The NCAA Division II Women's Elite Eight presented the perfect opportunity to show off the new and improved amenities at the Civic Arena in St. Joseph. &nbsp;

A refurbished and redesigned basketball court, new LED lights donning the arena, new basketball hoops, new seats, and a center court suspended video scoreboard were shown off during the opening games on Monday. &nbsp;

Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson attended the games and says the improvements are a sight to see. &nbsp;

"You put the floor down, you look at the new scoreboard, you look at the seats that they're all there, good color, crowd was 900 to 1000 people," Nelson tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "And that's pretty good for that cause those teams had to travel, there was really no local flavor."&nbsp;

Nelson says the only thing missing from the new setup was a brand-new scorer’s table, which has not arrived yet.&nbsp;

Nelson says he knows there were doubts about whether Civic Arena should be renovated or just replaced. &nbsp;

"For the money that you had to spend, I think they've done a good job," Nelson says. "And the outside, the sidewalks look great and it's wrapped, it looks good down there."&nbsp;

Nelson says despite having no local teams playing, the event drew several fans to the arena from all around the nation. &nbsp;

The remaining four teams will play for a chance at the championship game in Dallas, Texas this evening.&nbsp; Games will be played at 6 and 8:30pm.&nbsp;

Nelson hopes though that these renovations will help draw more events to the arena. &nbsp;

Nelson says that in the past year the Civic Arena was holding events or had people working 180 days out of the year&nbsp;

"Now a lot of that's prep, breakdown, get ready for the next event, so there's a lot going in there," Nelson explains. "Can there be a lot more in there? Sure, but staffing is an issue."&nbsp;

Nelson says to fill those jobs it takes the right person with the right desire to work what could be considered an odd job with an odd work schedule.&nbsp;

Elite Eight tournament showcases upgraded Civic Arena

President Biden Tuesday announced two new actions to conserve and restore lands and waters across the nation. 

The effort includes establishing the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada and Castner Range National Monument in Texas. 

The Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada will honor Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples while conserving public lands and growing America’s outdoor recreation economy, according to the White House. 

The Castner Range National Monument will expand access to the outdoors for the El Paso community while honoring veterans and servicemembers. Together, these new national monuments protect nearly 514,000 acres of public lands. 

The President also directed the Secretary of Commerce to consider initiating a new National Marine Sanctuary designation within 30 days to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. If completed, the new sanctuary would ensure the U.S. will reach the President's goal of conserving at least 30% of ocean waters under American jurisdiction by 2030.

Biden creates new National Monuments to conserve land and waters

Feeding America this week announced the launch of Farmers Feed America. 

The organization says the broad coalition shows that farmers and food banks are united in calling for a strong 2023 Farm Bill that meets the needs of America's farmers and protects federal nutrition programs. 

The new nonpartisan coalition comprises farmers, food companies, food retailers, and hunger-relief organizations, including Feeding America and the American Farm Bureau Association. 

This year's farm bill reauthorization process is an opportunity to reflect on the innovations that worked during the pandemic and apply those learnings to future food and nutrition policy, according to the organization. 

The Farmers Feed America coalition has come together to establish shared principles for the next farm bill that help meet the continued needs of communities facing hunger, bolster the nation's food resilience, and enhance markets for farmers and ranchers. The coalition urges members of Congress to adopt these principles as they write the 2023 Farm Bill.

New coalition calls for robust Farm Bill agriculture and nutrition funding

The Department of Agriculture this week announced the first investment of a $1 billion effort to mitigate wildfire risks as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis. 

USDA announced a $197 million investment for 100 projects that benefits 22 states as part of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. 

USDA's Forest Service worked with states and tribes through an interagency workgroup to develop the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program, originally announced in June 2022. 

Grant proposals underwent a competitive selection process, including review panels of state forestry agencies and tribal representatives. The agency used the three priorities outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to narrow down the communities in greatest need. 

These priorities included communities impacted by severe disasters, those with high or very high wildfire hazard potential or classified as low income. The initial round of investments will assist communities in developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans, key roadmaps for addressing wildfire risks locally.

USDA announces wildfire prevention investments

The Biden administration's version of the Waters of the U.S. rule went into effect Monday. 

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association expressed displeasure in a District Court decision to deny a preliminary injunction of the rule. 

NCBA President Todd Wilkinson says, "This latest WOTUS rule will place more burdens on family farms and ranches, drive up costs, and prevent cattle producers like me from making investments in our land." 

