By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
MANSFIELD, MO – The last time injured Hartville senior Mason Cogdill made a basket was during a Jan. 6 game against Fair Grove.
On Friday, the all-state honoree walked on crutches to receive the Eagles’ fourth-straight district title plaque after downing Norwood 50-41.
Aside from a 2022 loss to Thayer, Hartville has won 13 of the past 14 district titles over a span including four state championships and five final four trips.
Suffice to say, Reed’s program is no stranger to postseason success.
Entering this season’s sectional round, Hartville will certainly show up battle-tested.
After No. 5 Bakersfield pushed the Eagles to the limit during Thursday’s semifinal round – a narrow, 36-34 Hartville victory – Norwood showed up ready to play in Saturday’s title matchup and threw everything it had at the top-seed.
“This time of year, sure, we’d all love to play well and everything go perfect,” Reed said. “But you just got to survive and advance. We found a way to on a night where we did not shoot the ball well to advance to the next round, and then today, we shot a little better and played a little bit better. The message has always been – great teams find ways to get through tough times; tough moments, and that’s been us all year.”
With Cogdill sidelined, Saturday’s championship was all about Gus Sinning.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Sinning, a 6-foot-3 senior (who most certainly missed his calling as a would-be all-state linebacker), showcased a high-energy, physical presence at both ends of the court and led the Eagles with a game-high 17 points.
Boone Garrison finished just behind Sinning with 15 points.
Sinning’s 8 first-half points helped propel Hartville to a 19-9 advantage.
“I know that most nights, I’m probably the strongest on the floor, so just using my body to my advantage is the main part,” Sinning said. “In that first half, we made some big runs that really helped us and, ultimately, probably led us to win the game. I feel like we followed our scouting report very well, and it all worked out today.”
“That’s been Gus for us all year,” Reed said. “But Gus today, it’s almost like he stepped his game up another level. He was more engaged. He was more intense, and you could just tell by looking at his face – and obviously the way that he played – that he just did not want to lose today.”
A Sinning 3-pointer near the end of the third quarter pushed Hartville’s lead to 30-17; however, Norwood simply would not go away.
Minutes into the final period, the Pirates cut the lead to a mere three points.
On the verge of losing momentum, Hartville simply found another gear and, in the blink of an eye, stretched the lead back to 10.
“That’s just part of our kids,” Reed said. “I think being in this situation before – they’ve been in big moments – and so we needed a big play in that moment. Somebody might have hit a big 3 – I think, maybe Coryell hit a three when we were up three to get it back to six. I mean, that’s just what these kids have done all year – when we’ve needed a big play, they’ve made big plays.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
While Norwood continued to apply pressure in a frantic effort to regain momentum, Hartville would not be denied.
Going 12-13 down the stretch in the final quarter certainly didn’t hurt the Eagles’ cause, either.
At the end, there was Cogdill hoisting the plaque in his final season.
“Just a lot of emotions,” Reed said after watching the injured Cogdill receive the plaque on behalf of his teammates. “I’m so sorry that he didn’t get to play the rest of his senior season. He has handled this extremely well. He’s at practice every day, and he’s motivating the guys. You know, he could be laying around sorry for himself, but he wants to be there for his brothers. If there ever was on that was for him, this one’s definitely for him.”
Laken Coatney (15) and Remington Hill (10) each scored in double figures to lead Norwood, which ends its season with a 20-8 record.
Up next for Hartville (23-4) is a March 3 sectional round matchup in Lebanon against Eugene. The 23-5 Eugene Eagles rolled past Newburg in the District 9 championship.
CLASS 2 DISTRICT 10 FINAL: Hartville – 50, Norwood – 41
Norwood 06 03 08 24 | 41
Hartville 11 08 11 20 | 50
Hartville scoring: Gus Sinning 17, Boone Garrison 15, Truett Coryell 6, Jordan O’Quin 5, Brock Jones 4, Hayden Johns 3
Norwood scoring: Laken Coatney 15, Remington Hill 10, Carson Vaughn 6, Carder Kelly 4, Andrew Bradshaw 3, Brady Vaughn 3
