The Montgomery County boys basketball team added another district championship to its already growing trophy case on Friday.

The Wildcats defeated the Bearcats 58-41 in the Class 3, District 7 championship game at South Callaway High School to win their second straight district title and their ninth in program history.

MCHS improved to 27-1 and will play the Steelville Cardinals in a sectional game at 6 p.m. Monday at Fulton High School. Steelville (15-10) knocked off Fatima 56-46 in the Class 3, District 8 title game on Friday at Belle High School for its fourth district crown in five years. 

It will be the first time since 2021 that the Wildcats will host a sectional game. A win over Steeleville will advance MCHS to a quarterfinal game against either Principia or Palmyra on March 7. Principia and Palmyra will square off in a sectional game at 7 p.m. at Principia High School.

The Wildcats will take a 16-game winning streak into their game with Steelville. MCHS hasn’t lost since Dec. 28. It also finished with a 9-0 mark in the month of February, making it the second year in a row it turned in an undefeated February.

MCHS defeated Hermann in the district finals for the second consecutive year. Last year, the Wildcats defeated the Bearcats 62-37 in the district championship game at New Bloomfield, en route to a fourth-place finish at the Class 3 Show-Me Showdown.
The Wildcats also beat Hermann for the second time this season. They knocked off the Bearcats 40-35 in the Hermann Tournament championship game on Feb. 1.

MCHS won its third tournament championship this season. The team also came out on top in the Montgomery County Invitational Tournament in December, beating Mexico in the finals.

MCHS, the No. 1 seed in the seven-team district tournament, got all of its points from its entire starting lineup. Clayton Parker led the way with 18 points, followed by Isaiah Thomas with 16, Andrew Moore with 11, Tyler Erwin with seven and Jay Rodgers with six.

Trailing 7-3 late in the first quarter, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run that carried into the early part of the second quarter and never trailed the rest of the way. Hermann got within one point, 19-18, midway in the second, but that was as close as it got.

MCHS started tournament play on Feb. 26 with an 82-35 win over North Callaway in the semifinals. The Wildcats had nine players score at least one point. Moore led the way with 21 points, followed by Thomas with 15, Parker with 12 and Rodgers with 11..

It’s the second time in program history that MCHS won back-to-back district titles. The Wildcats also won back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. They also captured district championships in 1972, 1974, 1976, 2014 and 2017.

Last year, the Wildcats beat Versailles 56-40 in a sectional game at Versailles to advance to the quarterfinals, where they beat Priory 42-40 in overtime to advance to their first state tournament since 1974.

Editor’s note: A print version will be published in the March 5 edition of the Montgomery Standard.