Pintos reflect on achievements after district semifinal loss

California seniors Alex Dalbey (left) and Jaden Barr shake hands with South Callaway players following the Pintos' 60-34 loss in Thursday's Class 3, District 8 semifinal round. California finished the season 21-4.
California seniors Alex Dalbey (left) and Jaden Barr shake hands with South Callaway players following the Pintos' 60-34 loss in Thursday's Class 3, District 8 semifinal round. California finished the season 21-4.

After Thursday night's 60-34 loss to South Callaway, the Pintos tried to remain positive.

California, led by nine seniors, finished 21-4 this season, which included championships at the Linn Invitational and California Tournament, along with a co-championship in the Tri-County Conference.

Among the individual highlights, senior guard Jaden Barr surpassed 1,000 career points in December and head coach Blair Scanlon picked up his 100th career victory in January. Senior Dylan Norton also will be remembered for his breakaway dunk against Eldon on Senior Night.

"We surprised a lot of people this year," Barr said. "Looking back, we're really proud of our accomplishments. Nobody is hanging their head. We gave it everything we had."

California will graduate seniors Barr, Eli Freeman, Rudy Wirts, Alex Dalbey, Drew and Dylan Norton, Allan Burger, Damon Shaw and Gavin Pickering. Players expected to return with varsity experience are juniors Landon Mouse and Ethan Hodges and sophomore Wyatt Bestgen.

"This year's senior class was great," Mouse said. "They were good mentors and showed us how to win. Hopefully, we can carry that into next year. It will be tough, and we'll need people to fill some roles, but I think we can do it."

Although the Pintos were hoping to keep their season alive and compete for a district title, South Callaway pulled away in the fourth quarter, turning a close game into a lopsided outcome.

With the score tied 27-27 at halftime, the Bulldogs built their lead to 38-32 after three quarters. South Callaway took control with a 10-0 run to begin the fourth, and following a Mouse jumper for California, the Bulldogs scored the final 12 points.

"Congrats to South Callaway. They won. They beat us," Scanlon said. "It just wasn't our day. In the second half, the rim got tighter and tighter and we couldn't hit a shot. I've never had that happen. We missed a ton of layups."

Mouse finished the semifinal with 14 points, while Freeman had nine and Barr scored six.

"You have to give South Callaway credit," Mouse said. "They were hitting shots, they moved the ball and were smart on offense. That's just how it goes sometimes."

The Pintos beat North Callaway, 70-36, in the district quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Drew Norton had 14 points, Dylan Norton scored 12, Freeman had 11 and Barr finished with 10.