By MATT PIKE
The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association released it's final boys basketball polls of the regular season, as district play in Classes 1 through 3 is set to begin this week, with Classes 4 through 6 starting next week.
In Class 4, the Benton boys remained ranked at #2, with 69 points, still trailing the #1 team Vashon. The Cardinals close out their regular season with a home matchup tomorrow against Pembroke Hill and are currently the top team in Class 4 District 16 ahead of the district tournament next week.
In Class 3, the Mid-Buchanan boys remained at #3, now in a tie with Woodland with 52 points, trailing the #2 team Miller Career Academy and the top team Principia with 70 and 80 points respectively. The North Platte Panthers also remained in the polls, also staying put at #7 with 33 points. The Dragons have been in the polls since the beginning of the season, getting as high as #2, while the Panthers first entered the polls December 29th, starting at #10, before moving up to #7 after briefly falling out of the polls near the end of January.
Both the Dragons and the Panthers have a first round bye in the Class 3 District 15 bracket. Mid-Buchanan will play the winner of West Platte and Bishop LeBlond on Thursday, while North Platte plays the winner of East Buchanan and Crossroads Prep Charter.
Other area teams finished in the polls as well. In Class 2, the West Nodaway boys finished at #9 with 12 points, while the Gallatin boys also closed out the season receiving votes. In Class 1, the Princeton boys finished the regular season tied for #3, with Faith Christian Academy with 55 points, while the Rock Port boys and the King City boys closed out the regular season receiving votes.
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