Wellston and Whitfield take home third-place trophies

Columbia, Mo.- Wellston and Whitfield's boys finished their seasons on a positive note by winning third-place trophies at this weekend's state championships at the Mizzou Arena.

Wellston defeated Clever 77-61 in the third place game of the Class 2
tournament while Whitfield took home third place in Class 3 with a 64-59
victory over Mt. Vernon.
 

For Wellston (19-10), it was the end of a glorious era as Friday night's
game was the final one in the school's history. Eskridge High in
Wellston is closing its doors at the end of the school year. The Trojans
went out in style as they rebounded from a heartbreaking loss to Bernie
in the semifinals to post an impressive victory.
 

"The Wellston program has left a big impact on the state of Missouri in
basketball," said coach Jeffrey McCaw. "It's a bittersweet moment for
us, but I'm very proud of our kids and Wellston High. It was a privilege
to come to Columbia one final time."
 
After spotting Clever an 11-2 lead, the Trojans stormed back to tie the
game at 18-18 at the end of the first quarter. They took control of the
game by outscoring Clever 23-11 in the second quarter to take a 41-29
lead.
 
Junior standout Ben McLemore led the Trojans with 28 points, 12
rebounds, four assists and two steals. Junior Eldright White added 23
points, including seven 3-pointers. Junior guard Jerron Lee had 13
points and six assists.
 
"We just wanted to come out and play hard tonight," McLemore said. "We
wanted to win our last game."
 
Whitfield finished its season at 22-11 to finish third in their second
consecutive appearance at the Final Four. Sophomore guard Zach Ellis led
the Warriors with 18 points. Senior Alex Rudd added 13 points, as did
sophomore Darrion Harris, who made all three of his 3-point attempts.
 
It is also the end of an era at Whitfield as the Warriors say good-bye
to the senior group of Rudd, Julian Johnson, Maurice Burns and Mike
Gallagher. They have been varsity stalwarts since they entered Whitfield
together as freshmen. Johnson will graduate as the school's
career-scoring leader. All four players have battled injuries throughout
their careers, but still fought back to lead Whitfield to two Final Four
appearances.
 
"We are going to miss these guys," said coach Michael Potsou. "They have
changed the culture of Whitfield basketball. They have worked
year-around for the past four years. Not only are they great players,
but they are great people. I am proud of all of them."