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the latest WOTUS rule at the end of 2022. NCBA and its litigation partners filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the rule on January 18, 2023. 

NCBA sought a nationwide preliminary injunction, which would have prevented the federal government from implementing the WOTUS rule until the entire case is decided. 

Instead, the court granted a limited injunction in only two states—Texas and Idaho. NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart adds, “The court’s decision to keep the Biden administration’s WOTUS rule in place is concerning and irresponsible.”

NCBA concerned with District Court decision to let WOTUS rule stand

The United Nations Secretary-General over the weekend announced an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. 

The announcement came at the last minute as the agreement was set to expire. 

The Initiative facilitates the safe navigation for the exports of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from designated Ukrainian seaports. 

During the first two terms, some 25 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs have been moved to 45 countries, helping to bring down global food prices and stabilizing the markets. 

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, alongside the Memorandum of Understanding on promoting Russian food products and fertilizers to the world markets, are critical for global food security, especially for developing countries. 

The original agreement was signed in July of 2022 to address the need for Ukraine to export agricultural products during the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian officials indicate the agreement was extended for another 120 days.

UN reaches Black Sea Grain Initiative extension

Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor arrived in Panama City Monday to launch a regional agribusiness trade mission. 

Taylor and the trade delegation on the trip look to develop stronger ties and build economic partnerships between the United States and Panama and markets throughout the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement region. 

Taylor says, “I’m confident the next few days will produce mutually beneficial results to help expand trade and increase collaboration on key issues impacting agriculture in the United States and Central America.” 

Local staff from FAS Panama City will host business meetings between U.S. trade mission delegates and companies from Panama and six other countries seeking to import American food and farm products. 

The itinerary also includes bilateral meetings with the Panamanian government, retail promotions featuring U.S. products, and a memorandum of understanding signing between the U.S. Grains Council and the Panamanian Sugar Cane National Industry on ethanal blending.

USDA kicks off Central America-Dominican Republic trade mission

African Swine Fever is making a resurgence in China and will potentially push prices higher for the most popular protein in the country. 

Bloomberg says multiple outbreaks have shown up in different parts of the country throughout the winter. 

Rabobank expects the most recent wave of ASF to significantly lower production capacity and push prices higher during the second quarter of 2023. 

The outbreak was most severe in the northern regions of the country, and multiple areas are still struggling with the disease. Rabobank estimates say the latest wave has hit 10 percent of the nation’s sow herd, which controls hog production. 

An outbreak in 2018-2019 decimated China’s pig herd, at the time, the largest herd in the world. The spike fueled inflation as pork is a key element in the Chinese consumer price index. Official estimates say 8-15 percent of total production could be lost in the current outbreak. &nbsp;

African Swine Fever surging again in China

America’s top food and ag organizations representing thousands of farmers, ranchers, producers, and workers sent a letter to Congress urging action to improve ag exports. 

More than 50 of the most influential food and ag groups urged Congress to pass Trade Promotion Authority. 

TPA is regularly passed by Congress to give the administration objectives and guidance in pursuing tariff-cutting trade agreements. 

The letter notes when it comes to trade agreements with tariff reduction, the U.S. is falling behind global economic competitors like China and the European Union. “Regrettably, America is falling badly behind,” the letter says. 

“Between 2010 and 2020, China and the E.U. enjoyed over twice as much advantage from trade agreement tariff reductions as the U.S.” They also say the situation has gotten much worse this decade. “The United States has not implemented a comprehensive trade agreement that opens new markets in more than a decade,” the groups add.

Organizations want Congress to pass TPA

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association with $445,400 in funding to advance the Secure Beef Supply Plan. 

The plan would go into effect in the event of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the U.S. 

“NCBA is grateful for this critical funding to help continue defending the U.S. cattle herd from the threat of foot-and-mouth disease,” says Allison Rivera, NCBA executive director of government affairs. 

“The Secure Beef Supply Plan combined with USDA’s national vaccine bank provides a strong safety net for cattle producers and multiple tools to mitigate the risk of a potential outbreak.” 

This funding was made available through the 2018 Farm Bill and shows why continued support and further funding for animal disease preparation measures like the Secure Beef Supply Plan and the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank are so important as Congress works on the 2023 Farm Bill.

USDA awards funding to protect U.S. Cattle from FMD

U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers are disappointed that the Surface Transportation Board approved the merger of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern Railroad. 

They believe the STB has given a green light to rail consolidation without regard for the consequences on agricultural shippers from a lack of competition in the U.S. rail sector. 

“U.S. rail consolidation has led to poorer, not improved, service for agricultural shippers,” says USW President Vince Peterson. 

“In addition, we see extreme disparity in rates for wheat shippers.” Higher shipping rates make U.S. wheat less competitive in the global market at a time when higher prices already hurt the competitiveness of American wheat. 

“With 50 percent of wheat getting exported, wheat is heavily reliant on rail transportation to move across the U.S.,” says NAWG CEO Chandler Goule. They say the STB must conduct more rigorous oversight of rail rates and service issues.

National wheat organizations disappointed in railroad merger

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A bill to legalize sports gambling in Missouri passed the state House speedily on Tuesday, but the measure's prospects in the Senate are far less certain.

The Republican-led House voted 118-35 in favor of the legislation, which would tax sports betting at 10%. Tax revenues would go to fund public education.

Bills to allow sports betting have failed for years to make it to the governor's desk, despite interest from residents and the Kansas City Chiefs' two Super Bowl wins in the past four years.

Attempts to authorize sports betting have gotten bogged down in the Senate this year over efforts to pair them with regulations on slot-machine-style games that have been popping up in convenience stores.

“This is a bill that we've been trying to get past the Legislature for far too long,” Kansas City Democratic Rep. Ashley Aune said during House debate. “Our constituents want this; we need to get it done.”

A total of 33 states and the District of Columbia now offer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-march-madness-c8b6d663a992ca4e7c616d8c3af8d585">at least some form of sports wagering</a>&nbsp;— each scrambling for shares of a multibillion-dollar enterprise that has rapidly expanded after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it nearly five years ago.

Missouri a step closer to allowing sports gambling

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Recent obituaries and service times

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen on multiple alleged crimes.

Shortly before 2a.m. on March 11, an officer attempted to stop a vehicle in the area of 4th and L Street in Atchison after the officer had been called to the area for a disturbance involving the vehicle, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

 The vehicle fled but a short time later the vehicle stopped near 8th and Riley where the driver and a passenger both jumped out of the vehicle and fled into the darkness.

 An investigation determined that the 17-year-old boy was the driver of the vehicle. 

Just after 8p.m. Tuesday, police located the teen in the 700 block Kansas Avenue in Atchison and arrested him on requested charges of fleeing and attempting to elude and other traffic charges and interference with law enforcement. He is being held in the juvenile detention facility.

On March 17, police also took an 18-year-old woman into custody&nbsp; on a District Court warrant charging her with criminal deprivation of a motor vehicle involving the same vehicle.

Police locate teen who fled from alleged disturbance

Northwest Missouri State University has chosen a long-time
administrator and academic from a university in Alabama to become its next
president.

Lance Tatum comes to Northwest from Troy University, where he
is senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer.

Tatum says the reputation of Northwest among its peers
attracted him to the school.

“Providing access to students who won’t have the opportunity perhaps
to go out of state or to go a larger, research one university. And so, really
the mission and what they stand for was what drew me to them at the end,” Tatum
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post in a phone interview.

Tatum began at Troy University in 1998 as an assistant
professor. Tatum has served in his current role at Troy since 2019 while also a
professor in its Sorrell College of Business-School of Hospitality, Sport, and
Tourism Management.

Tatum begins his duties on the Maryville campus June 1st.

Tatum says he is incredibly excited to get started.

“The opportunity to impact the lives of students is just
something that I’m drawn to,” Tatum says. “I have a real passion for students
and student success.”

Tatum says he was attracted to the mission of Northwest to provide
access to college for the region’s youth and provide the higher education so
vital to the region’s workforce.

“It’s regionals who provide the nurses and provide the
teachers and provide the accountants and provide the business professionals
that go back into those communities and really build the foundation of success
for the communities where they live,” according to Tatum.

A lot is going on in the Tatum household as the family gets
ready to make the move from their longtime home in southern Alabama to a new
environment in the northwest Missouri community of Maryville.

Tatum says he’s incredibly excited to get started.

“We’re making preparations now so that we can get ourselves
moved from Alabama and be in Missouri in enough time so that when we get there
June 1st we’re ready to hit the ground and be ready to learn and
understand so by the time we get to the fall, I’ll feel like I’m in a good
position to start the fall semester,” Tatum says.

Tatum was in Maryville last week to be formally introduced to
the Northwest Missouri State community.

