Defending champion Blue Springs South boys lose in Missouri Class 5 quarterfinal

Missouri Class 5 will have a new boys basketball state champion.

Springfield Kickapoo knocked out defending-champion Blue Springs South in a state quarterfinal on Saturday with a 95-81 victory at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.

The Jaguars’ postseason winning streak ended at nine games.

“They’re a team with very few weaknesses,” Blue Springs South coach Jimmy Cain said in a phone interview. “We tried to make it as difficult as possible on them, and we did that for two quarters. Once they got the lead, they were able to spread us out.”

Blue Springs South, 17-12, trailed 32-27 at halftime.

KJ Robinson led the Jaguars with 29 points in the loss, and fellow senior Briley Moore-McKinney scored 16.

Kickapoo, 28-2, will play Lee’s Summit in a state tournament semifinal game at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Mizzou Arena.

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Defending champion Blue Springs South boys lose in Missouri Class 5 quarterfinal."