Tigers run away from Hartville for third-place

Plattsburg bounces back from semifinal loss, ends season with win

With Principia leading by 10 points and time running out late in the third quarter of the state semifinals, everything Plattsburg had built seemingly disappeared. Gone was their 30game winning streak, their dreams of playing for a state championship, and any momentum they had gained from three months of basketball perfection.

The only thing that remained? Just ten minutes of game time.

And that was nearly enough for Plattsburg to accomplish the improbable.

Refusing to give in, the Tigers (30-1) clawed their way back into the Missouri Class 2 State Semifinals on Friday, March 10, cutting that double-digit deficit down to a single point with 14 seconds remaining. Though Plattsburg’s final shot ultimately missed the mark and Principia (25-6) escaped from Springfield’s Hammons Center with a 6563 victory, the comeback attempt underscored the tenacity that helped Plattsburg to the state’s top ranking in 2023.

“It was tough,” said Plattsburg senior Luke Schroeder. “First loss of the season. I think we could have played better. I also think (Principia) played a great game. A lot of their guys were stepping up big. They had the best game of their lives, in my opinion. I thought it was pretty awesome that we came back.”

Plattsburg head coach Twydell Love, Jr. – known affectionately as Coach T –said the game was decided on the boards, where Principia out-rebounded the Ti- gers 39-19, but lauded the way his team fought back into the contest.

Junior Isaia Howard led all scorers in the game with 31 points to go with eight rebounds and four steals.

Senior James Braddy put up 20 points in the game. Senior Jackson Lewis scored six points, Schroeder scored three points with two rebounds, and sophomore Rylan Langton added four assists with three points. Gavin Boyle pulled in a rebound and River Jones scored two points.

Jaylen Edwards scored a team-high 22 points for Principia, while Stephen Okoro had 16 rebounds.

The Show-Me Showdown has an unforgiving schedule, and Plattsburg had just 18 hours to regroup and refocus on the Missouri Class 2 third-place game the following morning.

“The vibe Saturday was just to get a win and end the season on the right note,” said senior James Braddy. “We’d rather take third than fourth. Every day, we just let yesterday be yesterday and today be a new day.”

And that new day came with some historic hardware.

Plattsburg (31-1) continually pulled away from Hartville (25-7) on Saturday, March 11, to win 59-48 and take third place in Missouri Class 2 basketball at Missouri State University’s Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Mo.

The two teams traded leads in the early goings, but when Plattsburg’s Rylan Langton drained a three-pointer to put the Tigers up 12-9 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter it was the last time the advantage would trade hands. Plattsburg went on to lead by as many as 13 points in the game.

“Personally, I thought we were going to get first or last, because if we lose that first game, I thought we would lose the second because we hadn’t lost one yet,” said Luke Schroeder of the third-place game. “But I thought it was cool that we came back and ended the season with a W.”

Braddy led the Tigers with 21 points in the game with four rebounds and four assists. Schroeder added 13 points and Howard scored 11 points with nine rebounds and three assists. Langton added nine points, Jackson Lewis scored three points and Gavin Boyle added a two-point bucket.

Hartville was led by Jalon Cryer, who scored 14 points in the game, while Grant Culver scored 12 points.

Admittedly, Coach T can have a hard shell, never one for too much emotion. But win or lose, he knew this would be the last time the team would compete together. His emotion was apparent from the start of the game and it carried right through the trophy ceremony, when the players were presented with the Class 2 third-place trophy and their individual medals.

“I just couldn’t keep it together,” he said. “These guys, they exhausted all they could for me.”

“The best compliments we got all weekend were how well-represented my program and my players were,” continued Coach T. “How respectful they were, how we lost with class, how we won with class. That was

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