition to the Wildcats, averaging 16 points per game with 95 three-pointers, earning all-tournament awards at Montgomery County, South Callaway and Hermann and receiving all-conference honors.

Despite missing the final six weeks of the season due to a shoulder injury, Thomas turned in a banner season. He averaged eight points per game, led the team in assists with 83, earned an all-tournament award at South Callaway and was named to the all-EMO team for the second straight year.

Erwin also averaged eight points per game and received his first all-EMO award in basketball.