Preview: Class 1 Final Four

The field is set for the Final Four of the Class 1 state tournament, which will be held on March 12-13 at the JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield. The field features three of the top four ranked teams in the latest MBCA state poll in No. 1 Community, No. 2 Walnut Grove and No. 3 South Iron. The fourth team is an excellent Platte Valley squad that is making its first state appearance since 2012. They took out No. 4 Norbonne in the state quarterfinals. Here is a look at the Class 1 Final Four along with our fearless predictions: <h4>Thursday, March 13 (State Semifinals)</h4> South Iron (25-4) vs. Platte Valley (27-3), 3:30 p.m. - South Iron was four points away from a Final Four appearance last year, but they, but the Panthers took the next step with an overtime victory over Naylor in the state quarterfinals. Standout 2020 forward Michaela Ayers scored a game-high 25 points, which included a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the closing seconds of regulation for force overtime. Younger sister Maddie Ayers closed the deal with a pair of free throws to give the Panthers a one-point victory. Platte Valley is making its first appearance in the Final Four since 2021. The Athletics were impressive in defeating No. 4 Norbonne by 21 points in the state quarterfinals. Senior forward Kaylin LaMaster led the way for Platte Valley with 23 points while sophomore guard Jaclyn Pappart added 14 points. Other solid contributors for Platte Valley included 2021 Malia Collins and 2020 Ashley Mattson. (Prediction: South Iron) &nbsp; <strong>Walnut Grove</strong> (26-5) vs. <strong>Community</strong> (28-1), 5:10 p.m. - A tremendous matchup between the top two-ranked teams in the state. Community is ranked No. 1 while defending state champion Walnut Grove is ranked No. 2. Both teams are athletic and like to play fast and get out in transition. Walnut Grove is paced by an excellent trio of 2021’s in [player_tooltip player_id="106891" first="Faith" last="Gilkey"], [player_tooltip player_id="106884" first="Lauren" last="Johnson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="106899" first="Mikayla" last="McVay"]. They combined to score 55 points in a 34-point victory over Montrose in the state quarterfinals. Community is paced by excellent guard [player_tooltip player_id="106845" first="Natalie" last="Thomas"], who can really shoot the basketball. Thomas scored 29 points in the Lady Trojans victory over Green City in the semifinals. Delaney Bowers and Deann Brooks combined for 17 points in the quarterfinals while Alexis Welch is a versatile front court player. Prediction: Walnut Grove &nbsp; <h4>Friday, March 13</h4> Third Place, 11 a.m.. - (Prediction: Community over Platte Valley) Championship Game, 2:40 p.m. (Walnut Grove repeats) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;