Basketball Teams Assigned To District 9
When basketball districts were released last November, it was the first time since 2008 that Sullivan could look at their grouping and not see St. Francis Borgia lurking.
Instead, the programs got Rolla.
For the boys, that meant swapping out one Class 4 powerhouse for another.
The Eagles staged a dramatic comeback last March to defeat Rolla for the district championship, the program’s first since 2003.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) released class and district assignments for the 2019-2020 winter season and once again, Borgia is out, but Rolla remains.
Sullivan’s basketball teams will face Owensville, Rolla, Salem, St. Clair and Union in Class 4 District 9.
The site of the District 9 Tournament has not yet been announced, but Union has been a frequent host throughout the years.
Boys
Sullivan ended the 2018-2019 season ranked ninth in Class 4 and on the cusp of reaching the Final Four.
They fell short against Logan-Rogersville in quarterfinals, but knocked off two ranked teams in Rolla and Warrensburg to reach that point.
Sullivan also upset Union in the district tournament on their home floor.
Rolla and Union were the top two seeds, but both lost a heavy amount of seniors, as did Sullivan.
The Bulldogs do return senior guard Muluken Pritchett and junior Trey Brown, a 6-5 forward.
Union returns just one player from last season’s rotation. Senior guard Peyton Burke averaged around five points per game for the Wildcats.
Bryan Carty is the new head coach at Salem and he takes over a squad that went 8-18 last season.
St. Clair went 11-16 last season and return senior guards Calvin Henry and Justin Hoffman. Seniors Johnny Kindel and Nick Dierking also are back for the Bulldogs.
Owensville will have four senior starters, led by guards Cason Gray and Trevor Abernathy. Daxton Mehrhoff and Austin Terry return as well.
The Dutchmen lost in the first round of last season’s district tournament to Sullivan.
Girls
Rolla is the defending champion and the Lady Bulldogs will return most of their roster.
They bring back four starters from a team that advanced to the Class 4 quarterfinals.
Union is picked to finish second in the Four Rivers Conference under new head coach Pat Rapert.
Rapert’s daughter Reagan Rapert was an all-state player in Arkansas last season.
Owensville made an unlikely run to the district championshp game after upsetting Sullivan and St. Clair in the first two rounds.
St. Clair returns Alohilani Bursey and Gracie Sohn, who both averaged more than 10 points per game last season.
Salem went 16-11 and return a slew of experienced starters, including Bella Jadwin, Madison Woolf and Jana Cook.