Tally up another Class 4 District 2 Championship for the Central Park Hills Boys Varsity Basketball team, in what has already been an extraordinary 2021-2022 season. The number one seeded Rebels ran the table this past week knocking off both Herculaneum and Potosi to take home their third consecutive District Championship plaque. However, the three-peat performance is only the beginning of what this team is hoping to accomplish.
After receiving a first-round bye as the top seed, Central faced off against Herculaneum on Monday, February 28th at host-site Ste. Genevieve High School in the semi-finals. Dominating play and finding themselves up by nine, 28-19, at the half, the Rebels made quick work of the Black Cats. The scoring frenzy continued in the second half as Central finished the game ahead by 19 points, easily winning 73-54.
Unsurprisingly, the team continued to mesh well together as many Rebels contributed to the victory. Kendall Horton led the charge, as he posted 16 points. Behind him was the duo of Zack Boyd and Jobe Bryant, each of whom had 12. Caden Casey also put up 11 more, contributing to this team effort.
With the victory, the team advanced to the finals to take on the Potosi Trojans on Thursday, March 3rd. Again, the Rebels rallied early and found themselves up by eight at the half, 28-20. Potosi kept it somewhat close through three, but Central ran up an incredible 31-point quarter total in the fourth to win the game by 22, 74-52.
With the victory over Potosi, not only did Central win the district, but this was the season’s 20th victory, giving them a 20-5 record. In this one, Bryant dominated with an impressive 24-point scoring outburst. Horton also contributed big with 13 and Casey was just behind him, adding 11 more. These three players also earned the distinguished honor of making the All-District Team. Bryant also garnered another top award, as he was named the Class 4 District 2 Player of the Year, as only a Sophomore.
Taking home three District Championships in a row is quite an accomplishment, but it’s just the latest achievement in what has been a decade of success for Central as they have earned that title in eight of the last 10 years. Given that statistic, it should come as no surprise that Head Coach Brad Gross has been named the Class 4 District 2 Coach of the Year.
This team seems to be peaking at the right time and will look to continue their hot streak next week. Central would certainly like to add more to their list of conquests this season before it’s over. Now that the Rebels have advanced out of their district, the team moves on to the sectional round with their next game taking place on Tuesday, March 8th against New Madrid at the Farmington Civic Center. The competition will only get steeper for these athletes, but they’re no strangers to adversity, and will hopefully continue to do what they do best, win basketball games.
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