Missouri Playoffs: Toughest Districts

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Class 6 District 8</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Park vs. St. Joseph (Central)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberty vs. Park Hill</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Staley vs. Park Hill South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Kansas City vs. Liberty North</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Park, Staley, and North Kansas City headline this district. It's going to be an extremely tough task to win this group. The teams know each other very well and it's difficult to beat the same team twice. Oak Park can cause problems for teams who don't have great guard play. [player_tooltip player_id='1419869' first='Corbin' last='Allen'], [player_tooltip player_id='1422720' first='Caleb' last='Estes'], [player_tooltip player_id='1850444' first='Josh' last='Kori'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1850445' first='Adam' last='Tanner'] all do a great job. Staley is a team that started slow but has worked their way back into relevance as of late. They found the right combination of players and are well coached. The reigning Class 6 champs are never to be counted out and are playing as well as anybody in Kansas City right now. Lastly, North Kansas City is a wild card. They have the size, talent, and athletic ability to beat any of these teams. Samuel Dada and [player_tooltip player_id='1557461' first='Kamron' last='Tate'] are very good in their offensive actions and make plays off script. A dangerous team who could be a sneaky Final 4 contender if they get hot during the next week or two.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Class 5 District 2</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Mary's vs. Roosevelt</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clayton vs. Windsor</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vianney vs. Rockwood Summit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Webster Groves vs. Lutheran South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This district is a three team race and nobody has been able to accurately predict what will happen all season long. St. Mary's, Vianney, and Webster Groves have all either played or have common opponents. Each has reasons and strategic advantages that could propel them over another. [player_tooltip player_id='1422723' first='Zyree' last='Collins'] is assumed to be the best player in this district and gives St. Mary's a huge advantage in the PG spot. Vianney is dangerous from three and has [player_tooltip player_id='1850525' first='Symon' last='Ghai'] who's 7'3. Webster Groves, the host, won't go down easily in their home gym. [player_tooltip player_id='1259025' first='Iziah' last='Purvey'] is the most talented senior in this district and has had a remarkable career. The winner of this district will have to face another talented opponent out of District 1. This is no easy road to Columbia.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Class 4 District 4</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maplewood Richmond-Heights vs. Gateway</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Principia vs. Collegiate</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>John Burroughs (Bye)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MICDS (Bye)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The toughest district in Class 4 is District 4. The three private schools have all shown the ability to beat one another and it'll make for interesting matchups the second time around. Just recently Principia has defeated John Burroughs while MICDS has defeated Principia, but MICDS lost to John Burroughs. There's no telling who's going to come out of this one. It's clear which teams have a personnel advantage over others however. Principia has shown a very high ceiling when they're clicking. John Burroughs can dominate on the interior with their size and rebounding. [player_tooltip player_id='1850526' first='Tristan' last='Reed'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1557399' first='Sheek' last='Pearson'] are great 2026 prospects. MICDS plays a ton of sophomores and are led by a senior PG, [player_tooltip player_id='1269598' first='Jayden' last='Banks'], who has been battle tested. These games will be held on the campus of MICDS starting next week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->