CHAMOIS - Above the concession stand window outside the gym at Chamois High School is a trophy case, filled with plaques, pictures and even a few basketballs.
The left side of the trophy case is designated for the Chamois girls basketball team that finished second in Class 1 in 2013. The right side is full of memorabilia from the Class 1 track and field state championship the Chamois boys won in 2009.
The trophy case is already crowded, but some room will have to open up when the Chamois boys basketball team brings home its first state trophy after this weekend's appearance in the Class 1 Final Four at Springfield.
"They will talk about this team for years to come," Chamois coach Kyle Burkett said. "We'll be able to come back and see the banners they put on the wall, the trophies they put up there. They've earned every bit of it."
Chamois (21-9) will open the Class 1 semifinals against No. 2 Eminence (30-1) at 6:20 p.m. today at JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus.
"I can't wait for (my players) to experience it," Burkett said of the 11,000-seat JQH Arena. "They're going to see a lot of things they don't get to see in Chamois, Mo."
Eminence has won 30 straight games since dropping its season opener against fourth-ranked Advance. The Redwings reached the Final Four by beating Advance in a rematch last Saturday in the quarterfinals.
"They pass the ball very well, they find the open guys," Burkett said of Eminence. "They move well without the ball. Their rebounding is very impressive. They're as good of a rebounding team as I've ever seen."
The Redwings are led by 6-foot-6 forward Trent McBride, a senior who averages a double-double of 18.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. McBride scored a game-high 25 points and added 10 rebounds in last Saturday's 78-62 win against Advance.
"We're trying to take away the points in the paint and boxing out," Burkett said. "A lot of it."
Eminence also has 6-0 senior point guard Ethan Drake, who leads the team with 4.0 assists per game but has also made 80 3-pointers this year and shoots 40.3 percent beyond the arc.
"(He) can fill it up big time from the outside," Burkett said.
Chamois has mostly faced a zone defense against opponents this season. Burkett has been preparing the Pirates to face anything and everything against Eminence.
"They will play a box-and-one, a triangle-and-two, an inverted triangle-and-two, a line-and-three," he said. "They play a lot of junk defenses. They try to take away the best player, and they're going to make somebody else beat them."
That's nothing new for Chamois. In fact, that's pretty much been the story of their season, with opponents trying to slow down Aaron Brandt, the Pirates' 6-foot-5 returning all-state senior.
With its season on the line last Saturday in the quarterfinals against Slater, Chamois had to find a way to win without its star player for the final 3:03 after Brandt fouled out.
The Pirates rose to the occasion, outscoring the Wildcats 11-5 in those last three minutes. Charles Roberts hit the winning 3-point shot from the top of the key with :01.1 remaining to give Chamois a 51-48 win.
"He's still having a good time shooting the ball with a lot of confidence right now," Burkett said of Roberts, who scored nine of his 13 points after Brandt fouled out.
Brandt, who is averaging a double-double of 23.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, had 15 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out, both game-highs.
"I thought it was an amazing finish by them kids, how they came together," Burkett said. "They never put their heads down. It would've been very easy for a team to collapse, I've seen it happen before."
After winning its third straight district championship, Chamois knocked off No. 3 Jamestown 43-36 last Tuesday in the sectional round. The Pirates fell twice to the Eagles during the regular season.
"That was big. They're a very talented team, very confident team," Burkett said. " We were fortunate we played better than they did that night."
In addition to playing Jamestown three times, Burkett said the strength of the Show-Me Conference schedule has helped prepare his team for this weekend.
"This conference is amazing," he said. "From top to bottom, it's competitive every night here."
Burkett said his team focused hard for two-and-a-half practices this week, before finishing Wednesday's practice by relaxing and having a good time before leaving Thursday for Springfield.
"I think we're as ready as we're going to get," Burkett said. " It's time to go play a game."
Today's other semifinal game between top-ranked North Andrew (28-0) and No. 7 Walnut Grove (21-10) will tip at 8:10 p.m.
Chamois will play one of those teams to finish the season, either in the third-place game at 12:50 p.m. Saturday at Hammons Student Center, or in the Class 1 championship game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at JQH Arena.
"I got film, but I have not looked at it yet," Burkett said of North Andrew and Walnut Grove. "It's there waiting for me Friday night, but I'm not worried about it until we know who we're playing and when."