The sixth-ranked Higbee boys put on a show Tuesday night before a raucous home crowd with a 74-53 victory over CLAA rival Brunswick to bring themselves just two wins away from clinching their fourth consecutive conference title.

Only Braymer and a struggling Keytesville team stand in the way of a perfect conference season for the Tigers, who remain the last undefeated team in the CLAA.

“Is the biggest crowd I’ve seen in 11 years,” Burton said about the electric atmosphere. The gym was packed to capacity, even after extra seats were added. “That’s the first time in my career we’ve had a student section outside of the state playoffs. We thought it would be a big turnout, and it was. You can’t be more proud of a situation like that. It’s pretty special for these kids, and I think it will be memories that last a long time.”

Higbee left no doubt on Tuesday. The Tigers fell earlier this season to Brunswick by 23 points in the championship game of the Mendon Tournament, which did not count as a conference game. Tuesday’s lopsided win over the Wildcats put the Tigers in the driver’s seat as the season winds down to its final stretch before the postseason.

Higbee could conceivably face Braymer again in the CLAA Tournament that begins with play-in games on Saturday in Tina-Avalon. The Tigers are seeded first and Braymer second. Should the seedings prove correct, the two would meet in the championship game on Saturday night.

“I have a weird feeling we’re going to play them again next Saturday,” Burton said, “We have to win our games, and they have to win their games. We’ve got to do our job. We’ve had some pretty exciting games so far. We’ll see what the future holds.”

The Tigers overcame a slow start that saw them trailing 16-10 after a sloppy first quarter for both teams that was fraught with fouls and turnovers.

“We just kind of played off-kilter,” Burton said. “For us, it was more just staying focused on what we do.”

Like the girls’ game before, said a change in defense made the difference. He substituted the team from man-to-man coverage to zone, putting senior Will Spilman at the point.

“In man-to-man, we were getting in foul trouble. So, we rolled back to the old faithful,” Burton said. “Will Spilman played the top of the 1-3-1. I’ve never really done that. It was just kind of a gut thing.”

Burton’s gut was right, and the Tigers went from trailing by six to leading by six in a 1-point turnaround over the first four minutes. Spillman kicked off a 12-point run with an early bucket in the second quarter. A shot by senior phenom Derek Rockett and a triple by sophomore Danny Janssen gave the Tigers their first lead of the game.

Rockett and Janssen would combine for 18 of Higbee’s 20 second-quarter points. Brunswick scored only five points in the period, a 3-pointer by junior Colton Hayward and a pair of free throws by classmate Colby Jenkins.

By halftime, the Tigers were firmly ahead, 30-20.

Little changed other than the scoring output in the third quarter. The teams matched one another point for point to set up a 10-point game moving into the final stanza.

After matching with five points each at the start of the fourth quarter, Higbee held Brunswick scoreless for two minutes while pulling away with an eight-point run, sparked by a 3-pointer from Rockett midway through the period to allow no chance for a comeback.

The Wildcats came as close as 15 points on a 3-pointer by sophomore Tae Brown but would score just six more points in the last half-period.

Rockett, the team’s 2,000-and-counting scorers, led four Higbee players in double figures with a game-high 26 points. He also dished out a game-high 11 assists for the double-double. Senior Jaxson Hudson added 19 points and eight rebounds. Spilman posted 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting from 3-point distance. Janssen was perfect from the field, sinking all five shots, including three from the arc.

“Derek’s been in kind of a funk, although you couldn’t see it based on the scores,” Burton said. “In the absence when he’s not been putting up 30, Will, Jackson, and Danny all stepped up. And now they’re starting to realize if all these kids play the roles, it could be special.”

Higbee ruled the paint, scoring 36 points in the lane compared to 26 for Brunswick. The Tigers also owned the boards with 13 second-chance points, outrebounding the Wildcats 27-22.

But Higbee also led in turnovers with 15, which turned into 22 points for the Wildcats.

Brunswick finished with just one scorer in double figures. Junior Ben Rice paced the Wildcats with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field and two 3-point baskets on three attempts. Juniors Hayward, Chris Artis, and Troy Zeilstra, along with Brown, each chipped in nine points.

The Tigers, now 15-1 overall, have a wild schedule in front of them. On Friday, they take on Class 2 Milan (3-14) at 8 p.m. at the Mid-Missouri Invitational at Harrisburg. The next day, they return home to host North Callaway (6-14) for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. On Monday, first-seeded Higbee faces the winner of a play-in game between Southwest and Norborne for the first round of the CLAA Tournament at 5:45 p.m. at Tina-Avalon. A win would advance the Tigers to the championship side of the bracket for a round-two contest on Thursday. Another win would put them in the finals on Saturday, possibly against Brunswick.

The following Monday, Feb. 12, Higbee hosts Braymer (11-7) for Senior Night and Courtwarming. A win is crucial for the Tigers to advance their goal of winning a fourth-straight CLAA regular-season title. The next day, Higbee hosts a struggling Keytesville (3-12) for the final conference game of the season. Winning both of those games would give the Tigers the CLAA title.

From there, it’s just a game at La Plata and a home closer against South Shelby before the Class 1 District 10 tournament commences.

Burton and the Tigers hope to make a run in the postseason with their first trip to the state semifinals since 2021 when the team’s four seniors were freshmen. Higbee holds the best record atop the Class 1 District 10 standings. Only one other team, Bunceton/Prairie Home, holds a winning record (13-6).