Class 4 District 16 title game set after dominant semifinal wins
After weather-related postponements to the Class 4 District 16 boys basketball tournament on Wednesday, play resumed Thursday inside Springer Gymnasium on the campus of Benton High School. Two semifinal matchups set the stage for a highly anticipated championship rematch at 6 p.m. Friday.
In the opener, No. 3 seed Lafayette rolled past No. 2 Chillicothe, thanks in large part to a dominant start and a standout performance from Antonio Williams.
Williams opened the scoring by elevating over his defender for a mid-range jumper, and the Fighting Irish capitalized on back-to-back Hornets turnovers to build an early 6-0 lead.
Lafayette’s defense quickly turned into offense. Williams blocked a shot near the top of the key, corralled the loose ball, and finished with a dunk on the other end to push the advantage to 10-0. Chillicothe finally got on the board with a free throw, but its first field goal didn’t come until nearly six minutes into the game, when Oliver Perry scored on a fast-break layup to cut the deficit to 10-3.
The Irish controlled the pace from there, taking a 17-8 lead after the first quarter.
Kyzdon Robertson helped extend the lead in the second, knocking down a deep 3-pointer to put Lafayette up by 12. Williams continued to pour in points before halftime and eventually finished with a game-high 30 points.
The Hornets never found a rhythm, and Lafayette pulled away for a convincing 66-43 victory to secure its spot in the district final.
The second semifinal mirrored the first, as top-seeded Benton wasted no time taking control against No. 4 Maryville.
Myles Bachali set the tone early, drilling a 3-pointer to ignite the home crowd. On the Cardinals’ next possession, he buried another triple from the corner to double the lead. Moments later, Bachali pushed the ball up the floor in transition and found Liam Malchose for an easy layup, helping establish a 12-0 run to open the game.
Maryville called a timeout to regroup, and Lucas Vierthaler provided a spark with a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, finishing with six points from beyond the arc. However, the Spoofhounds still trailed 23-11 at the break.
Benton’s defense fueled the effort just as much as the offense. Mach Mayom anchored the interior with a pair of first-half blocks, including one where he soared above the rim to swat a shot out of bounds.
The Cardinals led 38-17 at halftime and never looked back, cruising to a 72-33 win to punch their ticket to the title game.
Friday’s championship will be a rematch of last year’s district final, when Lafayette stunned Benton with a buzzer-beater to claim the crown.
