North Andrew punches ticket to Springfield with upset over Lakeland
Mar. 6—CLINTON, Mo. — The North Andrew boys basketball team defied the odds once again, as they defeaedt Lakeland, 62-58, to advance to the Class 2 State Semifinals.
It's the Cardinals' (22-8) first trip to the Final Four since 2018.
"We haven't received a single vote all year in the Class 2 poll," head coach Wade Bryson said postgame. "We've taken out the No. 5, the No. 4, the No. 1... It just shows that these boys will battle and compete against anybody."
Lakeland (24-2) came into the matchup as the top-ranked team in the state for Class 2 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.
Early in the game, Tanner McDaniel showed the Vikings he and the Cardinals were a force to be reckoned with. McDaniel caught fire, scoring 18 points in the first half, 13 of which came in the first quarter.
"I just felt good," McDaniel said. "My three ball wasn't going down at the start, but I finally hit one, and just feeling good early."
The Vikings kept it close, though, as senior Rafe Kalberloh traded buckets with McDaniel. His 12 first half points were enough to give Lakeland the lead at the half.
The second half began with a defensive shift for the Vikings. More pressure was being put on McDaniel, forcing other Cardinals to step up. One who did so was Hayden Ecker. The sophomore hit three three-pointers in a row to push North Andrew back ahead in the fourth quarter.
"I knew I had to knock it down," Ecker said. "It was a big moment, so I just shot it and made it."
Free throws became crucial down the stretch, and the Cardinals were able to take advantage. Junior Owen Graham hit five free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game to put the game on ice for North Andrew. On the other end, Lakeland missed a handful that prevented them from staying within reach.
"Honestly, just going through my mind was playing 3rd and 4th grade basketball with Tanner McDaniel and Brewer Wheeler and Clayton (Linville) and Keaton Hannah and all them," Graham said, "and just not wanting to quit practicing and playing games with everybody, so I knew I had to step up and knock down the shots."
With the win, the Cardinals advance to face Salisbury in the Class 2 State Semifinals next week in Springfield.
Bryson said his team has been focused on one game at a time, and this next week will be spent preparing for the Final Four.
"I don't even know who's playing in the other quarterfinal right now," Bryson joked. "We gotta go figure out what's going on and figure out who else made it, and we gotta start putting in some work."
North Andrew and Salisbury square off Thursday, March 11 at JQH Arena in Springfield.
Jacob Lang can be reached at jacob.lang@newspressnow.com. Follow him on twitter: @NPNowLang.
