What to watch for: Missouri high school basketball state championships

The Missouri high school basketball big-class state tournaments will be held Thursday-Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Here are the Kansas City-area teams in each tournament:

Class 5 boys

It’s a loaded field packed with the preseason favorites. Lee’s Summit West has been the most consistent team out of Kansas City this season, and the Titans (25-2) will meet defending champion Chaminade (24-5) at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.

Lee’s Summit West has talent across every position of its starting lineup, with post players Elijah Childs and Christian Bishop, guards Mario Goodrich and Phillip Brooks and swingman C.J. May.

Class 5 girls

After an up-and-down season, Lee’s Summit has turned it on in the playoffs. The Tigers (15-13) will be an underdog at the state tournament, but it’s a role they have relished in the postseason. They earned a trip to the state tournament with a quarterfinal victory against Park Hill, a team they lost to twice this year.

Lee’s Summit will face St. Joseph’s Academy (20-8) at 6 p.m. Friday.

Class 4 boys

There isn’t much flash to Kearney’s style of play, but it’s effective. The Bulldogs (21-7) are a defensive-minded, slow-it-down bunch who are searching for their program’s first championship since 2010.

Kearney (21-7) will face top-ranked Vashon (25-3) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Class 4 girls

St. Pius X is back in the Final Four for the second straight season, despite a move up to Class 4 this year. The Warriors (25-3) face Dexter (22-8) at 6:50 p.m. Thursday.

St. Pius X has three players averaging in double figures this season — Antoinette Mussorici (15.9 points per game), Abby Hipp (14.5) and Natalie Denzer (11.5). Hipp also averages 11.8 rebounds per game.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 11:09 AM with the headline "What to watch for: Missouri high school basketball state championships."