Clarence Cannon Conference Rivals Centralia and South Shelby Faceoff in Class 3 Quarterfinal

Centralia will host South Shelby Friday night in a Class 3 Quarterfinal. The season has already been a historic one for the Centralia Lady Panthers. They claimed their first district title since 1992 last week and are now seeking their first-ever appearance at the Show-Me Showdown. Centralia coach Megan Brinkmann says they have to keep their focus.

The Lady Panthers beat South Shelby 62-28 in their regular season meeting. Brinkmann says they can’t take anything for granted when it comes to the rematch.

South Shelby is making their third straight quarterfinal appearance, which includes a second place finish in 2022. The Ladybirds grinded out a 47-30 win over Elsberry Monday night in the sectional round. Coach Luke O’Laughlin says his team has shown resiliency to get back to this point.

Belle Roush led the Ladybirds with 14 points in their sectional win, but is questionable for the quarterfinal after picking up a leg injury in that game. O’Laughlin says their defense will need to be locked in against Centralia.

Centralia’s Braylin Brunkhorst is also questionable after suffering a knee injury in the sectional win against California. Pregame coverage will begin at 5:45 on KTCM 97.3 and centralmoinfo.com. Colin Schowe will have the play-by-play.