The Montgomery County boys basketball team didn’t end its season with a victory in the Class 3 Show-Me Showdown third-place game on March 9.

Still, the Wildcats left Mizzou Arena in Columbia with their fourth state trophy in program history.

MCHS lost to the Thayer Bobcats 61-49 to finish fourth out of 108 schools that started their postseason in late February. After the game, the Wildcats received their fourth-place trophy. All of the players and coaches got medals.

But they were upset that their season ended.

“It seems like the game is the least important thing right now because the season is over and the careers (of the seniors) are over,” MCHS coach Scott Kroeger said.

The Wildcats finished their season at 25-7. They competed in the State Final Four for the first time since 1974, when they placed third. The program also won a state title in 1972 and finished third in 1959.

MCHS finished with an undefeated February (9-0), then knocked off Priory 42-40 in the state quarterfinals on March 2 to advance to Columbia.

With the fourth-place finish, the boys basketball team became the first MCHS athletic squad to place in the top four at state since 2019, when the baseball team came in fourth.

Thayer, which is located in the southern part of Missouri just one mile north of the Arkansas border, wrapped up its season at 23-9. The Bobcats also finished third in the state tournament for the third year in a row and earned their sixth state trophy in program history.

“They came out and did a great job,” Thayer coach Matt Pitts said. “That’s a good ballclub with a great post kid and good guards. They won a bunch of games. It wasn’t easy. Our guys came out and executed and did things that we talked about.”

Like MCHS, Thayer also finished with an undefeated February en route to a trip to the Show-Me Showdown. The Oregon County school won all 10 of its games that month, including a win over Liberty High School of Mountain View in the district finals at Houston. The Bobcats beat Greenwood in quarterfinal play to advance to the state semifinals.
MCHS earned a spot in the third-place game after losing 46-36 to Summit Christian Academy in the semifinals on March 8. Thayer lost to New Madrid County Central 57-44 in the other semifinal, which was also played on March 8.

In the third-place game, the Wildcats led 10-9 late in the first quarter before Thayer went on a 7-0 run to take a 16-10 lead. The Bobcats extended their lead to 32-19 after going on an 8-0 run midway in the second quarter.

“We were trying to get stops in a row,” Pitts said. “It was a big deal in that spot. In games like this when they’re even, an 8-0 run is a big deal. I know sometimes it’s not. But when you get to this point, it’s a big deal. We were able to put stops together and we were able to attack the basket. I think our athleticism gave them trouble overall across the board. We were able to take advantage of that in the second quarter.”

MCHS got within eight points, 57-49, on a conventional three-point play by junior Clayton Parker with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as it got.

“They fought their butts off,” Kroeger said. “That’s really all we ask for, especially in a game like this. It’s tough to come out and play with the same fire that you’re used to playing.”

Parker finished with 25 points in the contest and 40 points in the Show-Me Showdown. He was also the Wildcats’ leading scorer against SCA with 15 points in the semifinals.

Senior Jake Stellwagen, who transferred from Verona High School before the school year began, scored 12 points, followed by junior Jay Rodgers with six, junior Tyler Erwin with four and senior Mason Leu with two.
Stellwagen, Leu, Cade Smith and Maddox James played their final high school basketball games with the Wildcats on Saturday.

Thayer had three players in double figures. Aidan Burns, a senior and the Bobcats’ leading scorer, finished with 23 points, junior Devin Harrington had 18 points and senior Rowan Spencer added 13, including a basket with 2:26 left in the first quarter that gave Thayer an 11-10 lead it never relinquished.

Pitts said the senior class of Burns, Rowan Spencer and Mark Spencer was valuable to the Bobcats, helping the program win over 100 games, capture four district titles and four conference championships and qualify for the Show-Me Showdown three times.

“They’ve done it the right way,” Pitts said. “They worked hard, they practiced hard, they’re a family and they love each other. Our program is better now because of them.”