Semoball

STATESMAN TOP 10: Bernie boys basketball ends district title drought

Bernie players celebrate after winning the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 championship 62-48 over Hayti on Friday, Feb. 28, at Campbell High School
DAR/Brian Rosener

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Statesman is counting down the 10 best high school games from the previous school year. We will feature a game each week, including No. 3 this week. The criteria for a game to make the list include competitiveness and meaning of the game. A game must involve a team(s) from Stoddard County and must have been covered first-hand by the Statesman or Semoball.

CAMPBELL — Bernie senior Blake Harty carried the Mules in the first half and his teammates did their part after halftime in the championship game of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 boys basketball tournament.

Harty scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, and the top-seeded Mules beat second-seeded Hayti 62-48 Feb. 28 at Campbell High School to win their first district championship since 2013.

“I always tell Blake he has nothing to prove to anyone in the area in the toughness department,” Bernie coach Jason Long said. “He’s as tough a kid as we’ve ever had.”

Long said Harty played great, but he credited his entire roster for the victory.

“Johnny Vaughn hit a couple of big shots. Landon (Zoll) made a couple of big shots,” Long said. “Johnny made his free throws late. Blake made his free throws. Tyler Suiter rebounded the dog out of the basketball. It was a total team effort. That’s the way it’s been all year.”

Vaughn finished with 15 points and was one of seven Bernie players to score two or more points.

Tray’von Thomas paced Hayti with 12 points and Tyliek Moore had 11.

“It feels great,” Long said of winning the district championship. “I’ve just got a wonderful group of kids. That’s where the credit has to go. Sure, as coaches, we have to do our jobs. When you do something like this, the credit goes to the kids. I’m just so happy for them. What more can I say?”

Bernie withstood the Indians’ comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. They sliced the lead to nine points twice (54-45 on a 3-pointer by Moore and 57-48 on a 3 by Jaden Wilburn).

However, Vaughn went 5 for 6 from the free throw line in the final minute to secure the victory.

For Harty and fellow senior Skyler Schwent, who have been playing together since the fifth grade, the victory was especially sweet because the Mules finished second in the district tournament in each of the past two years.

“It’s really overwhelming,” Harty said. “It shows how much hard work (pays off). … Everybody’s playing as hard as they can and we’re seeing improvement.”

The team’s third senior, Andrew Geohagan, joined the squad last season and finished with seven points.

“Andrew coming along,” Harty said. “He’s been battling injuries all season long. He’s been coming on, playing strong.”

Harty gave the Mules a lift in the second quarter. He scored 11 of his team’s 18 points and helped them overcome a three-point deficit at the end of the first.

“I knew they were going to be on top of me,” Harty said, “so I knew I could beat them to the basket and create some looks for my teammates. They didn’t offer a lot of help, so I could take it to the basket a little bit. I could shoot a jumper if I needed to. I was getting my rhythm. I was just feeling it.”

Harty’s 3-pointer gave the Mules a 14-13 lead, an advantage they never relinquished. Harty’s 3 ignited a 12-1 run that gave his team a 23-14 lead.

The Indians had opportunities to keep the game close but missed 5 of 7 free throws. Brent Gage made a jumper near the free throw line to give Bernie a 27-18 halftime lead.

Both teams struggled with turnovers in the second half, as they turned up the pressure on defense. They combined for 26 turnovers, including 14 by Bernie.

“It was hard tonight because Hayti put pressure on us and was in our face,” Long said.

Vaughn made a pair of 3-pointers and Zoll sank another, as the Mules extended their lead to as many as 15 (40-25) on Vaughn’s second 3.

Hayti sliced the lead to nine (40-31), and Bernie took a 46-36 lead into the fourth.

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