By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

No. 1-ranked, once-beaten St. Charles West is the hurdle today for the Webb City boys in a semifinal of the Missouri Class 4 Tournament at Columbia.

Tipoff between the third-ranked Cardinals (25-4) and Warriors (29-1) is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Mizzou Arena.

Webb City has won 17 straight games since losing 48-43 to Carl Junction for third place on Jan. 5 in the Joplin Freeman Sports Medicine/Kaminsky Classic.

St. Charles West has a 25-game winning streak. It hasn’t lost since dropping a 66-62 decision to Fort Zumwalt South on Dec. 7.

Today’s 12:20 p.m. semifinal in Class 4 is fourth-ranked Cape Girardeau Notre Dame (22-6) vs. Kansas City Lincoln Prep (21-8).

Kansas City Ruskin, which lost 42-40 to Lincoln Prep in a quarterfinal last Saturday, defeated Notre Dame 59-56 for the championship last season.

The title game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Third place will be decided at 10:40 a.m.

Its ability to execute might be the No. 1 attribute for St. Charles West, Webb City coach Eric Johnson said.

“It’s a well-drilled ballclub of basketball kids,” Johnson said. “They don’t make many mistakes (the Warriors are averaging about nine turnovers according to their coach Terry Hollander with games of five or fewer).

“They can be patient on offense but they don’t mind running the floor,” Johnson said.

“They basically start three guards and they are very good shooters,” Johnson said. “(Kramer) Soderberg (averaging more than 25 points) is their go-to player. He does everything.

“We should have a slight size advantage,” Johnson said. “We’re similar in athleticism.”

Hollander, whose 1994 team ousted Joplin in a Class 4A quarterfinal, is in his 28th season with the Warriors.