Monroe City-Palmyra Part Four Awaits After Three Thrillers

The Monroe City and Palmyra boys advanced to the Class 3, District 13 championship with semifinal victories at Palmyra Thursday.

Palmyra outlasted Centralia 53-48 in the second game. Centralia erased an 11-point deficit and grabbed a one-point lead early in the fourth, but Palmyra provided an instant response.

Eric Duick with the call on Glory 97 and centralmoinfo.com. Abe Haerr’s basket handed Palmyra a 42-41 lead one minute into the fourth. 22-4 Palmyra pushed it to a 7-0 run and led the rest of the way. Centralia trailed 51-48 after a timeout with 14 seconds left, but senior Guy Moran missed a three from the left corner with two seconds left. Centralia head coach Scott Humphrey reacted postgame.

Senior John Durant paced Humphrey’s 21-6 Panthers with 16 points. Humphrey reflected on a loaded senior class with four starters and two 1,000-point scorers.

Palmyra’s win results in Monroe City-Palmyra part four. Ryan Wood’s Panthers dropped three tight contests against Monroe City in the regular season.

Wood’s junior guard Zane Meyers scored 14 points.

Monroe City defeated Clark County 59-49 in the first semifinal. The Panthers trailed 12-9 after the first quarter but built a 46-29 advantage ahead of the fourth. Panthers head coach Brock Edris evaluated 25-2 Monroe City’s zone offense.

Sophomore Joshua Talton tallied 25 points, including four and-one plays. 18-9 Clark County cut its deficit to six late in the fourth quarter before Monroe City earned its fourth straight district championship appearance. Indians senior Brandon Kracht closed his career with a team-high 24 points. Coverage of Class 3, District 13 continues with a championship doubleheader Saturday at 12:45pm on Glory 97. The Macon girls meet Palmyra in the first game, and Monroe City’s boys face Palmyra in the next contest. Hear full postgame interviews with the head coaches below.

Centralia head coach Scott Humphrey:

Palmyra head coach Ryan Wood:

Monroe City head coach Brock Edris: