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COLUMBIA — While holding the Missouri Class 1 state championship trophy, Chadwick girls basketball standout Ray Little's mom wrapped her arms around her as she placed a medal around her neck.
Little's mom, an assistant on the Chadwick staff, wiped away tears as she did. Twenty years before, she held the Lady Cardinals' first championship trophy in her arms. She told her daughter the stories of the 2005 Lady Cardinals her entire life.
Twenty years from now, after leading Chadwick to a 44-43 win over Northeast Cairo on Saturday night in Columbia, Little hopes to do the same for her daughter.
"That's a moment I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," Little said.
Chadwick girls' basketball won the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown Class 1 state championship. The Lady Cardinals won it within hours after the boys team won a championship themselves. It's the first time the same school from the Springfield area won the boys and girls titles since Kickapoo did so in 2003.
CHADWICK BOYS: Chadwick basketball caps greatest stretch in school history by repeating as Class 1 champs
The victory came with late-game drama. Northeast Cairo's Macy Landry appeared to have a game-winning 3-point attempt at the horn, but it went too hard off the backboard, and she was whistled for a travel anyway as the Lady Cardinals stormed the court.
"This was a total team effort," first-year Chadwick coach Jim Pendergrass said. "The one thing you can say about this team is that it's so united and so bonded together. It's really hard to break them."
Northeast Cairo, the defending Class 1 runner-up, came into the game with the size advantage. The Lady Cardinals were tasked with defending length they've yet to face. They still won the rebound battle, only allowed five offensive boards, and outscored the Lady Cats in the paint.
At one point in the fourth quarter, they saw their four-point lead disappear. Tied with under a minute left, Macy and Emily Landry both hit a pair of free throws in the final 42 seconds to create the needed separation to pull off a win two decades in the making.
"I'm actually overjoyed; I'm just so happy because we're state champs," Little said. "This is so special, with my mom here. She's taught me so much about basketball and has put me in positions that I've had to be in. I'm just thankful for her."
Chadwick's 2005 state champion team was honored at halftime for its anniversary. Heading into the game, Pendergrass decided that it didn't matter what the score was at halftime and that his team would stay on the floor and pay their respects to those who came before them.
In 20 years, this year's Lady Cardinals will be brought back to be recognized. They hope it'll be at halftime of another Chadwick game, filled with those they've inspired along the way.
"We'll go back to school, and I feel like kids will walk by and be like 'you guys are state champs,'" Little said. "They'll get to say 'the big kids did that and maybe one day, I can do that.' I just love that."
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Chadwick girls basketball tops Northeast Cairo in Class 1 championship
Continue reading...
Little's mom, an assistant on the Chadwick staff, wiped away tears as she did. Twenty years before, she held the Lady Cardinals' first championship trophy in her arms. She told her daughter the stories of the 2005 Lady Cardinals her entire life.
Twenty years from now, after leading Chadwick to a 44-43 win over Northeast Cairo on Saturday night in Columbia, Little hopes to do the same for her daughter.
"That's a moment I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," Little said.
Chadwick girls' basketball won the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown Class 1 state championship. The Lady Cardinals won it within hours after the boys team won a championship themselves. It's the first time the same school from the Springfield area won the boys and girls titles since Kickapoo did so in 2003.
CHADWICK BOYS: Chadwick basketball caps greatest stretch in school history by repeating as Class 1 champs
The victory came with late-game drama. Northeast Cairo's Macy Landry appeared to have a game-winning 3-point attempt at the horn, but it went too hard off the backboard, and she was whistled for a travel anyway as the Lady Cardinals stormed the court.
"This was a total team effort," first-year Chadwick coach Jim Pendergrass said. "The one thing you can say about this team is that it's so united and so bonded together. It's really hard to break them."
Northeast Cairo, the defending Class 1 runner-up, came into the game with the size advantage. The Lady Cardinals were tasked with defending length they've yet to face. They still won the rebound battle, only allowed five offensive boards, and outscored the Lady Cats in the paint.
At one point in the fourth quarter, they saw their four-point lead disappear. Tied with under a minute left, Macy and Emily Landry both hit a pair of free throws in the final 42 seconds to create the needed separation to pull off a win two decades in the making.
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"I'm actually overjoyed; I'm just so happy because we're state champs," Little said. "This is so special, with my mom here. She's taught me so much about basketball and has put me in positions that I've had to be in. I'm just thankful for her."
Chadwick's 2005 state champion team was honored at halftime for its anniversary. Heading into the game, Pendergrass decided that it didn't matter what the score was at halftime and that his team would stay on the floor and pay their respects to those who came before them.
In 20 years, this year's Lady Cardinals will be brought back to be recognized. They hope it'll be at halftime of another Chadwick game, filled with those they've inspired along the way.
"We'll go back to school, and I feel like kids will walk by and be like 'you guys are state champs,'" Little said. "They'll get to say 'the big kids did that and maybe one day, I can do that.' I just love that."
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Chadwick girls basketball tops Northeast Cairo in Class 1 championship
Continue reading...
