Class 4, 5 All-State teams released

~Sikeston's McClinton placed on first team

JEFFERSON CITY -- The awards keep piling up for Sikeston forward Lontas McClinton.

Five days after being named Southeast Missouri Player of the Year at the B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza, McClinton was honored yet again today, making first team all-state.

The Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association released the all-state teams for Classes 4 and 5 this morning. In all, seven area players and one coach were selected.

McClinton was a second-team all-stater last season. He's the first Sikeston player to make the first team since Bryan Ellitt in 2000.

Dexter's Chris Hyten

Dexter's Chris Hyten

Only 10 athletes in each classification are selected to the first team statewide, so getting selected to the prestigious list in Class 4 is a fitting end to McClinton's dominant high school career.

"I've never had a player that received that much attention on the court," said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. "So many teams we played had two or three people surrounding him, trying to stop him. He was still able to fight through that and put up good numbers night in and night out."

McClinton averaged 20 points, 2.1 blocks and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs this season, shooting 63 percent from the field.

"He was such a consistent player for us," said Holifield. "He matured so much over the past two years. He had a great attitude and worked extremely hard in practice. Replacing his presence on offense and defense will be a problem for us."

McClinton's future in basketball is still up in the air at this point, but several colleges have shown interest.

Bluff's Tyler Hansbrough

Bluff's Tyler Hansbrough

"It looks like he's going to go the (junior college) route," said Holifield. "Probably in the next two to three weeks we'll know where he's going to be."

Also in Class 4, Dexter's Chris Hyten made first team all-state. Hyten was the driving force behind Dexter's 21-5 team this year, averaging 17 points, 6 assists and 4 steals per game.

"I don't know what we would've done without him," said Dexter coach Eric Sitze. "If he would've ever gotten hurt, I can't imagine what our team would've done. He played extremely hard and really turned into a team leader for us this year."

Hyten is the latest of several outstanding guards to come out of Dexter recently.

"He has worked as hard as any kids we've had come through," noted Sitze. "Ever since I've known him, he's been in the gym. He has put a ton of time into it."

On the girls side, Notre Dame's Ashley Millham was named first team all-state in Class 4. This year Millham became the school's all-time leading scorer, leading the Lady Bulldogs to a second place finish in Class 4.

"She was the leader out there on the floor," said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim. "She got everybody else involved in the game and did a lot of the ball handling."

Millham averaged 21 points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds per game. Teammate Sommer McCauley was also honored with a second-team selection.

"Sommer was the surprise of the year for everybody," said Grim. "We knew she had some talent. This year she picked her defense up some and was just so explosive. I look for some good things out of her (next year)."

Grim was also named Coach of the Year in Class 4. After winning state in Class 2A last year, the new multiplier rule bumped Notre Dame up to Class 4. The Lady Bulldogs struggled early in the season, but finished strong, ending their season at the Hearnes Center in Columbia.

"I think the big deal there was nobody expected us to be up there," said Grim, about being named Coach of the Year. "When somebody was down, there was always somebody to step in and pick up the slack."

In Class 5, Poplar Bluff's Tyler Hansbrough made first team all-state. The sophomore averaged 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Mules this season.

"He had a great year," said Poplar Bluff coach John David Pattillo. "And he's got a lot of growth and basketball maturation still to come. He's a really good player and is going to keep getting better because of his work ethic. There's no doubt I'm excited about having him for two more years."

Hansbrough's teammate, Tony Webb, was placed on the second team.

Webb put up 13.6 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds a game for the Mules this year.

"He probably played his best basketball at the end of the year, through our sectional and quarterfinal games especially," said Pattillo. "He broke our all-time scoring record, which he'll probably hold for another six or seven months. He had a great career here."

Webb's high school career at Poplar Bluff is over, but his college career might soon be starting there.

"He's going to play basketball," said Pattillo. "All indications show he will probably stay here at Three Rivers."