After defeating Blair Oaks on March 13 with a close 46-45 finish, MVHS girls took on a new level they didn’t expect to come, a chance at state championship.

After a weak performance during the first half of the quarterfinal game against Blair Oaks, players became impassioned and quickly redeemed themselves. Though the Falcons held the girls back with all they could, senior Lacey Stokes swooped in to add 13 points in the third quarter.

Briefly, the Mountaineers again trailed significantly in the fourth quarter until Stokes tied the game at 42 with a three-pointer. It became a back-and-forth struggle as Lisa Kruger scored to tie the game at 44, quickly followed by Cameryn Cassidy's layup, which brought the score up to 45-44.

The fans were at the edges of their seats screaming, “Lets go Green!” to encourage the girls. Finally, with nine seconds left in the game, the girls had the score at 46-45 after Autumn Bax from Blair Oaks missed her second free-throw shot. The crowd went wild after Stokes reclaimed the ball, carrying it down the court until the buzzer ended the game.

The team was visibly nervous before the semifinal game. Sophomore Kadence Krempges explains, “The semifinal game was crazy. We were the underdogs of that game, and no one expected us to win. In my head we were up by 15 at the 5 minute mark, but I had to keep calm because there was still plenty of time on the clock."

Krempges remembers the moment she realized victory was in sight: "They kept fouling us and I realized that there was no way. The last seconds of that game were so amazing. We overcame what everyone had said. We knew we had a goal and every single one of those girls on the court for Mount Vernon gave their best for the team. We all celebrated and I couldn’t stop smiling. It felt so good to win against a team that was supposed to win it all.”

Headed to MSHSAA, the girls were proud that they beat one of the best teams, known as Vashon. The girls knew they were unlikely to win in the final round, but still went into the game with a good mindset and gave all they got. Ending the game 78-55, the girls honored each other with cheers and big smiles.

At the MSHSAA game, the girls knew that this was an all-or-nothing game. They were proud of themselves and each other for how far along they’ve gotten this season. This is the first state title appearance since 2012 for the Lady Mountaineers.

Krempges remembers, “The pressure coming into the state game was definitely there. I definitely didn’t feel as nervous for the state game as I did for the Vashon game. But the feeling was still there.” The team ended the season as the Missouri Class 4 state runners-up after losing to Boonville 58-52.

Ellie Johnston led the game with 21 total points, Stokes with 14, and Reagan Boswell and Cassidy both with 8 points.. Finishing the season with a 28-4 record, the team couldn’t be more proud of how far they have gotten.

Krempges said her main focus was to give it all she had for her team, most especially the seniors. "They have worked so hard for everything and to be playing with them for their last season was something really cool."