Milan Boys to Face Familiar Foe and L&C Rivals Battle in Class 2 Sectionals

Four high school basketball teams will look to keep their state title hopes alive in Class 2 Wednesday night at Hannibal High School. The sectional doubleheader will include the Milan boys going up against Van-Far for the third year in a row. Van-Far has knocked the Wildcats out of the playoffs the last two years. This includes a 64-52 victory for the Indians last season in the sectional round. Milan coach Andrea Dabney says her team is focused on Van-Far.

The Wildcats come into the matchup with a 23-3 record and are coming off a 62-46 win over Westran in the district championship. Meanwhile, Van-Far is coming off back-to-back final four appearances including a Class 2 State Championship in 2018. The Indians sport a record of 22-6 on the season. They won their district with a 48-36 win over Clopton. The Indians feature a balanced attack with three players averaging double figures. Their leading scorer is Verdell Johnson, who averages 16.6 points per game.

In the girls sectional Scotland County will battle Paris in a battle of Lewis & Clark Conference squads. Scotland County won the regular season matchup over the Lady Coyotes 50-36. Scotland County coach Cory Shultz says the rematch with Paris presents some challenges.

The Lady Tigers bring a 25-3 record into the sectional matchup. Paris is led by their six foot, six inch post player Tori Hamilton. She leads the Lady Coyotes with 23 points a game. Hamilton scored 35 points in their 54-49 win over Elsberry in the district semi finals. Paris coach Garrett Thomas feels having seen Scotland County once already, has helped prepare his team for the rematch.

The Lady Coyotes bring a 16-11 record into tonight’s game. Coverage of the sectional doubleheader will begin at 5:45 pm on Superstation KRES and centralmoinfo.com. Colin Schowe will have the call.