MONETT, Mo. — The top-seeded Seneca Indians earned their first district title in boys basketball since 2013 with a 61-47 win against the second-seeded Aurora Houn’ Dawgs in the Class 4 District 12 championship game on Friday evening at E.E. Camp Gymnasium.
Seneca trailed just once early on at 5-3 and led by double-digits for the vast majority of the second half.
The Indians led 14-8 after one quarter, 32-21 at halftime after Morgan Vaughn was fouled with 0.3 seconds remaining before halftime and he made two free throws for their first double-digit lead, and 46-34 entering the fourth.
The Houns did their best to stay in the game with their 3-point shooting, scoring 15 of their 21 first-half points with five 3-point baskets and they made three more trifectas in the second half for eight 3-pointers overall and 24 of their 47 points on the night.
The Indians were not without their three-point plays either.
For example, Aurora seniors Daunte Floyd and Trandan Darnell cut the deficit to eight at 42-34 with a pair of made free throws by Floyd and a basket from Darnell.
That’s when Vaughn scored an old-fashioned three-point play and Gavyn Hoover split a pair of free throws for a return to a 12-point lead entering the fourth.
Seneca sophomore Zane Grotjohn hit a trifecta early in the fourth to extend the lead to 15 at 51-36 and the Indians would eventually grow their lead to as large as 19 in the fourth.
Seneca senior Cooper Long scored a game-high 18 points, and it’s only fitting the outstanding senior opened the scoring with a 3-point basket and closed out the clock and the district title victory with the ball in his hands.
Vaughn finished with 14 points, Blake Hurn 10, Grotjohn eight, Hoover seven, and Ethan Altic added four points, including a steal-and-score in the third that put Seneca ahead 39-22.
The Indians, now 17-11 overall, won a district title in Cort Hardy’s first season as head coach and they will face District 11 champion Rogersville (25-3) in the Class 4 sectionals at 7:45 p.m. on Monday at the Meyer Sports Center on the Southwest Baptist campus in Bolivar.
Rogersville defeated Hollister 53-40 on Friday for the Wildcats’ fifth district title in six seasons. The Wildcats, ranked seventh in Class 4 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, have won 11 straight games since a 52-47 loss Jan. 27 against Troy Buchanan.
Seneca’s district title in boys basketball joins the Indians’ previous district titles this school year in softball, volleyball, and football.
The Seneca girls have a chance to make it five district titles for the Indians this school year when they play the top-seeded Aurora girls Saturday in Monett.
Aurora senior Kelton Brown scored a team-high 15 points, and the Houns finish 10-18 overall.
