Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Before last season, Springfield Catholic had gone 59 years without a Blue and Gold Tournament championship.
Now, the Irish are one win away from hoisting their second Blue and Gold title in as many seasons.
Catholic lit up the nets in a convincing 91-57 victory over Camdenton on Friday night in a Gold Division semifinal at JQH Arena. Senior Jake Branham led three Irish players in double figures with a game-high 26 points.
“I think everyone dreams about just having an opportunity to play in a championship game,” said Irish coach Dustin Larsen. “To have the opportunity to repeat, we’re blessed. We’re going to try to see if we can make it happen.”
The Irish shot 32-for-54 from the field (unofficially), including 11-for-18 on 3-point attempts. Larsen credited the shooting success to how his team played on the other end of the floor.
That, and depth. Ten players scored for the Irish, who are 13-0 overall and start five seniors.
“We started out fairly slow but as our defensive pressure turned up, that really dialed us in on the offensive end,” Larsen said. “Our guys began attacking and when you can rotate other guys in that are ready to go, it makes it a lot of fun.”
Catholic will look to repeat as Blue and Gold champions Saturday when they face Ozark. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at JQH Arena.
“No team gets very many opportunities to repeat,” Branham said. “It’s special. It’s something we’ve put our minds to well before the start of the season.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Catholic got off a torrid shooting start and never looked back. The Irish made their first six 3-point attempts. They made nine of 11 3-point attempts in the first half and led 47-28 by halftime.
Branham put an exclamation on the shooting performance by making a 3-pointer as he was falling down to end the second quarter.
“The play was set up for me to get a double screen, but it kind of fell apart. I got a great pass and hit the pump fake,” Branham said. “As soon as I shot it, I knew it was going in.”
Irish freshman Zach Howell came off the bench to score 18. Like Branham, Howell made four 3-pointers.
“(Howell’s) a kid that’s going to do a lot of great things,” Larsen said. “He’s a top-notch kid that’s great to coach and is all about the team.”
Michael Manzardo added 18 points for the Irish.
TJ Anderson led Camdenton (5-4 overall) with 15 points. The Lakers shot 21-for-59 from the field.
Catholic will take on an Ozark team that’s going for history of its own. With a win over Catholic, Ozark would tie Kickapoo for the most Blue and Gold championships (12) in tournament history.
Catholic has two Blue and Gold championships all time – in 1958 and 2017.
“I think our guys appreciate this tournament and what it’s about,” Larsen said. “We’re excited to represent our program against other quality teams and programs.”
Catholic 91, Camdenton 57
Camdenton 15 13 21 8 — 57
Catholic 23 24 25 19 — 91
Camdenton – TJ Anderson 15, Kelton Virtue 11, Paxton DeLaurent 10, Keegan Ford 8, Luke Eveland 7, Jabon Shockley 5, Andrew Butts 1
Catholic – Jake Branham 26, Zach Howell 18, Michael Monzardo 18, Will Morrison 8, Will Squibb 6, Wallace Squibb 5, Ben Galligos 5, Luke Nelson 2, Charlie O’Reilly 2, Tyson Riley 1
