Tigers, Warriors, Knights stay atop MAAA divisions
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Arcadia Valley guard Kaiden Keith makes a driving layup during first quarter boys basketball action against Ste. Genevieve on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Ironton. (Matt King, Daily Journal)
By MATT KING
LEADWOOD – Arcadia Valley guards Kaiden Keith and Jarel Jackson consistently attacked the West County defense to fuel a powerful boys basketball road win on Tuesday night.
Ten players contributed to the scoring column as the Tigers prevailed 76-58 to stay unbeaten atop the MAAA Small School standings.
Keith finished with 25 points after provided four field goals in the fourth quarter, and Jackson netted 13 of his 24 points down the stretch.
Arcadia Valley (11-7, 4-0) extended an early 14-7 lead through eight minutes to 37-19 at halftime, and will face Valle Catholic for the outright regular-season title on Feb. 16 in Ste. Genevieve.
Evan Inman chipped in eight points, and the Tigers made 13-of-22 free throws.
Wyatt Scherffius highlighted West County (8-11, 3-2) with 14 points. Seth Culkin added 11 and Tatum Harbison ended with nine after both players sank three 3-pointers.
Levi Lashley supplied eight points, and Parker Therrell had seven. The host Bulldogs were 16-of-28 from the line.
Valle Catholic 72, Kingston 60
CADET – Valle Catholic maintained its share of first place in the MAAA Small School division on Tuesday night with a 72-60 road triumph at Kingston.
Evan Viox produced a game-high 22 points, and Alex Staab starred inside with 17 points after sinking 7-of-8 free throws for the Warriors.
Valle Catholic junior Oliver Griffard (2) shoots a layup as Bismarck senior August Martinez (10) defends during first quarter boys basketball action on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Ste. Genevieve. (Michael Boyd Jr., Ste. Genevieve Herald)
Brody Bertrand was also a solid 5-of-6 from the line, and finished with 14 points while Phillip Naeger tallied 10 to give their team four players in double digits.
Valle Catholic (9-8, 4-0) set the tone with a 22-9 run to open the contest, and increased its separation for a 43-23 halftime lead.
Kingston (9-9, 1-4) retaliated in the third quarter with a 17-10 scoring edge, and eventually drew within nine before the Warriors secured the outcome.
Brady Thompson had a team-high 17 points, and Joey Hahn tossed in 14 for the Cougars. Jaxson Arnold netted 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, and Ashton Piel ended with eight.
Farmington 73, North County 59
BONNE TERRE – Farmington resorted to the basics of attacking the basket and increasing defensive pressure after enduring a stunning early onslaught from rival North County.
The Knights outscored the Raiders 24-10 in the third quarter to capture the lead, and powered their way to a 73-59 victory with all five starters in double figures.
Ryder Gollaher netted 10 of his game-high 23 points on five shots from the low post in the final period, as Farmington (13-7, 4-0) steadily pulled away after erasing a 19-point deficit.
Jacob Barnes and Cooper Tripp each added 14 points, and Tatem Tinsley posted 12. The Knights can clinch the MAAA Large School title outright by defeating Fredericktown on Friday.
Will Weible totaled 21 points, including five 3-point strikes, and North County (6-10, 1-4) generated an opening 14-2 run before two driving layups by Kyle Straughan capped the first quarter.
The Raiders continued to punish the slumping opposition with open jumpers, and eventually soared to a 32-13 lead as Weible followed a steal and layup with a splash from long range.
Owen Hawkins restored a 35-17 margin on a 3-pointer, but Farmington closed within 36-24 at halftime after Gollaher converted a transition 3-point play in the closing seconds.
Tripp triggered a massive 30-3 response with a fast-break layup and 3-pointer after Tinsley forced a turnover, and the Knights were seemingly unstoppable for the remainder of the game.
After Tatem Tinsley hit a driving layup, Jaxon Tinsley emerged with a steal that preceded a go-ahead layup at 46-45 by Ethan Schaupert, whose 10 points came entirely in the quarter.
Barnes muscled in seven quick points to increase a 48-46 edge early in the fourth. His 3-point play and a subsequent putback by Tatem Tinsley made it 59-46.
Straughan immediately stole an inbounds pass to sink back-to-back threes with Hawkins at 61-55, but Gollaher countered inside and restored a 12-point lead by blocking a shot and racing the other way.
