The Boonville Pirates escaped Kansas City with a ticket to the MSHSAA Class Four Girls Basketball quarterfinals, while the Mexico Bulldogs are one step closer to having both their squads playing in Columbia.

Boonville took care of Notre Dame de Sion 37-35 on Tuesday, March 11, improving their record to 20-9. The Pirates will face St Joseph Benton this Saturday, after Benton beat Excelsior Springs 77-32. Meanwhile, Mexico went on the road to defeat Westminster Christian 68-53, in the process joining their boys team in the quarterfinals. The 16-13 Bulldogs will visit MICDS this Saturday, following the Rams’ 59-13 victory over Vashon.

Elsewhere, two area teams are set to compete in the opening day of the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown at the Mizzou Arena. The Lone Jack girls tip off against Fair Grove around 4 p.m. in the Class Three semifinals, while the Lincoln boys face Eugene in the Class Two semifinals at 8 p.m. Third-place and championship games are set for Thursday.

The full schedule for today’s action include:

10 a.m. – Class Three boys – Woodland vs Principia
noon – Class Three boys – Thayer vs KIPP KC Legacy
2 p.m. – Class Three girls – Portageville vs Principia
4 p.m. – Class Three girls – Lone Jack vs Fair Grove
6 p.m. – Class Two boys – Puxico vs Canton
8 p.m. – Class Two boys – Lincoln vs Eugene