NORRIS CITY — The Woodlawn Cardinals are headed to the 1A Sweet 16 for the eighth time in the last 13 years after beating Cobden 57-43 in the first semifinal of the NCOE Sectional.
It was the Appleknockers’ first sectional appearance in 56 years.
Cobden had a significant size advantage with 6’6″ bookend big men Joe Brumleve and Noah Franklin, but it was Woodlawn senior standout Blake McKay set the tone immediately. McKay scored the Cardinals’ first 10 points for a 10-2 lead, prompting an Appleknocker timeout.
Woodlawn led 15-8 after one quarter and extended that lead to 11 late in the first half. Cobden scored the final four points of the half and nearly had three more when Dylan Lewey canned a 60-foot shot, but it came after the buzzer and was waved off, leaving the Cardinals with a 29-22 halftime lead.
McKay tallied 18 of Woodlawn’s 29 first half points.
Lewey hit a three-pointer early in the third to pull the Appleknockers within four, but Woodlawn held Cobden scoreless the rest of the quarter. McKay tallied six straight helping the Cardinals score the final ten points of the quarter to lead 39-25 heading to the fourth.
Cobden could get no closer than 12 in the final quarter, as Woodlawn’s Chase Hollenkamp buried a pair of dagger three-pointers to pretty much remove any hopes of a comeback for the Appleknockers.
McKay led all scorers with 31 points. Hollenkamp added 11. Brumleve led Cobden with 14. Lewey added 12 and Franklin ten.
Woodlawn advances to Friday night’s sectional championship game against the winner of Wednesday’s second semifinal, either Goreville or Okawville.