North County coach Hayden Sprenkel was assessed a technical after appealing for a foul call, but the damage had already been done.
Straughan posted 13 points while Hawkins notched 12 and Noah McMahan had 10 for the Raiders. No bench players scored for either side.
Potosi 67, Fredericktown 62
POTOSI – Peyton Rowe compiled 23 points with 12 rebounds, and sank the clinching free throws as Potosi withstood a furious Fredericktown comeback to claim a 67-62 victory Tuesday night.
Kanaan Wilson added 17 points, and Rhenn Mapes finished with 12 for the Trojans, who established a 58-46 lead on a lob to Rowe late in the third quarter.
A midcourt steal and layup by Wilson and interior pass from Zane Blount to Alex Hogan restored a 62-50 advantage with five minutes remaining.
The Blackcats rallied when Tucker Reutzel and Blake Terry-Breakfield assisted one another with long outlet passes to create fast-break layups.
Reutzel then knocked down consecutive 3-pointers from the top of the circle, making the margin 62-60, and Fredericktown missed two subsequent chances for the lead after Potosi missed from close range.
The Trojans successfully burned 45 seconds with possession before Terry-Breakfield committed the third team foul by the Blackcats and his fifth personal.
Following a timeout, Mapes emerged wide open for a layup on the sideline inbound with 42 seconds left. Rowe answered two free throws by David Slinkard to preserve the win.
Potosi (14-3, 3-1) received eight points from Hogan, and built momentum for a 39-34 halftime edge.
Reutzel compiled 25 points, five assists and five rebounds for Fredericktown (10-8, 2-2), and scored 10 in the first quarter to highlight a 21-18 lead.
Slinkard drilled four 3-pointers to finish with 18, and Terry-Breakfield tallied eight points with six rebounds for the Blackcats.
Ste. Genevieve 77, Central 43
STE. GENEVIEVE – Eli Bennett delivered a barrage of eight 3-pointers, including five during the third quarter alone, and Ste. Genevieve routed Central 77-43 on Tuesday night.
The Dragons established sizable leads of 26-10 through one quarter and 54-18 at halftime, and likely cemented a top-four seed for the upcoming MAAA Tournament.
Bennett totaled 26 points overall, and Alex Basler notched 14 while making 6-of-7 free throws for Ste. Genevieve (11-6, 3-2).
Jeffrey Hunter chipped in nine points, and Maddox Sutton added eight to the victory.
Isaiah McLaughlin scored 13 points, and Brody McIntyre tallied nine for Central (2-15, 0-4).
Valley 72, Bismarck 66
CALEDONIA – Jaxson Lawson scored 20 points to pace four players in double figures, and Valley edged Bismarck 72-66 for its initial conference win on Tuesday night.
Noah Abney added 16 points for the Vikings, who converted 8-of-10 free throws in the fourth quarter after the contest was tied at 49-49.
Ryder Yount netted his 13 points exclusively in the second half, and Hunter Moore connected three times from long range to provide another 13.
Valley (9-9, 1-4) carried a slight 29-27 lead at intermission.
August Martinez compiled 20 points plus nine rebounds, and Ean Bone provided 19 points along with seven rebounds for Bismarck (9-11, 1-4).
The Indians also received 18 points from Austin Dunlap while Gabe Crocker chipped in nine more.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Bismarck 54, Bunker 45
BUNKER, Mo. – Bismarck began with six players, ended with five, and orchestrated a signature road victory over fifth-ranked Class 1 program Bunker.
Ashley Hawkins scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the second quarter, and Grace Randazzo sank four 3-pointers as the Lady Indians triumphed 54-45 on Tuesday evening.
Bismarck (13-2) increased a 31-21 halftime advantage with conventional 3-point plays by Halie Dickey and Hawkins, and notched its eighth consecutive win.
Kinsey Hubbs and Dickey stretched the margin to 49-29 from long range with 6:30 remaining, and the visitors survived a flurry of turnovers amid dangerous foul trouble down the stretch.
Randazzo finished with 16 points, and Hubbs had eight while ending with four fouls.
Senior standout Kinsey Barton paced Bunker (15-2) with 20 points.
The game was delayed for a few minutes between the third and fourth quarters after a referee suddenly struggled to stand. He was replaced by a member of the crowd until the conclusion.
