Gremlins basketball returned to the Class 2 state tournament with a victory Saturday, Feb. 25 over the District 14 hosts, Smithton, 64-38.
The Tigers (20-7) upset the No. 2 seeded Lincoln Cardinals, ranked top-5 in state, on Thursday for a shot at Sacred Heart.
For the Gremlins, Saturday’s victory was the 15th district title in the high school’s 75-year history and 11th in head coach Steve Goodwin’s 19-year career.
Goodwin and assistant coach John Smeltzer almost immediately took off to scout separate district tournaments after the win, a sign of the day-to-day tasks that keep the Gremlin basketball machine in consistent form.
“For this program to be back in the state playoffs after a year’s absence is a huge deal for Sedalia and our high school,” Goodwin said.
Trent Lyles led the Gremlins with 25 points, Micah Tanguay scored 21 and Alden Harding, who injured his arm more than three weeks ago in a game against Smithton, added six points.
Harding, who averaged about 14 points per game before the injury, said his impact upon returning is less points-based.
“I’m just glad to be out here,” Harding said. “Even though I can’t score like I could before, it effects the way we play. The first game I came back … I had like four points that game. I had a huge brace on and made a behind-the-back pass to Trent and he finished it, and the whole place just went crazy. I feel like with those plays, it just makes so much energy. It gets the crowd going and our team going with it.”
Drew Apsher and Nate Walsh led Smithton with 10 points each. Apsher’s first three of the game put the Tigers ahead in the first quarter, 13-12. It was the first and only Smithton lead.
Sacred Heart outscored Smithton 25-8 in the second quarter and led 37-28 at halftime after a Tanguay 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Gremlins face Lockwood High School 6 p.m. Wednesday at Clinton High School in Clinton to begin the Class 2 state tournament. The Tigers (17-11) defeated top-seeded Adrian to capture the District 13 title, 68-49.