NWMSU Vice President for Culture, Clarence Green, who also
serves as the Chief of University Police has served as interim president since
the Board of Regents declined to renew the contract of John Jasinski.

Tatum excited to begin as NWMSU president

Authorities are
searching for a missing 12-year-old girl who left her home in Farmington and could
be heading to St. Joseph.

A State of
Missouri Endangered Person Advisory has been issued for Lisa Mae-Gladys Pierce.

The Farmington
Police Department issued the advisory after Lisa went missing from her home at
723 Maple Street in Farmington sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday
morning. Police believe Lisa left her residence on foot with 18-year-old David
Allen Jennings, her alleged boyfriend. Lisa has a diminished mental capacity
and may not be able to make rational decisions.

Authorities
suspect Jennings has relatives in the St. Joseph area and could be heading
there, though they do not know his route of travel.

Lisa Mae-Gladys
Pierce is described as a white girl, age 12, 5'3", weighing 163 pounds
with black hair with red tint, blue eyes, fair complexion, with a burn mark on
her left wrist, wearing a black hoodie with “JT” in white letters and jeans
with holes in them.

David
Allen Jennings is described as a white man, age 18, 5'7", weighing 245 pounds, brown hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion, wearing a baseball cap, black
hoodie, and shorts.

Endangered person advisory issued for 12-year-old girl possibly heading to St. Joseph

ATCHISON COUNTY—A Kansas man jailed for drug possession in January is back in jail on new charges.

On Monday, police arrested 24-year-old Justin L. Lurquin of Atchison on a Community Corrections detain order, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

In January, police arrested&nbsp; him on District and Municipal Court warrants for failure to appear in court and a requested charge of possession of fentanyl after officers found it on his person.&nbsp;

In January of 2022, police arrested him for alleged drug possession, according to online jail records.

Kan. man caught with fentanyl during arrest is back in jail

DAVIESS COUNTY —One person was inured in an accident just after 2p.m. Tuesday in Daviess County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Hyundai Sonata driven by Tammy L. Bowen, 45, Jamesport, was northbound on U.S. 69 one mile east of Winston.

The car traveled off the road, struck a tree and overturned

Community ambulance transported Bowen to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; She was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Missouri woman hospitalized after car strikes a tree

All District honors for the basketball season have been awarded by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) and among the winners are several St. Joseph students and coaches. &nbsp;

For the Benton Cardinals girls' basketball team, it was a season to remember.&nbsp; A 27-4 record, a second-place finish at the Class 4 Show Me Showdown, and now several all-district players and even a Coach of the Year. &nbsp;

Benton Head Coach Chris Michaels was named by the MBCA as the Class 4 District 16 Coach of the Year, while Andrea Simmons, Kelsey Johnson, Eliana Arambula, and Peyton Anderson all earned all-district honors. &nbsp;

Among other all district honors in Class 4 was Lafayette's Talicia Byrd.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Central also saw two players earn all district honors in Class 6 as Lauren Wells and Charlize Broaden were honored as part of the all-district team. &nbsp;

On the boy's side, Lafayette also saw Kevin Bristol receive Coach of the Year honors, while Senior and Missouri Western commit Camden Bennett earned Player of the Year honors. &nbsp;

On the Class 4 District 16 all district team was Bennett as well as Lafayette's Mikey Thomas.&nbsp; The Benton boys also had two boys featured, Denver Domann and Myles Bachali&nbsp;

Chris Michaels and Kevin Bristol named Coach of the Year as MBCA all district awards announced

After many months of hard work, preparation and anticipation, the week is finally here.

The city of St. Joseph, in conjunction with the St. Joseph Sports Commission and Missouri Western State University, is all set to host the 2023 NCAA Division II women's basketball Elite Eight tournament. This is the fifth time the city has hosted this event, and the first time since 2011.

Brett Esely, director of both the St. Joseph Sports Commission and DII women's basketball Elite Eight tournament, says the biggest project undertaken to get ready for this event was the renovation of the venue itself - Civic Arena.

"That transformation began almost a year ago," Esely said on KFEQ's The Hotline. "Between the city of St. Joseph and some kind work from the Hillyard companies here in town. For those who don't know, Hillyard is a leader in gym floor finish. They essentially took on the refurbishing of the Civic Arena court."

A half-cent sales tax increase approved by St. Joseph voters in August 2021 is expected to raise $50-$60 million for the city's parks and recreation facilities before it sunsets in 2031. About $2.1 million of that is going toward the arena.

