With the season games out of the way, the Bears were ready to win a district championship. This year’s district tournament was held at Cabool.

The Bears would be taking on the Mountain View Liberty Eagles in the first round on Tuesday, March 2nd. The Bears started the game off good and soon got rid of the nerves and were able to hit many key shots. The Bears were scoring very well and by half, the Bears were able to pull out an 18 point lead.

In the second half, the Bears kept their large lead and were able to get a win by 19. The final score was Bears-78, Liberty Eagles-59. The scoring for the Bears was very balanced with four players having more than 10 points. The top scorers for the Bears were Taylor James and Clint Harper both with 18 points.

Next, due to an upset between Cabool and Licking, the Bears would be playing the Licking Wild Cats. This semifinals game would take place on Thursday, March 4th. The Bears did not hit this game off to a good start and struggled shooting the ball. The Bears were down at the half due to Ben Denbow’s 18 first half points. The score at the half was Bears- 24, Licking-29.

In the second half, the Bears fell further behind as the game continued. Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears were down by 11 and things did not look good for the Bears. The Bears defense started creating turnovers. Steven Mallow made shots and Clint Harper got offensive rebounds and put backs. With this, the Bears were able to rally back and get a lead by three. Then the Wild Cats had the ball with just enough time to get off one more shot. However, Clint Harper stole the ball and with a put back by Mallow, the Bears were able to end a close game with a lead of five. The Bears won with a final score of Bears-55, Wild Cats-50. The top scorer for the Bears was Steven Mallow netting in 26 points.

On Saturday, March 6th, the Willow Springs Bears would play the Ava Bears in the district tournament. The winner of this game would win a district title and advance to sectionals. Cabool’s gym was packed with a big crowed and atmosphere. Willow came out fired up ready to leave it all on the line.

The game went back and fourth, but Willow had the lead at the half. The half time score was Willow-31, Ava-29. Then in the second half, the score continued to go back and forth until Ava gained a lead by seven midway through the fourth quarter. Willow slowly clawed their way back and had the ball with time running out. Trailing by one, Steven Mallow drove the ball into a host of Ava Bears and managed to get a shot off. The ball came off the front of the rim and Clint Harper grabbed the offensive rebound and shot a buzzer shot, but this also was a miss. Willow lost in a very close district championship by one with a final score of Willow Bears-57, Ava Bears-58. With this loss, the Bears ended their season with a record of 14-12. Although they lost, the Willow Bears played a great game and should hold their heads high with a second place trophy.

“I thought the guys played their best game of the year tonight. I’m proud of the way we executed the different situations that arose especially at the end of quarters. Our team defense was as good as it has been all year. We are going to miss Steven and Michael. It’s hard to see the kids hurting after an emotional game, but I couldn’t be prouder of them,” stated head Coach Mike Mallow.