Springfield girls basketball Class 2 districts preview: Schedule, players, predictions

Wyatt D. Wheeler, Springfield News-Leader

It's postseason time for high school basketball across southwest Missouri.

Classes 1-3 will tip off district play on Monday all across the area. We went through and provided the brackets, top teams, players to watch and predictions for each local district.

Check MSHSAA.org for the most accurate times and brackets throughout the postseason.

SPRINGFIELD AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL DISTRICT PREVIEWS: Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3

SPRINGFIELD AREA BOYS BASKETBALL DISTRICT PREVIEWS: Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3

Class 2

No. 1 team: Skyline

The Lady Tigers seemingly took their game to a new level this year when they competed in a league that Strafford and Fair Grove dominated for the last decade. They'll enter the postseason as the Class 2 favorites with out-of-area challengers like Tipton and Thayer chasing them. Skyline's impressive resume includes two double-digit-point wins over Fair Grove, a 12-point win over Republic and already a five-point win over Tipton from Dec. 19. Their only losses have been to Class 5 Marshfield and Class 3 No. 1 El Dorado Springs.

District 10 at Mansfield

Feb. 19

  • No. 4 Bakersfield vs. No. 5 Mansfield

  • No. 2 Norwood vs. No. 7 Cabool

  • No. 3 Gainesville vs. No. 6 Dora

Feb. 21

  • No. 1 Hartville vs. 4/5

  • 2/7 vs. 3/6

Feb. 23

  • Championship at 6 p.m.

Team to beat: Hartville. The Lady Eagles are playing their best basketball in February and they'll look to maintain that pace heading toward a run into March. Senior Jenna Kelley has been a standout as an athletic forward who is capable of double-doubles and shooting from deep.

Next best: Norwood. The Lady Pirates were right there when it played Hartville on Jan. 30 in a 46-43 defeat. A move to a neutral court could make a difference for two teams that have been playing at a similar level this year.

Prediction: Hartville over Norwood.

District 11 at Crane

Feb. 19

  • No. 4 Spokane vs. No. 5 Greenwood

  • No. 2 Crane vs. No. 7 Galena

  • No. 3 Fordland vs. No. 6 New Covenant

Feb. 21

  • No. 1 Blue Eye vs. 4/5

  • 2/7 vs. 3/6

Feb 23

  • Championship at 7 p.m.

Team to beat: Blue Eye. The Lady Bulldogs are a year removed from not winning a district for the first time in five years. In the three years prior, they advanced to the state semifinals and finished third each year. Junior Kaylee Wilson has emerged as one of the best 3-point shooters in the area this season.

Next best: Crane. The Lady Pirates have a 58-57 win over Blue Eye that went to three overtimes. They're put in a tougher spot having to play out of a quarterfinal game but that should only motivate them a little more. Crane is also going for its first district title since 2017.

Sleeper: Fordland. The Eagles won their first district championship since 2012 a year ago and enter the postseason as one of the more dangerous three-seeds you can find. They've yet to match up with Crane this year but hold a 49-33 defeat to Blue Eye from the Walnut Grove Holiday Classic in December. Fordland has great wins over the likes of Hartville, Norwood, Sparta and Gainesville. Don't count it out.

Prediction: Blue Eye over Fordland.

District 12 at Marionville

Feb. 19

  • No. 4 Pierce City vs. No. 5 Jasper

  • No. 3 College Heights vs. No. 6 Verona

Feb. 21

  • No. 1 Miller vs. 4/5

  • No. 2 Marionville vs. 3/6

Feb. 23

  • Championship at 7 p.m.

Team to beat: Miller. The Cardinals ended the regular season by winning by seven at Marionville — when the two could meet again in Marionville for a potential district championship. Miller has won five straight district championships and has shown no sign of slowing down. The Cardinals have no seniors on the roster and feature a great sophomore core in Loghann Leivan, Ashlynn Helton and others.

Next best: Marionville. The Lady Comets have had their best two-season stretch since three-straight 20-plus win seasons from 2012-14 which included a third-place finish in the state in 2012. Lucy Newberry has been among the best players in the Ozarks this season and is capable of putting on a special performance to lift her team to its first district title in over a decade.

Prediction: Miller over Marionville.

District 13 at Weaubleau

Feb. 19

  • No. 4 Weaubleau vs. No. 5 Osceola

  • No. 3 Ash Grove vs. No. 6 Lakeland

Feb. 21

  • No. 1 Skyline vs. 4/5

  • No. 2 Marion C. Early vs. 3/6

Feb. 23

  • Championship at 7 p.m.

Team to beat: Skyline. For reasons listed above as to why they're the No. 1 team in the state, the Lady Tigers are the favorites to win a state championship for the first time since 2017. This team has deep postseason experience from finishing third in the state last year and with the current senior group finishing second in the state in 2021. Skyline beat two-seed Marion C. Early 84-39 when the two met on Dec. 5.

Next best: Marion C. Early. The Lady Panthers are going to have to show how far they've come if they were to meet up with Skyline in a district title game. They've played their best basketball late in the year although it came against some of the weaker opponents they've played this year. It's going to need to do something pretty special to come out with the biggest upset in the state.

Prediction: Skyline over Marion C. Early.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield high school girls basketball Class 2 districts preview

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