By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
Kelsey Butler led by example Saturday during South Harrison’s 53-42 win over host Penney in the championship game of the Penney Basketball Tournament.
She was also a vocal leader.
The 6-foot senior rallied her teammates by convincing them to keep their heads up following a time out that Bulldog coach Kelli Swearingen called to stop a Penney run.
Her teammates heeded the plea and the Bulldogs went on to knock off the then-No. 6 Hornets by the double-digit margin.
Butler was easily the game’s top performer with 21 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. The tournament’s Most Valuable Player also blocked three shots.
“I just knew that we had to stay composed,” Butler told the St. Joseph News-Press. “We were starting to slip, so I knew we needed to get it together.
“We have chemistry that I’ve never experienced on a team before. Hopefully, it’s going to take us far.”
Swearingen also received big time play from forward Mysti Williams who scored 18 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked four shots.
Defensively, South Harrison held all-state Hornet Lindsay Vollmer to 10 points, and Eileen Greenwood to just five points. Carissa Conger scored 15 points to pick up the slack for Penney coach Dave Prather.
Penney played solid defense throughout the game, as well, forcing 28 Bulldog turnovers. But the Hornets just couldn’t get anything going offensively.
With the win South Harrison moves into the Class 3 rankings at No. 8, replacing Lawson, who dropped back-to-back contests to St. Joseph Central and Kansas City-Staley. Penney dropped two rungs to eighth in the Class 2 poll.
Below is a look at the latest Missouri boys and girls basketball rankings.
Missouri Boys Basketball Rankings
Class 5
1. Columbia-Rock Bridge (18-0) 1
2. Grandview (18-1) 7
3. Webster Groves (16-3) 3
4. Lee’s Summit West (16-3) 4
5. Hazelwood Central (16-3) 10
6. Chaminade (18-2) 2
7. McCluer (16-4) 5
8. McCluer North (15-3) 8
9. Branson (19-1) –
10. Parkway South (16-5) 6
Class 4
1. St. Charles West (18-2) 1
2. St. Francis Borgia (16-3) 2
3. Sikeston (13-2) 4
4. Moberly (15-3) 6
5. Farmington (15-3) 7
6. Aurora (16-1) 8
7. Helias (13-5) 3
8. Sullivan (14-1) 9
9. Kansas City-Center (15-3) –
10. Jennings (13-5) 5
Class 3
1. Maplewood-Richmond Heights (17-2) 1
2. Blue Eye (14-1) 2
3. Liberty-Mountain View (15-1) 3
4. Seneca (15-2) 4
5. Palmyra (15-2) 5
6. Hogan Prep (13-4) 6
7. Linn (12-4) 8
8. John Burroughs (12-4) 10
9. Cardinal Ritter (13-5) 7
10. Cameron (13-3) –
Class 2
1. Bernie (15-1) 1
2. Laquey (17-1) 3
3. Portageville (13-1) 4
4. Saxony Lutheran (15-2) 6
5. Santa Fe (15-2) 2
6. Clever (16-3) 7
7. Harrisburg (12-3) 8
8. Wellston-Eskridge (13-5) 5
9. South Iron (12-1) 9
10. Mid-Buchanan (13-2) 10
Class 1
1. Jefferson (15-0) 1
2. Scott County Central (15-1) 2
3. Newtown-Harris (16-1) 3
4. Eminence (13-1) 4
5. St. Elizabeth (15-2) 7
6. Leopold (12-2) 9
7. Chadwick (15-4) 6
8. South Holt (14-3) 10
9. Glasgow (11-4) 5
10. Meadville (14-2) 8
Missouri Girls Basketball Rankings
Class 5
1. Incarnate Word (19-1) 1
2. Hazelwood Central (13-2) 2
3. Springfield Kickapoo (14-3) 4
4. Blue Springs (15-2) 5
5. Columbia-Rock Bridge (16-3) 3
6. Nixa (16-2) 7
7. St. Joseph’s Academy (11-7) 6
8. Parkway South (15-3) 8
9. Ozark (16-3) –
10. Parkway North (16-2) –
Class 4
1. Dexter (17-0) 1
2. St. Dominic (16-0) 2
3. St. James (17-1) 3
4. Platte County (15-1) 4
5. Sullivan (14-2) 5
6. Webb City (16-2) 6
7. Notre Dame de Sion (14-3) 7
8. Farmington (13-4) 8
9. West Plains (14-3) 9
10. St. Joseph-Benton (15-4) 10
Class 3
1. Macon (15-0) 1
2. Fair Grove (16-2) 2
3. Skyline (15-3) 4
4. Kelly (13-1) 5
5. South Shelby (12-2) 8
6. California (14-2) 3
7. Bowling Green (14-2) 9
8. South Harrison (15-1) –
9. Centralia (12-4) 6
10. Metro (9-9) 7
Class 2
1. Couch (16-0) 2
2. Canton (14-1) 3
3. Sparta (14-0) 4
4. Osceola (13-1) 1
5. North Platte (15-1) 5
6. Portageville (15-2) 7
7. Laquey (18-1) 8
8. Penney (13-3) 6
9. Harrisburg (12-2) 9
10. New Franklin (16-1) 10
Class 1
1. Montrose (15-0) 2
2. Exeter (17-1) 3
3. South Nodaway (15-1) 4
4. Marion County (13-2) 7
5. Jefferson (13-2) 1
6. Fairfax (15-2) 8
7. Meadville (14-2) 9
8. Southwest-Livingston (13-1) 5
9. Linn County (11-2) 6
10. Northeast Nodaway (15-3) 10
