Missouri high school basketball championship for Classes 4, 5 called off
Missouri has called off its Class 4 and 5 state high school basketball championships scheduled for this week in Springfield because of the COVID-19 coronoavirus.
The Staley boys and Blue Springs girls were set to play in the Class 5 semifinals and Lincoln Prep girls had reached the Class 4 semifinals. State tournament games were scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The tournament games were scheduled for JQH Arena on the Missouri State campus.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association issued this statement on Monday:
“Due to continuing concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19 the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the Show-Me Showdown for Classes 4 and 5. The decision was made in consultation with local and state officials, as well as the member schools. The most recent CDC recommendations of limiting gatherings played a large part in the making of this decision.
“We understand the unexpected hurdles this creates for our schools and fans, and apologize for the inconveniences it has caused. Our thoughts are with our schools as they navigate the uncertainty of these times,” said Dr. Kerwin Urhahn, MSHSAA Executive Director. Information concerning the activities of Music; Speech, Debate & Theatre; Scholar Bowl as well as Spring Sports will be available later today.”
Missouri crowned its champions in Classes 1, 2 and 3 last Friday and Saturday.