By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Willard, Mo. — Top-seed Walnut Grove found another gear during Friday’s 86-55 victory over No. 3 Greenfield in the Class 1 District 5 championship.
That gear turned out to be a box-score assault by Hunter Gilkey.
Heralded for his defensive abilities, the Tigers’ point guard combined with fellow senior Logan Thomazin to score 65 points on the evening. The duo also went 21-for-28 from the free throw line, accounting for all of Walnut Grove’s attempts.
While he’s always been a capable scorer, Gilkey was quick to downplay the 31-point performance.
“That was probably just an accident — I don’t know,” Gilkey said. “We’ve got such good shooters on our team, and once we spread the floor out, I get so many easy lanes to get to the basket. If anybody tries to help, I’ve got shooters I can kick to.”
Walnut Grove head coach Darin Meinders praised his senior leader for stepping up in a big moment for a career high.
“That’s what we get from Hunter,” Meinders said. “People in the crowd don’t always understand, because he doesn’t always score a lot, but he’s the motor; he’s what makes us go. This kid plays so hard and does so many things for our team.”
A 28-6 first half run allowed the Tigers to seize the early momentum and race out to a 39-18 halftime lead.
Senior Logan Thomazin paced Walnut Grove’s offense, scoring 17 of his game-high 34 points in the opening half.
Greenfield found success in the third quarter behind the interior play of Colin White. The 6-foot-4 senior scored 11 points in the quarter; however, the Wildcat’s had no answer for Thomazin and Gilkey.
“They picked up the intensity and got a little physical through that stretch,” Meinders said. “We didn’t take care of the ball and finish some shots. We went back to passing and cutting and got some easy looks.”
Walnut Grove closed with a 23-12 fourth quarter en route to a fourth-straight district title.
While the Tiger offense found repeated success attacking the basket, Walnut Grove’s defense was every bit its equal.
The Tigers held Greenfield senior playmaker Marcus Wright, who came in averaging 22 points per game, to just 4 points on the evening.
Greenfield was led by a trio of Wildcats in double figures, including White (17), junior Bailey Baker (12) and senior Sawyer Dodd (11).
After the game, Meinders offered up a quick response when asked about the defensive performance.
“We made an effort to know where [Wright] was at,” Meinders said. “He was the player of the year in their conference, but I’ll take Hunter Gilkey guarding anybody in the state. This kid can flat guard.”
Thomazin and Gilkey were joined in double figures by sophomore Dawson Meinders’ 12 points. Junior Ryan Keith added 9 points for the Tigers.
With a district title in hand, Walnut Grove now sets its sights on a deep postseason run and another banner.
“When you look at our schedule and look at who we played, we’re not going to be scared by the big game,” Meinders said. “These kids have been in big games their whole career, and we play as tough a Class 1 schedule as you can play in the state. We hope it’s going to pay off in the next two weeks.”
Walnut Grove (19-10) travels to Webb City Tuesday, Feb. 27, for a sectional round matchup. The Tigers will play the Drexel – Sheldon winner from District 6.
Class 1 District 5 Boys Championship: Walnut Grove – 86, Greenfield – 55
Walnut Grove 17 22 24 23 — 86
Greenfield 10 08 25 12 — 55
Walnut Grove scoring: Logan Thomazin – 34, Hunter Gilkey – 31, Dawson Meinders – 12, Ryan Keith – 9
Greenfield scoring: Colin White – 17, Bailey Baker – 12, Sawyer Dodd – 11, Tyrell Stafford – 8, Marcus Wright – 4, Trenton Wilson – 3
Walnut Grove girls win eighth consecutive district title
Walnut Grove 29 15 16 11 — 71
Wheaton 12 08 13 14 — 47
Walnut Grove scoring: Faith Gilkey – 21, Grace McPhail – 14, Bayley Harman – 11, MaKayla McVay – 11, Lauren Johnson – 11, Sayde Crump – 2, Myranda McVay – 2
Wheaton scoring: Tori Goostree – 21, Hallie Mitchell – 9, Alvia Prewitt – 7, Rachael Lacy – 6, Zoie Simpson – 4
