Cubs claim first conference title since 1978

By Jared Lankford [email protected]

It was nearly a half-century ago the last time that the Monett eighth-grade basketball team could say they were the kings of the Big 8 Conference.

In February, the young Cubs climbed to the top of the conference bracket with a thrilling 45-43 victory over Cassville.

“Cassville had not lost a conference game in the last two years,” said Blair Powell, Monett coach. “They have a player that is 6-4 and he is really good. Two weeks ago, we lost to Cassville by 15.”

Monett finished the season 15-1 and entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed. Powell said this Monett team was fun to coach and be around.

“These boys are gym rats,” Powell said. “They don’t mind 5:30 a.m. Practice. They are selfless on the floor, make the extra pass and look for the open guy.”

The coach pointed to the fact Monett had played close games all year, and he said his team had a tremendous amount of grit.

“We have a bunch of good shooters,” Powell said. “I really have to give their parents a ton of credit. They got the boys started playing basketball early. Last year, we made the championship game and lost to Cassville, this year we were able to pick up where we left off and improve.”

Powell said the Cubs switched to a zone and forced the Wildcats to beat them from the outside.

“That 6-4 kid hit the first four shots for them,” Powell said. “We were able to come out of a timeout and cool him off. Cassville had a chance at the end, but we got a hand in that tall kid’s face and the shot fell short.”

The conference title was the first for the Cubs since 1978, and Powell hopes that it is just the beginning for this group of players as they transition to high school.