Merry Midpoint: Class 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each year the Christmas to New Years' time period basically represents the midpoint of the season. A lot of teams have played double-digit games at this point, so we wanted to take an early look at the different sectionals in Class 4 on the boys side.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Park Hills Central</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Affton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Park Hills Central is the major favorite to win this sectional matchup. They return almost all of their core from the previous state championship run in 2023. [player_tooltip player_id='1160661' first='Jobe' last='Bryant'] is a legendary player in this regional and has broken numerous records. Outside of the Rebels, Affton has been doing well this season and are 7-3 at the time of this writing.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Principia</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>John Burroughs</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>District 4 has all three of John Burroughs, MICDS, and Principia. Early on it looks like the winner of this district could advance beyond the sectional round. John Burroughs has a dominant frontcourt, Principia is developing over time and has positional length, and MICDS is doing a great job of developing their 2026 core that's leading them. A toss up section.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Father Tolton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Springfield Catholic</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Father Tolton has the best backcourt in the state and will be expecting a deep playoff run. [player_tooltip player_id='1419857' first='Aaron' last='Rowe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1422771' first='Exavier' last='Wilson'] will be an elite duo that people will want to watch in the playoffs. Their frontcourt is underrated as well. Outside of Tolton, it's once again Springfield Catholic looking strong this season. They have made deep runs in the past and have a strong core of players.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Logan-Rogersville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Mountain Grove</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Districts 11 and 12 are up in the air and have a number of teams who can win districts. Among the group Logan-Rogersville stands out as a team who can make a deep run because of their talent level, coaching, and history in recent years. They have a strong culture and the best record among the teams within this region.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Vashon</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>University City</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Vashon is a dominant team that has a strong expectation to win state once again this year. There are few teams who can contend with them in Class 4. Their combination of size, athletic ability, and defensive prowess will simply be too much to handle until later on in the playoffs. University City is a sleeper out of District 6 and looks great under new leadership.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Borgia</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Mexico</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Borgia has been ranked as high as 2nd in the MBCA polls and will feature one of the best talents in the class. [player_tooltip player_id='1160837' first='Adam' last='Rickman'] is a dominant force in all aspects of the game. The 6'6 forward can pass, dribble, and shoot. Mexico is a fast paced team out of Mid-Missouri that can upset, however. They will be a tough out and are led by PG, [player_tooltip player_id='1162361' first='DJ' last='Long'], a 2024 prospect.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>St. Michael the Archangel</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Barstow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>We've chosen St. Michael as a favorite because of the way their young players have been developing. Their ceiling is high and they play a consistent style of basketball. Barstow is not far behind and could even be considered a favorite by some. These districts are a very close race. Barstow has more experience and senior leadership than some.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 8</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Kansas City Central</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Maryville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>This is a sleeper region and sectional in that the two districts funneling in have a number of teams who could surprise and are playing great basketball. KC Central has the most talent and plays a style that can get teams sped up. Maryville on the other hand is more methodical. They're led by a [player_tooltip player_id='2119115' first='Peyton' last='McCollum'] a true PG in the class of 2025.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->