The Wellsville-Middletown boys basketball team had plenty of fans show up for the two games at the Class 1 Show-Me Showdown at Missouri State University in Springfield.

It was too bad Wellsville mayor Dena Saak had to miss it.

Saak had to stay in Wellsville to run the Wellsville Historical and Preservation Society’s Bingo Night at Grace Lutheran Church. Saak is the organization’s president.

Still, she was happy that the Tigers played in the Final Four. It was W-M’s fifth trip to the state event and its first since 1987.

“It’s a big deal,” said Saak, who became Wellsville’s mayor last year. “It’s been 35 years since they’ve gone to state. The players were doing great. Everybody has been following them.”

The Tigers lost both of their Final Four games in overtime. They fell to Stanberry 45-40 in the semifinals on March 11 and St. Elizabeth 50-45 the following day. The team returned home from Springfield on March 13.

Several businesses in Wellsville such as the Holistic Hog and City Hall had their buildings decorated in support of the Tigers. There were also yellow and black ribbons tied around posts in the town.

Wellsville resident Eric Huff said he’s thrilled about the town’s support of the Tigers. His son, Carson, plays on the boys basketball team.

“It’s fun to see it,” Huff said. “The one thing this year that I have been disappointed in is our crowds haven’t been huge like they should be. A lot of it has to do with COVID. A lot of people can watch (games) online now. They can stay home and watch the stream, so we’ve been kind of quiet. But I’m glad to see the crowd start coming around.”

During the off-season, Huff coached a traveling team that included his son and freshmen Hunter Bickell and Cooper Henderson.

“I worked with them all summer, so they’re like my kids,” Huff said. “I’ve been telling them all summer, ‘Why not us?’ ”

A sendoff rally was held along Hudson Street on the morning of March 11 despite the snow and frigid weather that hit the area. Kim Mayes, mother of senior Keaton Mayes, wore a Tiger head – which she bought four years ago – during the rally.

“They were selling these at Wal-Mart a long time ago for Halloween,” Kim said. “I saw the Tiger head. I was like, ‘Sure, I had to get that because it’s going to come in handy.’ ”

The team rode a charter bus to Springfield. Numerous businesses made donations to help pay for the bus.

At the Show-Me Showdown, fans wore gold T-shirts in the Tigers’ semifinal game against Stanberry. The next day, fans wore black T-shirts in the third-place contest against St. Elizabeth.

W-M senior Isaac Seabaugh said he was ecstatic about the fans making the 195-mile trip to watch the team.

“Our community support system is crazy for how small we are,” he said. “It means a lot. Our community supports us more than we ever ask. The donations we received and everything were insane. I feel honored to be in this community.”