With victories Saturday in Pacific, the Borgia Knights and Sullivan Lady Eagles have earned the right to represent Class 4 District 9 Wednesday in Rolla.
Borgia's boys advanced with a 50-38 win over second-seeded Sullivan. The Knights (19-8) will face Hillcrest (22-5) at 6 p.m. at Missouri S&T Wednesday in Class 4 sectional action.
Sullivan's girls knocked off top-seeded Pacific, 37-35. The Lady Eagles (23-4) will take on Bolivar (19-7) at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday in Rolla.
Two other area teams also triumphed in MSHSAA playoff action Saturday.
New Haven defeated Neelyville in overtime, 58-56, to advance to the Class 2 state tournament. The Lady Shamrocks (20-10) will play Marceline Thursday at noon in the Hearnes Center in Columbia.
St. James (25-4) defeated Ash Grove in Class 3 quarterfinal action in Springfield, 63-54. The Lady Tigers will play Cameron (19-11) Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia in the semifinals.
Class 4 District 9
In the boys game, Borgia found its shooting touch in the second quarter and then exploded in the second half.
The teams were tied at 5-5 after one quarter. Borgia led 20-11 at the intermission. Zac Schweissguth, Tyler Breckenkamp and Jordan Miller hit three-point baskets in the quarter.
In the third quarter, the Knights again found the outside shooting range. Casey Kuchem contributed with outside baskets while John Baumstark helped by driving to the basket.
Borgia led 36-23 after three quarters. Sullivan's Justin Biermann and Adam Weiland led Sullivan's comeback effort, but the Knights were able to seal the win.
In the girls game, Sierra Pryor hit a long three-point basket with 8.7 seconds to play to give Sullivan the lead for good. Pacific had a chance to tie, but missed. Sullivan added a free throw by Taylor Lucas for the final margin of victory.
Pacific led the game after one quarter, 9-7, but Sullivan held an 18-17 edge at the half. After three quarters, Sullivan led 25-24.
Full coverage of this weekend's games will appear in The Wednesday Missourian.
