The California boys basketball team kept its perfect record intact with a 53-45 victory over Southern Boone in Friday night's Tri-County Conference matchup.
Senior forward Damon Shaw finished with 21 points for the Pintos, who improved to 8-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Senior guard Jaden Barr had 10 points and senior forward Drew Norton scored nine.
"It's a good start to the conference season, the second part of the season," said California senior guard Eli Freeman. "Southern Boone is a good team, but we found their weaknesses and capitalized on that."
The Pintos were scheduled to begin the 81st annual California Basketball Tournament against Marshall in Tuesday's opening round. The entire tournament results will be published in the Democrat on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Tipton girls
The Lady Cardinals remain perfect this season, improving to 14-0 after winning last week's New Franklin Tournament and beating Kaysinger Conference opponent Northwest on Monday night.
Tipton won three games at New Franklin to claim the championship. The victories came over Fayette (74-29) in the opening round, Sweet Springs (47-36) in the semifinals and Sturgeon (48-35) in Saturday's final.
The Lady Cardinals kept their momentum rolling in Monday's 68-30 win over Northwest in a conference matchup.
Tipton boys
The Cardinals advanced to the championship game at last week's New Franklin Tournament before losing to top-seed Sturgeon, 63-56, on Saturday. Senior guard Dylan Cooper had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Bryce Sanders added 13 points and six rebounds. Ryan Wood had six steals for Tipton, which held a 6-4 overall record after the tournament.
Prairie Home girls
The Lady Panthers advanced to the Otterville Tournament finals last week, but lost to Tuscumbia, 84-66, in Saturday's championship. Sophomore forward Rachel Distler had 22 points for Prairie Home, which held an 8-2 record after the loss. Junior center Josie Flood added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
"The game was much closer than the score shows," Lady Panthers head coach Linda Scott said. "We simply ran out of gas, but we made them fight for the victory."
Prairie Home advanced to the championship with an exciting 49-47 victory over Slater in the semifinals on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Flood hit the game-winning shot with 12 seconds left, while sophomore forward Shianne Rhorer finished with 23 points.
Prairie Home boys
The Panthers lost to Tuscumbia, 59-55, in the semifinals of last week's Otterville Tournament, but responded to beat Smithton, 74-66, in Saturday's consolation final. Prairie Home improved to 6-4 overall with the victory.
Against Tuscumbia, the Panthers were led by senior forward Kody Simmons, who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Rayce Kendrick and senior forward Sam Distler each scored 12, while senior forward Klay Holliday added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Cole Camp 72, Russellville 50
Senior forward Levi Anderson had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Indians, who lost to Cole Camp at the Stover Tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Senior guards Zach Voss and Coy Bond each scored 11, while freshman guard Beau Bryant had 10.