First opening in 1980, Civic Arena now looks like a new building inside.

Hillyard, Inc. refurbished and repainted the floor. New, LED lights were installed. New hoops were put in a few months ago. About 80 percent of the 3,800 seats have been replaced. New electronic scorers' tables don the courtside.

Esely says, though, there's one change at Civic Arena that shines brighter than the rest.

"I would say the crown jewel of the aesthetic renovation is the new center-hung scoreboard," he said. "It's LED. When you walk into major venues, nine times out of ten, that's the kind of scoreboard you see. So, that gives it a new look in itself."

As for the teams competing this week, this field of eight is quite elite indeed. Catawba, Assumption, University of Texas-Tyler, defending national champion Glenville State, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Minnesota-Duluth, undefeated Ashland and Tampa are the eight teams vying for a national title this year.

Coming in from eight different states over this past weekend, Esely says this field is as strong as it gets.

"This is a national tournament and that field couldn't get any more national than this," Esely remarked. "Five of those teams have won more than 30 games, one of them is undefeated. We have the defending national champion in the field."

Seven of the teams competing were the No. 1 seed in their respective regional tournaments. The games this week will be split into three sessions spread out over two days.

Each session consists of two games. The first session begins Monday at noon, with the first game pinning Catawba against Cal State Dominguez Hills. The second game Monday is at 2:30, featuring Assumption against Minnesota-Duluth.

The second session on Monday starts at 6 p.m., with Texas-Tyler playing Ashland. That'll be followed Glenville State versus Tampa at 8:30.

Wednesday features the third and final session, with the two semifinal games being played at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Fans can purchase a ticket bundle for all three sessions, or all six games, for $40 total.

Single-game tickets on Ticketmaster are $20 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets can also be purchased at StJoMoSports.com, or by calling 816-271-4717.

The national championship game be played not in St. Joseph, but in Dallas, Texas on April 1 at the American Airlines Center - the same city, venue and weekend as the DI and DIII women's basketball national title games. This is being done to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of Title IX.

The DII women's basketball Elite Eight will be back in St. Joseph in 2024, and Civic Arena will host the national title game next year as well.

 Even with the national title being played in Dallas this year, Esely says the games on Monday and Wednesday this week provide a rare opportunity to see high level basketball right in St. Joseph's downtown.

"This is a national championship event," Esely pointed out. "Six games for $40. I'm not great at math, but that's like $6.99 apiece for the games. Which, for anywhere for a championship level event, that's a pretty good price."

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph, and new-look Civic Arena, ready to host NCAA DII WBB Elite Eight this week

SPRINGFIELD - Friday's game had everything you could have asked for in a state championship, and likely more.

No. 1 Vashon. No. 2 Benton. Best-on-best. Momentum changes. Big runs. Overtime. Controversial calls. The whole smash.

Sadly, for Benton, the thriller didn't have the desired ending.

The Cardinals led 55-44 with 4:03 left in the fourth quarter, but Vashon went on a 15-4 run to force overtime.

The Wolverines never trailed in either overtime period, and Vashon held on to win 79-77 in double overtime in the Class 4 girls' state basketball championship at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield Friday.

"My girls are going to fight until the very end in everything that they do," Benton coach Chris Michaels said after. "They'll never going to give up. These are the people you want to come interview for applications for jobs and all of those things. These are the girls you want working for you."

The Cardinals (28-4) rallied early after getting down 15-6 in the first quarter. Benton got it to within 18-14 at the end of the first, but Vashon still held a 26-21 at halftime.

The Cardinals came out on fire in the third quarter, starting the second half on an 11-0 run. Benton grabbed its first lead of the game, 28-26, with 6:37 left in the third after a three-pointer by freshman Eliana Arambula.

Benton's third quarter lead grew to 40-33, but Vashon got it to within 40-38 by the start of the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals' biggest advantage came midway through the fourth when senior Peyton Anderson converted on an 'and-one' to put Benton up 55-44 with 4:03 left.

After that, however, Vashon proceeded to hit a trio of three-pointers and the Wolverines got back to within 59-53.

"You're not going to hold them down," Michaels said on the challenge of defending a Vashon team that has two Division I commits and three 1,000+ point scorers in the starting lineup.

"You're just going to have to try and control how fast they score, and we changed up a lot of defenses and threw a lot of things at them to try and keep them guessing at what may be coming. I thought my girls executed the game plan, and (Vashon) made one more shot than we did."

