St. Elizabeth faces Golden City in Class 1 Final Four

St. Elizabeth's Brock Lucas dives for a loose ball near mid-court against Meadville's Parker Burton during the second half of last Friday night's Class 1 quarterfinal game at Moberly Area Community College.
St. Elizabeth's Brock Lucas dives for a loose ball near mid-court against Meadville's Parker Burton during the second half of last Friday night's Class 1 quarterfinal game at Moberly Area Community College.

The St. Elizabeth Hornets know what it's like to play in the Final Four. They were there last year.

"They're just as excited," St. Elizabeth coach Dillon Tenholder said. "The only difference is they know a little bit more of what to expect. They're more experienced in how they need to prepare."

The problem is two of the remaining three teams were there last year as well

St. Elizabeth (24-5) is appearing in the Class 1 state semifinals for a second straight season. This year, the Hornets will face the Golden City Eagles (28-2), who made the Final Four for the first time since 1997. The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. today at JQH Arena in Springfield.

"They're a little bit of a new kid on the block," Tenholder said of Golden City. " But all of us are there for a reason. We all got the job done."

The other semifinal game, which starts at 6:50 p.m., will be a rematch of last year's state championship game between the Dora Falcons (30-2) and the Jefferson: Conception Junction Eagles (28-2).

St. Elizabeth lost 80-71 in overtime to Dora in last year's semifinals. Jefferson: Conception Junction then beat Dora 75-65 in the title game.

"You have us, who returns everyone; you have Dora, who returns everyone; and you have Jefferson, who returns three starters," Tenholder said.

Last season, the Hornets reached the Final Four with a pair of double-digit wins in the sectionals and quarterfinals. This year, they sweated out a 46-44 win against Northeast: Cairo in the sectionals before beating Meadville 82-71 in the quarterfinals last Friday at Moberly.

"We've had a couple of tough playoff games," Tenholder said. "Those just helped us stay sharp, helped keep us prepared as we head into the Final Four."

St. Elizabeth had to overcome a 20-15 halftime deficit against Northeast: Cairo.

"That was the first time in a month and a half that we trailed at halftime," Tenholder said.

In the quarterfinal game against Meadville, St. Elizabeth made its first 10 attempts from 3-point range.

"They weren't settling, they were taking what the defense was giving them," Tenholder said.

Golden City came up one win short of playing St. Elizabeth last season in the state tournament. The Eagles lost 82-56 to Lakeland in the sectional round, ending the season with a 19-10 record.

This season, there was no stopping Golden City. The Eagles defeated Rich Hill 77-43 in the sectionals and routed Green Ridge 72-42 in the quarterfinals.

The Eagles are a guard-oriented team, Tenholder said, as only one player on the roster is taller than 6-foot.

"Just because we have the size advantage, it doesn't mean they can't do anything to combat that," Tenholder said. "If we don't recognize that, then we start to have problems."

Golden City is led by 5-11 senior Arlo Stump, who averages 22.2 points per game. He began the season with 2,084 career points.

"He's killed a lot of teams in his four years at Golden City," Tenholder said. "He'll shoot it some, he'll look to get to the basket. He's crafty around the rim."

Lane Dunlap, a 5-10 junior forward, is scoring 19.7 points per game. He had a team-high 27 points against Green Ridge.

"He's a little bit of an inside-outside guy," Tenholder said. "He looks to attack the basket."

Chain Parrill, a 5-9 junior guard, is also in double figures with 16.1 points per game for the Eagles. He made 69 3-pointers through the district tournament this season.

"He can really shoot the lights out," Tenholder said. "I've seen him light it up against a few opponents already."

Tenholder said Golden City is a three-headed monster with Stump, Dunlap and Parrill. For St. Elizabeth, it's a bit more of a balanced attack, but with one player garnering a lot of the attention.

Ross Struemph, a 6-6 senior forward, leads St. Elizabeth with 20.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He has scored 30 or more points in five games this season, including a game-high 31 points against Meadville.

"He's just a tough matchup in general," Tenholder said of Struemph, who was named the Show-Me Conference MVP for a second straight season Wednesday. "If you want to double-team him inside, we can move him outside, and he can take you off the dribble. If you want to send help, he's a very good passer."

Brady Heckemeyer, a 6-5 senior center, is the only other Hornet averaging double figures with 13.6 points per game.

"Brady gets overshadowed a lot," Tenholder said. "He's a guy that, if teams are focusing on Ross, we still have Brady, and that creates a bit of a problem (for opponents)."

For the guards, sophomore point guard Brock Lucas is averaging 9.4 points and 6.1 assists per game. Seniors Nolan Heckemeyer and Coltin Green, who round out the starting five, are averaging 9.4 and 6.6 points, respectively.

Carson Kesel, typically the Hornets' first player off the bench who made five 3s against Meadville, is averaging 6.0 points.

"They're running the show, playing very well together," Tenholder said.

In their most recent meeting, St. Elizabeth defeated Golden City 55-53 in the Class 1 quarterfinals in 2004.

The Class 1 third-place game is scheduled for 12:50 p.m. Friday at Hammons Student Center, while the championship game is at 4:30 p.m. Friday at JQH Arena.

"You're at the Final Four, you're guaranteed two games," Tenholder said. "Once you step on the court, the next 32 minutes are all about who you're playing."