Holt keeps winning while others fall

The Holt boys basketball team tied for third in the South Division of the Gateway Athletic Conference this season, finishing behind co-champs Troy and Francis Howell.

The Indians were seeded fourth after Rock Bridge, Hickman and the host school in the Class 5 District 9 Tournament at Troy.

On Saturday, Holt will play another basketball game. None of those other teams will have that chance.

The surprising Indians, 22-7 and riding a 13-game winning streak, will take on Springfield Hillcrest (22-7) in a state quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. With a victory, Holt would earn its first state semifinal trip since 1988.

“That’s the goal. That’s what we’ve been working toward,” said first-year coach Chuck Williams. “The first time I saw these guys, I could see the talent and the potential. But it was raw. It’s been a real learning experience for us, myself included, but because we’re all going through this stuff for the first time, I really feel like it’s helped us bond as a team.

“All I ask my players to do is play as hard as they can for as long as they can. And to have fun.”

The Indians have been having plenty of fun. They stunned Rock Bridge 51-50 in the district semifinals at Troy and then bumped off second-seeded Hickman 64-62 in overtime the next night. On Wednesday, in sectional action in Union, Holt eliminated Jefferson City 40-39 as junior standout Dantiel Daniels sank the deciding free throw with 1.9 seconds to play.

Daniels, a 6-foot-5 forward, is far and away the Indians’ best player, leading the squad in scoring (17.8), rebounding (10.4), assists (2.4), blocks (4.0) and steals (1.7).

“In my eyes, he’s a Division I player,” said Williams, a St. Charles High product who spent two years as an assistant with the Pirates under Gary Wacker. “As long as he’s willing to put in the work, Dantiel can be a small forward in a D-I program.”

The statistics for Holt’s other main players — seniors Lamar Thrash, Chase Benna, Nate Wadsworth and Duke Ezeamii, juniors Sam Stix and Lamar Colvin, and sophomores Tevin Brown, Orlando Jackson and Mitchell Wilfer — are all pretty ordinary. But Williams is not overly concerned with offensive numbers.

“Our focus is on defense, on pressuring the ball and trying to force the other team into mistakes,” the coach said. “Game-planning is the key. We search for the other team’s weaknesses and then work to exploit them.”

Ranked sixth in the state, Hillcrest is coming off a sectional victory over No. 2 Nixa. The Hornets feature explosive senior guard Trey Starks and 6-5 sophomore Dorial Green, who is also one of the state’s premier wide receiver prospects.

“They’re very good and they like to press, too. But we’re confident we can match up,” Williams said.