A couple minutes later, after a flurry of missed free throws by Benton, Vashon's Raychel Jones tied the game at 59-59 with an unassisted layup with 28 seconds left in regulation.

After another Benton turnover, Vashon had a chance at a winning three in the closing seconds, but the shot was off the mark, and the game went into the first OT.

The Cardinals had chances to ice the game in regulation, but were held scoreless for the final 2:27 of the fourth quarter. Benton also missed their last six free throw attempts in a row to end the fourth.

After halftime, Benton was 6-for-21 at the free throw line, finishing 10-for-26 on the day. Vashon made 17-of-25.

Benton was held without a made field goal for the first 4:32 of the first overtime. Down 65-62 with 31 seconds left, Anderson inbounded the ball to an open Avery Morlock, who buried a corner three to knot the game at 65 and send it to a second OT.

Once again, the Cardinals were unable to score a field goal for the first four minutes of the second overtime. In that same time, Vashon made a three-pointer and seven free throws to go up 75-66 with just 1:03 to go.

Benton never quit. Layups by Arambula and sophomore Andrea Simmons got it to within 75-70 with 43 seconds left.

Vashon missed four free throws themselves within the final 50 seconds of the second OT, but the Wolverines made a critical pair of them to go up 77-70 with 39 seconds left.

Arambula hit a late three, and Kelsey Johnson a late layup, but Benton simply ran out of time, and Vashon held on to win their first ever state championship in girls' basketball. It marked the Wolverines' first appearance in a girls' state title game as well.

All five Benton starters finished in double figures. Senior Kelsey Johnson ended her final varsity game with 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Arambula had her best game of the season with 19 points. Simmons logged a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

Morlock and Anderson, who fouled out in the second OT, each scored 10 points.

It marked the final game for Anderson, Johnson and senior reserves Andee Magness and Seanna Campbell.

"Here's all that needs to be said to every girl who stands on that floor and they just need to know I love them," Michaels said gratefully. "I love them so much."

Benton so badly wanted the first place trophy after a fourth place finish at the Final Four in 2021, and a runner-up finish last year, too.

Friday's contest was a thrilling, hard fought, epic battle between the two best teams in the state. It didn't the way Benton had hoped, but Michaels reminds his team - there's so much to be proud of.

The only team in St. Joseph history, boys or girls, to make three straight Final Fours. The most wins in a single season since 2015-16. And the fourth ever appearance in a state title game in program history.

"Everybody who paid to get in here got their money's worth and that's what we want to do every time we come out," Michaels said. "We want to play until the very end so these people who come and watch us...they drove all the way from St. Joe to watch, and we might as well give them the best game that we can, and my girls take that to heart."

Benton comes up just short against Vashon in 2 OT state championship thriller

SPRINGFIELD - Some might think it's the luck of the Irish.

Lafayette boys' basketball coach Kevin Bristol doesn't. What he saw Friday is what he believe his team could be all season long.

"Today, we got back to the formula that got us here," Bristol said. "It's good to see everyone get back on track. Like I always say, it's who we are."

The Irish (23-8) buried 16 three-pointers, and shot 53.7 percent from the field in a 78-57 takedown of No. 6 Father Tolton Regional Catholic (Columbia) in the Class 4' boys basketball third place game at the Hammons Student Center in Springfield Friday.

Lafayette had an impressive turnaround after falling 82-57 to Central Park Hills in state semifinals less than 24 hours prior.

Lafayette used a 10-0 run in the first quarter to grab a 21-14 lead through the first eight minutes.

Father Tolton (21-11) managed to tie the game at 26-26 with 3:32 left in the second. But again, Lafayette found a run, this time an 11-2 burst to end the half, and the Irish went up 37-28 at intermission.

Father Tolton gave it one last push midway through the third when senior Izaak Porter knocked down a three to make it a 43-34 contest with 4:45 left in the third.

Lafayette essentially called game after that. Back-to-back threes from senior Camden Bennett and another from senior Quinn Lowe sparked an 11-0 run and the Irish went up 52-34 with 2:26 to go in the third.

Bennett made four threes in the third quarter alone, and he finished his final high school game with 21 points. He was 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Friday, though, may have belonged to fellow senior George Galloway, who lit up the scoreboard with four three-pointers in the first half alone.

After another made three in the third quarter, Galloway helped put the game out of reach with three more triples in the final three minutes of the game, putting Lafayette ahead 78-55 with 90 seconds to go.