Postseason Preview: Dunklin County Girls Basketball

Welcome to the last week of the regular season for Missouri High School basketball.

Here is a preview of what to expect from the Dunklin County girl basketball teams as they prepare for their district tournament assignments.

The majority of Dunklin County’s girls basketball teams will compete in the Class 2 District 1 tournament at Malden High School.

As it goes, the Malden Green Wave enters this district assignment with the No. 1 seed after completing a 14-8 record through the regular season. They are seeking their first district title in recent school history.

One of their biggest hurdles will be the Senath-Hornersville Lions. Even though Malden has already beaten the Lions this season, the Lions seem to be one of the Green Waves' biggest threats before reaching the District finals.

The Lions, led by the scoring threat of Halle Jamerson, pulled out a 16-8 record this season and grabbed the No. 4 seed. This is their first winning season since 2012. Likewise, they are seeking their first district title since 2011.

However, as they would be the most likely team to knock out a competitive Green Wave team, Senath-Hornersvile still has to make it out of the first round over the No. 5 Hayti Indians.

The next challenger for Malden is the Hornets from Holcomb. These two teams have faced each other numerous times already this season. Yet, the Green Wave has found a way to come out on top in each matchup. They are 3-0 against Holcomb this season.

Malden beat Holcomb 47-35 during the Green Waves home opener on Dec. 9 then again in the Lady Royals Christmas Classic for the Consolation Trophy. Finally, their last meeting was in the Semifinals of the Bootheel Conference tournament where Malden won 43-37.

With the Hornets as the No. 2 seed, these two teams are assumed to meet once more in the District Finals. Despite going 0-3 against the Green Wave, Holcomb will not be an easy test. They have the most recent District title of any team in this assignment, as they journeyed to State in 2021. They are also on a 3-2 run in February, which is one of the best records of any other Class 2 District 1 team this month.

Before they can focus on taking down Malden, the Hornets have to make it to the District Championship game. With a first-round BYE, Holcomb will face the winner of No. 3 South Pemiscot and No. 6 Campbell.

The young Campbell team has built themselves around the scoring threats of freshman Gabbie Townsend. With a seven-girl roster, they will look to her as well as their junior captain Kaitlyn Weidenbenner to help push the Camels to a first-round upset over South Pemiscot.

The final team in Dunklin County would be Kennett which competes in the Class 4 District 1. Although this bracket has not been completed yet, as Class 4 tournaments start on March 4, Kennett is slated to host the girl’s games. With an 11-13 record, the Indians are sitting third in this district along with Dexter who is 11-11. They will seek their first district title since 2017.