Poll Question: Who was this season's boys basketball MVP?

 

Jordan Bowling – Crane
Bowling averaged 17.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for the Pirates. Crane posted a record of 22-6 on the season with it coming to an end in the sectional round of State with a 37-35 loss to Pierce City

Erik Durham – Parkview
Durham led the Vikings to a 22-6 record and a third-place finish in the Ozark Conference. He scored 25.3 points per game and also had four rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game for Parkview. Durham also set the Parkview single-game scoring record with 44 points against West Plains. The Vikings saw their season end in the Class 5, District 12 title game with a 60-51 loss to Willard

Logan Dyer – Eminence
Dyer was a key for the Redwings on their exciting run to the Class 1 State Title. He averaged 16.6 points and 8.5 rebounds for the 27-5 Redwings. In the Final Four he averaged 17.5 points and 7 rebounds.

Cody Eidson – Macks Creek
Eidson was a force for Macks Creek averaging 19.8 points, 12 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals on the season.  The 6-foot-6 sophomore was a double-double waiting to happen,  tallying 17 on the season, including a 42-20 regular season outburst against Fair Play. The Pirates saw their season end with a 66-53 loss to Fair Play in the sectional round. Macks Creek was the Class 1, District 6 Champions.

Austin Essick – Billings
Essick knew how to fill up a stat sheet for the Wildcats this season as he averaged 21 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3 steals per game for Billings. The defending Class 2 State Champion Wildcats saw their season come to an end before Columbia with a 72-68 loss to Crane in the Class 2, District 11 title game. Billings finished with a 22-5 record.

Cody Geiger – Republic
Geiger was a force down low for the Class 4 State Champion Republic Tigers. He averaged 12. Points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but came up biggest when it mattered the most. In the State Championship against Normandy he scored 20 points and ripped down 10 rebounds to help secure Republic first title since 1963.

Chris Kendrix – Willard
Willard’s Chris Kendrix lived above the rim during the Tigers’ run to the sectionals. Kendrix, who is getting interest from major college basketball programs, averaged 20.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game for the 18-9 Tigers.

Austin Ruder – Nixa
Missouri State signee Austin Ruder became Nixa’s all-time leading scorer this season for the 22-6 Eagles. He averaged 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists for Nixa and was leaned on even more heavily after fellow senior Jalen Norman went down with a knee injury and missed 11 games leading up to districts.

Lance Schaffer – Fair Play

As Schaffer went, so did Fair Play in 2012-13. He led Fair Play in scoring for all 30 games and scored at least 19 points in every game on his way to averaging 28.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. Schaffer scored more than 30 points 14 times during the season and eclipsed 40 twice. Defensively he averaged 2.7 steals per game. The Hornets finished the season with a 26-4 record with a loss in the quarterfinals to Drexel. The season-ending loss saw Schaffer score 34 points in his final high school game.

Chris Ward – Kickapoo
Ward was a force down low for the Chiefs averaging 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for the Ozark Conference runner-up. Ward was instrumental in Kickapoo’s 89-75 upset of Nixa in the Class 5 – District 11 championship. The “Dancing Bear” saved his best for last, lighting up Columbia Hickman for 28 points and a career-best 17 rebounds, in a narrow 73-68 loss to the Class 5 third place finishers.