COLUMBIA -- The Charleston Bluejays are hoping the fifth time is the charm in this year's Class 3 final four.
Charleston is competing in its fifth straight Class 3 semifinal, but have come away with no championships, taking third twice and second twice.
The Bluejays will begin their quest tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. when they take on Bowling Green at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
While reaching the state semifinals is an impressive accomplishment, head coach Danny Farmer and his team is ready to take that next step and win it all. The Bluejays, who have the third most boys state championships in Missouri history with nine, haven't won a title since 1996. Farmer was an assistant to Bobby Spencer that year.
This year, though, the Bluejays may enter the semifinals as the favorite with four starters returning from last year's second place team.
"I think we have a great chance with three of our kids being there three other times," said Farmer. "Jamarcus (Williams) started as a freshman and Shawn (Sherrell) and Justin (Clark) have played every year. We have the experience factor. I think for our guys it's just another game. We've been focused all week. We've been practicing at 6 a.m. trying to get ready for that 9 a.m. game. Everything's been looking good. I think the kids are out to win it this year."
Bowling Green enters the matchup with a 24-3 record and own the distinction of having knocked off defending state champion Cardinal Ritter 57-54 in the sectional round. The Bobcats defeated Highland in the quarterfinal 48-46.
Bowling Green competes in the Eastern Missouri Conference. The town is located in Pike County, north of St. Louis.
The Bobcats owe their three losses to Highland, Pittsfield, Ill., and Monroe City. They are riding a 17-game winning streak.
Brandon McCann, a 6-foot sophomore, is the team's leading scorer at 10.9 points per game. Senior Adam Coleman averages 10.5 ppg. The Bobcats also have a pair of tall post players in 6-5 Matt Koepf and 6-6 Ben Hartung. Brett Hansen, a 6-0 senior, rounds out the starting lineup.
"They have a couple big guys inside -- a 6-6 guy and a 6-5 guy, but most of their scoring has come from their guards," said Farmer. "I think we're going to be up against a good team. We're hoping they don't play the competition that we play. We're going to be ready. We're just focused on Bowling Green. We're taking it one game at a time."
Charleston (27-3) enters the game on a 16-game winning streak. The Bluejays lost two games in December to Webster Groves and Bell City when Sherrell was out with a hand injury and Williams had just returned to action.
Charleston's only other loss came to Sikeston on Jan. 5. Since then, the Bluejays have dominated nearly every opponent in their way. No team has come within 18 points in the last eight games.
Clark has been the Bluejays' go-to player this season, averaging a team-high 17.1 ppg while draining 70 3-pointers.
Williams hasn't been as dominant since his leg injury, but he is still a force on the low blocks, averaging 14.4 ppg and 10 rpg.
Sherrell averages 13.8 ppg and 5.5 assists per game.
Senior Jerrell Quinn has been promoted to the starting lineup and has produced, averaging 4.8 ppg and 5.6 rpg, second on the team.
"We are playing our best ball," said Farmer. "All year we've had issues with Jamarcus breaking his leg, Shawn was out for seven games. Quinn had a slow start, but now he's playing better. Shawn's playing better. Jamarcus has a sprained ankle right now, but he should be able to play. We've put together some good games playing great. I think we're going to continue to play well. We have a lot of factors working our way. We've been improving. I'm hoping that, and our experience of being there, will carry us through."
The other semifinal will pit Spokane (27-3) against Pembroke Hill (23-6), the same school that produced the Rush brothers, JaRon and Kareem. The two led Pembroke Hill to three state championships in the late '90s only to be stripped of all three due to illegal benefits gained by the Rush brothers during summer basketball leagues.
This is Pembroke Hill's first semifinal appearance since 1999.
Spokane knocked off the state's No. 1 ranked team in Mount Vernon 65-63 in the sectional round. The Owls defeated Conway 68-67 in the quarterfinals.
"I don't think it's any easier that Ritter's not there or Mount Vernon's not there," said Farmer. "I think it makes it harder because you're playing the teams that beat them. I think they're all about the same caliber."
If Charleston wins, the championship game will be played on Friday at 12:20 p.m. The third place game will be played at 9:00 on Friday morning.