A Thriller in SEMO. Puxico-Charleston Top Five Stars

Earl Austin March 1, 2026 @ 09:33 PM

One of the most exciting district championship games over the weekend was the Class 2, District x game between Puxico and Charleston. It was a rematch of last year's championship game in which Puxico won by 30 points en route to a Final Four appearance in the state tournament.   Puxico entered the rematch ranked No. 1 in the state polls while a talented and much improved Charleston team was primed to pull off the upset.   The game lived up to the hype from start to finish. They played to a 26-26 standstill in the first half. The two teams continued to battle on even terms all the way to the final seconds of the game when Puxico All-State guard [player_tooltip player_id='2539650' first='Landan' last='Burchard'] grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for a layup as time expired to give the Indians a thrilling 54-52 victory and a repeat district championship.   Here is a look at the Top Five Stars from the Puxico-Charleston Instant Classic.     NO. 1 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='2539650' first='Landan' last='Burchard'] (Puxico)   The 5'10" 2026 point guard scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Indians. After being held to two points in the first half, he started to cook in the second half when he scored 18 points, including the game-winner. He was able to shake loose and display his three-level scoring ability. His speed got him into the lane for layups and he could create so well off the dribble with his smooth handles. He was getting to his spots for the pull up mid-range jumper or the step-back 3-pointer. And of course, he showed his clutch gene with his full length of the court burst for the winning layup at the buzzer.     NO. 2 STAR: Trenez Lane (Charleston)   The 5'11" 2027 point guard enjoyed a tremendous game as he scored a game-high 20 points to match Puxico's Burchard. The young lefty was very creative with his handles and his burst as he repeatedly beat defenders with slashing drives into the lane. He was very shifty with the ball and he also displayed some excellent body control when he was finishing in traffic. He also hit a couple of 3-pointers to compliment his driving ability.     NO. 3 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='2843261' first='Jett' last='Hancock'] (Puxico)   The 5'11" 2026 guard had a big double-double with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He was hitting 3-pointers off the catch and he also went into the low post where he used his physical strength to get buckets inside. When the Charleston defenders concentrated their efforts on slowing down top scorer [player_tooltip player_id='2539650' first='Landan' last='Burchard'], Jett stepped up to hit some big shots in the first half. He showed great toughness as he rebounded the ball well in traffic.     NO. 4 STAR: Tim Frazier (Charleston):   The 2026 guard scored ten points and played a strong two-way game. He hit a couple of 3-pointers against the zone defense and he also scored on an offensive rebound and in the transition game. He was also working hard on the defensive end throughout the game.     NO. 5 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='2873546' first='Colton' last='Stroud'] (Puxico)   The 2028 guard scored eight points and provided some very valuable perimeter shooting early in the game. He has plenty of confidence in his shooting and he was letting in fly. He knocked down a couple of 3-pointers early in the game to help get the Indians going. He was moving well without the ball and stayed shot ready on the catch.

One of the most exciting district championship games over the weekend was the Class 2, District x game between Puxico and Charleston. It was a rematch of last year's championship game in which Puxico won by 30 points en route to a Final Four appearance in the state tournament.