Preview: Class 3 Final Four (Predictions)

<p>Prep Hoops Missouri takes a look at the of the Final Four of the Class 3 state tournament, which will be held this weekend at the JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield. There is a lot of winning tradition among the four teams that are represented in Charleston, Cardinal Ritter, Blair Oaks and Monroe City. Here is a look at the four teams in the Final Four, along with our fearless predictions:</p> <h4>Friday, March 13 (Semifinals)</h4> <p>Charleston (27-4) vs. Monroe City (28-2), 6:20 p.m. - Charleston is back in the Final Four for the third consecutive season and the program is seeking its 12th state championship overall. The Bluejays rely on their full-court pressure to generate a lot of offense and they have weapons everywhere. In the backcourt, they have 5’10" 2020 [player_tooltip player_id="822971" first="Terridean" last="Bogan"] and 6’2" 2020 shooter [player_tooltip player_id="822896" first="Samuel" last="Bledsoe"]. Up front, they are athletic with 6’6" 2020 [player_tooltip player_id="822856" first="Blessin" last="Kimble"], 6’2" 2020 Isaiah Gillespie and 6’1" 2023 Rico Coleman.</p> <p>Monroe City won its fourth consecutive district title last week, but had been eliminated in the sectionals the past three years. The Panthers broke through last weekend with a big victory over Kansas City Central in the state quarterfinals. They have an excellent group of perimeter players with 6’1" 2020 [player_tooltip player_id="822964" first="Bryce" last="Stark"] and the talented 2022 twin brother combo of Joshua and Josiah Talton, 5’8" 2022 point guard Antwan Baker and 6’3" 2021 shooter Logan Buhlig.</p> <p>(Prediction: Charleston in an up and down affair)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Cardinal Ritter (23-6) vs. Blair Oaks (28-2), 8:10 p.m. - This is a heavyweight battle of two of the best teams in the state, regardless of class. Both teams have excellent size, depth, coaching and championship aspirations. These same two schools met in an epic Class 2 state semifinal in 2001 with Blair Oaks winning in the last seconds en route to winning the state title.</p> <p>No. 1 Blair Oaks has one of the most dynamic frontcourt combos in the the state in 6’9" brothers Eric and Luke Northweather. Eric is a 2020 and Luke is a 2022. Both have size and versatile skill sets to present matchup problems. The backcourt is good with 6’1" 2022 Quinn Kusgen and 5’9" 2021 Jake Closser running the show.</p> <p>If there is a team that can match up with Blair Oaks inside, it’s Ritter with its trio of 6’7" 2020 Garry Clark, 6’6" 2020 pogo stick [player_tooltip player_id="822858" first="Brandon" last="Ellington"] and 6’8" 2021 Josh Robinson. The backcourt is led by 6’3" 2021 guard [player_tooltip player_id="824116" first="Mario" last="Fleming"], a power player who averages 19 points a game. He is joined by fellow power guard, 6’1" 2022 Luther Burden and the point guard duo of 2020 [player_tooltip player_id="822905" first="Glenn" last="Valentine"] and 2021 Ilyaas "Biscuit" Harris.</p> <p>(Prediction: Cardinal Ritter)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Friday, March 14</h4> <p>Third Place, 11 a.m. (Prediction: Blair Oaks over Monroe City)</p> <p>Championship Game: (Cardinal Ritter over Charleston)</p> <h4> </h4>