The Montgomery County boys basketball team added another South Callaway Tournament title to its trophy case on Jan. 13.

The Wildcats won their sixth tournament championship and their fourth in the last five years after topping the Hermann Bearcats 47-43 in the title game. MCHS has won more titles than any other school in the last 10 years.

“It’s awesome,” MCHS junior Clayton Parker said. “It feels good to beat Hermann, but it feels good that we all won it together. We pulled out a close one.”

MCHS, the top seed, finished 3-0 in the eight-team tournament. The Wildcats beat Hermann in the championship game for the second year in a row. Last year, they knocked off the Bearcats 67-65 in the finals.

“They’re just well coached,” MCHS coach Scott Kroeger said. “It seems like everytime we play them, it’s going to be a good game. It doesn’t matter what the season is like for either team.”

MCHS also completed the sweep of championship titles at the South Callaway tournament. The girls team also won a title, beating North Callaway in the finals.

“It is stinking awesome,” Kroeger said. “(MCHS girls) Coach (Joe) Basinger is a dear friend of mine. It’s awesome to see them succeed. They are an inspiration to us as a basketball team because they straight lock people up defensively. They make it really tough to score. If you’re going to score, you have to be hitting 3’s. That’s pretty much the name of the game against them.”

The Wildcats are now looking to win another tournament title later this month as they earned the top seed in the Hermann Tournament. MCHS will play eighth-seeded New Haven in a first-round game at 6 p.m. on Jan. 23. Lebanon is the No. 2 seed.

“Lebanon is a big school,” Kroeger said. “They’ve been having a really good season. I haven’t had the chance to see the film on them quite yet. So it’s awesome they got into the tournament. I’m hoping we’re fortunate enough to maybe get to see them.”

MCHS improved to 12-4 with the win over Hermann. The Wildcats were scheduled to play a home game against Bowling Green on Jan. 16.
Parker was named MVP in the South Callaway tournament despite scoring just nine points against Hermann. A month ago, he earned MVP honors at the Montgomery County Invitational Tournament, but his team fell short in the finals as it lost to Mexico.

“I’m really excited that we got the championship because the last time I got the MVP, we did not win the championship,” Parker said.

Junior Isaiah Thomas and senior Jake Stellwagen were named to the all-tournament team. Thomas scored 11 points to earn his second straight all-tournament award. Stellwagen finished with four points, including two clutch free throws in the closing seconds of the game.

The Wildcats stormed to an 8-0 lead until second-seeded Hermann rallied to take a 19-18 lead late in the second quarter. Then, junior Jay Rodgers scored a basket with 1:25 to go in the second and followed with a 3-pointer as time expired in the period to give the Wildcats a 23-19 halftime lead. MCHS never trailed the rest of the way.

“He’s been in a little bit of a slump, but he definitely turned it up,” Parker said. “I’m so proud of him. That 3 at the end of the half kind of boosted our momentum for the second half.”

Also for the Wildcats, junior Tyler Erwin scored 11 points.

The Wildcats began tournament play on Jan. 8 with a 77-33 win over Russellville in the first round. They advanced to the finals after beating South Callaway 66-55 in the semifinals.

MCHS won its first South Callaway title in 2014, beating Harrisburg 101-87. The 101 points marked a championship game record.

The Wildcats also won championships in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2023. They are now tied for fourth with North Callaway for the most tournament titles.