2022 Blue and Gold Tournament: The top performers from Wednesday's semifinal matchups

wyatt d. wheeler, springfield news-leader

Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 1:13 AM·7 min read

Semifinal day at the 2022 Blue and Gold Tournament was the best day yet with some late-game heroics and some of the best basketball you'll watch all year. If Thursday's championships are anything like Wednesday, we are in for a treat.

Here's a look at the top performers from Wednesday's winners' bracket action at Great Southern Bank Arena.

Wednesday's Blue Division MVP — Ahlante Askew, Republic

The Republic Tigers celebrate after beating the Hartville Eagles in overtime in a Blue Division semifinal game of the Blue & Gold Tournament at Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022.

For the second time in three days, Askew was the most impressive player on the floor in the Blue Division. Republic wouldn't be playing for the Blue championship without his heroics.

Askew sunk a game-tying 3-pointer from deep, deep 3-point range to force overtime in Republic's 51-45 win over Hartville.

Askew finished the game with 22 points with eight of his points coming in the fourth quarter. Again, his athleticism, basketball IQ and clutch genes proved to be the difference and have the Tigers playing for a title. He has been amazing for the Tigers this year.

ASKEW:Republic star Ahlante Askew's heroics help Tigers top Hartville in OT to advance to Blue title game

Wednesday's Gold Division MVP — Kael Combs, Nixa

Nobody could slow down Combs and he has Nixa in the Gold Division title game after scoring 26 points in Nixa's 53-45 win over Fair Grove.

Combs scored 15 of his 26 in the second half. He's the best athlete in the Ozarks and he just put his head down and drove down the lane for easy buckets against a Fair Grove squad that didn't have much of an answer for him. He might be the best player in southwest Missouri right now and he made a statement to advance his team to the next round.

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Bryden Baxter, Fair Grove

Coming up short against Nixa, Baxter did all he could to try and keep the purple Eagles within striking distance.

Baxter scored 19 points with three makes coming from beyond the arc. All of his scoring came in the first three quarters as Nixa limited Fair Grove to just eight points in the final period. Baxter had a solid tournament and Fair Grove should be a team to watch heading into the rest of the season.

Nick Burri, Greenwood

Burri was nothing short of awesome during the Blue Jays' three-game stay in the winners' bracket and he's made it known that he's one of the best overall players in the Ozarks.

Burri had a double-double against Logan-Rogersville by scoring 18 points with 11 boards. He was a top scorer for Greenwood throughout its three games and he's shown that he has what it takes to be the best player on a really good team.

THIS IS SPARTA:Blue and Gold: Sparta wins instant classic over Bolivar to advance to Blue Division championship

Grant Culver, Hartville

Culver almost had the Eagles playing for a Blue Division title but came up just a tad short.

The 6-foot-5 guard was Hartville's leading scorer with 16 points. He's a tough player to guard with his size and he's able to finish at the basket. Hartville is going to make some noise over the next two months and Culver will be at the front of it.

Jacob Lafferty, Sparta

The Sparta Trojans took on the Bolivar Liberators in a Blue Division semifinal game of the Blue & Gold Tournament at Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022.

It was difficult to not make Lafferty the Blue Division's MVP for the second day in a row but Askew's 3 at the buzzer was too hard to ignore. Make no mistake, Lafferty has made his name known as one of the best players in southwest Missouri and he will have a chance to lead his team to some history on Thursday night.

Lafferty scored 25 points with 21 coming after the first half. He scored 12 of the Trojans' 19 in the third quarter to help Sparta erase a 10-point deficit. Lafferty's size and ability to score from everywhere have made him the name everyone should now know through three games. He has been incredible for the Trojans who are seeking their first Blue and Gold title since 1953.

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Walker Loveland, Sparta

Going toe-to-toe with Bolivar star Kyle Pock in the fourth quarter and two overtimes, Loveland answered everything the Liberators tried to throw at him as the Trojans came away with the most thrilling win of the tournament.

At 5-foot-5, the Trojans' point guard scored 10 points with seven coming between the two overtime periods. Loveland put his head down and ran through the Bolivar defense en route to the bucket to either get an easy layup or get fouled. The Trojans have a really good junior duo in him and Lafferty.

Kyle Pock, Bolivar

The best player in the Ozarks showed why he is deserving of that label despite coming up short against Sparta in the semifinals.

Pock was remarkable while scoring 25 points with 18 coming between the fourth quarter and two overtime periods. There was no question as to who was going to take the clutch shots and he hit one of the great shots of this year's tournament to force the first overtime at the buzzer.

Pock's great Bolivar career will end with one Blue and Gold Tournament title that he won last season. It wouldn't be a surprise if he adds a few more accolades next to his name before his senior year is over.

Curry Sutherland, Logan-Rogersville

It was one of the uglier games that you'll watch but Logan-Rogersville still came away with a win and will play for a championship. It wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for Sutherland's efforts.

Sutherland scored 19 points in the Wildcats' 40-34 win over Greenwood. He continued to be the focal point for the Logan-Rogersville offense as he put his head down and attacked the basket. Six of his points came in a close fourth quarter that also featured big-time 3-point shots from Ross Lawrence and Brody McNiel.

Blue Division semifinal results

Winners (Great Southern Bank Arena)

F/2OT No. 5 Sparta 68, No. 1 Bolivar 66
F/OT No. 2 Republic 51, No. 3 Hartville 45

Consolation (Hammons Student Center)

Catholic 38, Mountain Grove 37
Spokane 49, Buffalo 32

Fifth place bracket (Hammons Student Center)

No. 4 Ozark 59, No. 8 Ash Grove 51
F/2OT No. 7 Hillcrest 97, No. 6 Camdenton 95

Blue championship schedule

Championship (Great Southern Bank Arena)

7 p.m. — No. 2 Republic vs. No. 5 Sparta

Third-place game (Great Southern Bank Arena)

4 p.m. — No. 1 Bolivar vs. No. 3 Hartville

Fifth-place game (Hammons Student Center)

7 p.m. — No. 4 Ozark vs. No. 7 Hillcrest

Consolation championship (Hammons Student Center)

4 p.m. — Catholic vs. Spokane

Gold Division semifinal results

Winners

No. 1 Nixa 53, No. 5 Fair Grove 45
No. 2 Logan-Rogersville 40, No. 6 Greenwood 34

Consolation

West Plains 55, Branson 48
Willard 70, Willow Springs 39

Fifth-place bracket

No. 4 Parkview 79, No. 8 Marshfield 47
No. 3 Strafford 64, No. 7 Lebanon 55

Gold championship schedule