South Harrison boys hoops conquers Carrollton, wins Class 3 District 16 Championship

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQ2) -- A common saying in basketball is "basketball is a game of runs."

The Class 3 District 16 Championship lived up to that saying as South Harrison and Carrollton exchanged over 10 lead changes all the way to finish line. In the end Bulldogs were the ones to emerge victorious, taking a 54-50 lead with baskets from sophomore Trevor Henry and senior Jett Cornett to win 58-52 and secure their first title since 2021.

“We had a couple really big buckets in the last three minutes of the fourth (quarter),” South Harrison coach Aaron Fitzpatrick said. “Our guys got loose in the paint and were able to get big buckets. That was the big shift because they (Carrollton) were (going on) runs, getting second chance points and a lot of offensive opportunities. We did a good job of securing key boards late down the stretch.”

Early in the game, the Trojans got out in front with a 7-0 run in the first 2 minutes of the game to force a Bulldogs timeout. South Harrison managed to settle in and take control with a run of their own that got to 9 by the start of the second quarter.

A large portion of the Bulldogs scoring was delivered by Cornett who led all scorers with 25 points, 2 steals and five 3-pointers.

“I just held my composure. We did a couple changes on defense where I got on number 34 and we just all played our brand of basketball,” Cornett said. “We know what we are capable of and it was the biggest difference.”

“He (Cornett) was huge for us. He controlled the pace, shared the ball, shot the ball, defended grabbed rebounds,” Fitzpatrick said. “He's a kid that has grown so much over (the course of) four years. He's been huge for the program. We ask him to do a lot of things and he came through clutch.”

Even as they trailed 22-13, Carrollton would storm back within the final minutes of the first half on a 16-5 run to hold a 2 point lead at halftime.

The Trojans continued to trade blows with the Bulldogs throughout the third and early portions of fourth quarters, but never regained control after tying the game at 50 a piece.

As South Harrison advances, they are relishing in the win but remain ready for their next opponent.

“We wanted this win all year, we knew we could get if we worked our worked our hardest,” Cornett said. “Now we to practice and get ready because we know it's going to be a hard matchup weather it’s Mid-Buch or North Platte.”

South Harrison will face North Platte in the State 3 Championship on Tuesday, March 3 at Saint Joseph Christian School.