Five Good Guys: Thursday Night District Championship Edition
Thursday night was the first night that district championship games were held around the state. Today’s installment of Five Good Guys features five stellar performances from last night’s championship night.
Trent McBride 6’6″ Eminence: The 2019 forward scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Redwings to a 57-42 victory over South Iron in the Class 1, District 3 championship game. The versatile young big has been a dominant force all season in leading the Redwings to a 27-1 record heading into next Wednesday night’s sectionals.
Armani Vermillion 6’0′ Advance: The 2018 bootheel bucket-getter scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Hornets to a 84-31 victory over Oak Ridge in the Class 1, District 2 championship game. If the Hornets are to make a run at the third consecutive Final Four berth, Vermillion will have to continue to score at a high rate.
Brenton Wagner 6’2″ Park Hills Central: The 2020 guard scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Rebels to a 65-48 victory over Steelville in the Class 3, District 3 championship game. “B-Wags” is a talented young guard who can really shoot the basketball and handle it as well.
Darius Jones 6’0″ Hayti: The athletic 2018 guard scored 17 points to lead Hayti past Bernie 58-54 in the Class 2, District 1 championship game. Jones is an exciting guard who has the ability to make plays at both ends of the court. He will lead them into next Wednesday night’s sectional playoffs against defending state champion Oran.
Layne Johnson 6’1″ Oran: The 6’1″ 2018 guard scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Eagles past St. Vincent 77-46 in the Class 2, District 2 championship. The Eagles will face Hayti next Wednesday in the sectional playoffs.
(Trent McBride photo courtesy of SWMO Basketball)