Josh Kori flushes a dunk in Oak Park's win in the Missouri Class 6 quarterfinals. (Photo: Darryl Woods, 810 Varsity)
Oak Park didn't mess around with returning back to the Class 6 semifinals.
The Northmen, ranked No. 1 in the state and Metro, romped Blue Springs South, 68-50, on Friday night in the Missouri Class 6 quarterfinals.
Oak Park will make its second straight trip to the state semifinals, facing Nixa at 12 pm on Wednesday at Mizzou Arena. The Northmen finished fourth last year, and have been looking to push for the title with nearly its entire roster returning in 2024-25.
"Since this time last year, the guys have been focused on returning to this exact spot again," said Oak Park head coach Sherron Collins. "But its really tough now in the final four, and we're just focused on Nixa."
Oak Park (29-1) jumped out to a 21-10 cushion in the first quarter and didn't look back. Caleb Estes fueled the surge with two first-quarter three-pointers, en route to a game-high 23 points.
Blue Springs South (22-8) rallied behind 14 combined points from Blayne Marshall and AC Rollins in the second period for a 33-27 halftime deficit. Marshall led the Jaguars with 14 points, while Rollins added 12.
But the Northmen blew the game open as Corbin Allen scored 12 of his 14 points after intermission, helped boost the lead to 51-35 after the third quarter.
Blue Springs South (50)
Rollins 12, Marshall 14, Ellis 3, Gold 6, Fisher 1, Hymiller 6, Schroder 2, Callahan 0
Oak Park (68)
Tanner 10, Kori 8, Allen 14, Estes 23, Brown 9, Fields 2, Duff 2
Three-pointers: Ellis; Estes 3, Brown
Other area boys quarterfinal scores
Class 6
Nixa 58, Rockhurst 49
Class 5
Summit Christian Academy 57, Pembroke Hill 55
Class 4
Benton 36, Center 32