Bill Milligan photo
One unfortunate result of the Missouri Class 5 boys’ basketball tournament Final Four is that one team comes away with two losses.
That misfortune landed on the backs of the Oakville Senior High School Tigers as they dropped a 73-63 decision to Grandview of Kansas City in the state semifinal game Friday. The next morning, the Tigers dropped a 54-40 decision to Columbia-Rock Bridge for a fourth-place finish.
Despite the setback at the Final Four, Oakville head coach Nick Traxler couldn’t say enough about his players and the Oakville administration.
“I can’t say enough about our athletics director, Becky Czuppon,” Traxler said. “She organized a pep rally and the administration was fully behind it. We sold our allotment of 250 tickets and had to ask for more. The boys had a great time and I think that this was the payoff for our great team chemistry this year.”
The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Grandview on a three-point shot by Javier Duren. But that lead would be the only one that Oakville would hold over Grandview as the Bulldogs took a 42-31 lead at halftime.
“Grandview was like playing a JUCO team,” Traxler said. “They were big and strong and could really shoot the ball.
“Our guys played well in some aspects, but we missed some crucial block-out opportunities in the second quarter and that kind of took the air out of us.”
Keith Pickens led the Tigers with 23 points and seven rebounds. The senior guard also racked up three steals, two blocks and one assist in the loss to Grandview.
“If you wanted to script a way for a senior to go out, that was one of the best games that Keith’s had all year long,” Traxler said. “He ended up having at least three dunks in that game.”
Junior forward Garrett Reeg also scored in double figures with 13 points and seven rebounds. Reeg’s 13-point effort was complemented with three steals and one assist.
“I think that Garrett can be an elite player next year,” Traxler said. “If he puts the time in over the summer in the weight room, he can become a Division I player.”
In the Class 5 third-place game, the Tigers found themselves down 17-9 to Rock Bridge after one quarter. Rock Bridge continued to outscore the Tigers in the second quarter as the Bruins held a 32-21 advantage at halftime.
Oakville was led by Josh Nobblitt’s 10-point effort. The junior guard also recorded one assist and one steal.
“Josh did a phenomenal job shooting the ball in that game,” Traxler said.
The Tigers will lose four seniors to graduation as Pickens, Sam Hasenbeck, Pariece McKinney and Matt Noblitt leave a legacy for Oakville’s underclassmen to follow.
“It’s a bittersweet time for us,” Traxler said. “Our kids realized that we weren’t satisfied with a fourth-place finish and that we need to put the time in the weight room this summer to hopefully get back to the state semifinals.”