Merry Midpoint: Class 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each year the Christmas to New Years' time period basically represents the midpoint of the season. A lot of teams have played double-digit games at this point, so we wanted to take an early look at the different sectionals in Class 4 on the girls side.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Notre Dame (Cape)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Doniphan</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>This is the toughest district in the state for Class 4. Cape Notre Dame and Doniphan are the two best while a school such as Park Hills Central is not far behind and can beat anyone on their best night. Cape Notre Dame is a heavy favorite, however. They have a great combination of forward play and chemistry on the court. Their core of players is one of the best in the state.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>St. James</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Ursuline Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>St. James is sitting at 9-1 and looks like one of the better teams in the state. They can control tempo and play rock solid defense. [player_tooltip player_id='194528' first='Emily' last='Recker'] is a very good guard for them. Ursuline has some young talent and will pose a challenge. Their strength of schedule will also help them as they see talented programs in the playoffs. These two stand above the rest.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Boonville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Clinton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='512039' first='Zoe' last='Davis'] is a key player for Boonville and they're looking like the best team in this section so far this season. A Mis-Missouri program that has been winning a lot of games by double digits. Clinton is also 7-2 at the time of this writing and looks similar in talent to Boonville. The two programs have been doing an outstanding job and look to be contenders.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Aurora</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Logan-Rogersville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Aurora has been ranked as high as 8th on the MBCA poll and are the favorite in this section. Not far behind is Logan-Rogersville who are good year in and year out. These two teams from Southwest Missouri will battle it out and there's a number of teams that can contend alongside of them.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Lift For Life</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>University City</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Lift for Life has been having an excellent year and their up-tempo style paired with fast guards has caused issues for many. They've had big early wins and will be a team who has tested themselves vs. the best. Keep an eye out for University City. The Lions are doing well and are regarded as one of the better girls teams in the St. Louis metro for this class.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Moberly</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Kirksville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Moberly is a heavy favorite here and for good reason. They have a team that's experienced in the playoffs, great guard play, and have won a lot of games with this core. They make shots and apply pressure on the defensive end. A two-way squad that values both ends. Kirksivlle sits at 6-3 at the time of this writing and will be another contender.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Nevada</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Oak Grove</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>This district might be the biggest toss up of them all. No one singular team truly stands out and it's anybody's race. Nevada has a top player in [player_tooltip player_id='207031' first='Clara' last='Swearingen'] who has helped lead them to wins. Oak Grove is another team that's making strides early on. Come February there might be another team who emerges from the group.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 8</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Likely Favorite: </strong>Chillicothe</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Upset Candidate: </strong>Benton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Comments: </strong>Chillicothe and Benton might be two of the Top 5 teams in this entire class. Both look like teams that will be very tough to beat this season. Chillitcoth is an enjoyable team to watch who has underrated talent. Benton has many of the same qualities. Both are teams that have a chip on their shoulder and are looking to surprise in the playoffs. Each are real Final 4 contenders.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->