COLUMBIA, MO – Lift for Life all-state guard Amaya Manuel suffered a season-ending injury in the Hawks’ first game. Fellow starter and sister Cara Manuel was dealt the same fate after game seven. Zha Harris, the Hawks’ do-everything guard, missed nine games.
The two-time defending champions lost seven of their first 11 contests and were all but forgotten as serious Class 5 title contenders.
“When Amaya and Cara and Zha were out, at first we were down, but there were times when I thought, ‘We’re young, but we can still do this,’” senior Diamond Polk said. “I knew I had to be more of a leader.”
Polk provided the leadership, Harris provided the spark, and Lift for Life hoisted a state championship trophy for the third consecutive season with a 60-41 victory over MICDS last Saturday at the Class 5 MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown in Mizzou Arena.
Lift for Life (16-11), which had four players reach double-figures, won its fourth state title since 2021 despite seemingly insurmountable odds.
“We proved everybody wrong. Every time we get here, there’s adversity, and we prove them wrong every time. That’s just who we are,” Harris said.
MICDS (20-11) also arrived at the state championship game in surprising fashion. The Rams endured a mid-season, seven-game losing streak that included a 41-point loss to Jackson and a 29-point defeat to Marquette.
“It wasn’t just the seven-game losing streak, it was the way we lost some of those games in spectacular fashion,” MICDS coach Scott Small said. “We sat in a couple of those locker rooms at the end of that losing streak and said, ‘How do we turn this around? We can quit on this season and lose 15 more or we can figure this thing out.’’
MICDS sophomore superstar Jordyn Haywood helped the Rams figure it out by averaging 28.4 points per game over her final 11 games, including a season-high 35 in the Class 5 semifinal win over Marshfield. Defending Haywood became a crucial factor in the title game, and Polk and Harris accepted the challenge.
Polk began by defending Haywood one-on-one, steering her away from her favorite spots and forcing her to take difficult shots.
“I knew she was going to score, that’s who she is, but I wanted to keep her to one side, bump her, play her tough and hold her below her standard,” Polk said.
Late in the first quarter, Polk was whistled for her second foul and headed to the bench. Harris, who gave up seven inches in height to the 6-foot-1 Haywood, took over the responsibility of guarding her.
“I take pride in defense. I’m a little guard, so anytime I’m going against someone bigger than me, I’m even more motivated to stop them,” said Harris, who led the Hawks with 16 points and six steals.
Harris immediately stole a perimeter pass and cruised in for a layup. On the next possession, she picked the dribble from Haywood and deposited another fast break finish to propel Lift for Life to a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
When Polk reentered in the second quarter, she was determined to get going, and playful banter from the MICDS boys basketball team in attendance helped her find her rhythm. Polk scored nine of her 13 points in the second quarter, including a step back three which included a prolonged follow through and an elongated glance at the soon-to-be Class 5 boys champs.
“I love when people on the sideline talk stuff to me. Every time you tell me I’m going to miss, and I make it, you’re going to hear about it. I don’t even have to say anything. Once I look at you, it’s over with,” Polk said.
At halftime, the game was far from over as Lift for Life clung to a 27-21 lead. A smooth Haywood jumper in the final seconds gave her 15 of the 21 MICDS points and had the potential to spur a monster second half from the talented scorer.
But the defensive duo of Polk and Harris held her to only seven points in the second half on 2-of-10 shooting, as Lift for Life cranked up the full court pressure and made MICDS go faster than they wanted to go.
“We went in, made some adjustments, came out in the second half and did what we needed to do,” Lift for Life coach Chris Porter said. “We knew the game was going to come to us eventually, and when it did, there was no stopping us.”
Polk and Harris combined for seven points, one assist and two blocked shots during an 11-0 third quarter run. The Hawks produced an 18-3 advantage in fast break points, and at times, appeared to possess the ball for the entire second half.
“We stopped getting the offensive possessions that we wanted,” MICDS sophomore guard Lily Harris said. “We took quick shots, and we weren’t rebounding well enough on the defensive end to waste those offensive possessions so fast. It felt like we were always on defense and it wore us down.”
That zap of energy precluded MICDS from taking advantage of major Lift for Life foul trouble, which included Harris picking up her fourth foul midway through the third quarter with the Hawks leading 38-23.
The Lift for Life supporting cast, pressed into playing extended minutes this season due to the rash of injuries, rose to the occasion.
Senior Khmyla Bell and junior Rian Lenox combined for 14 points and 14 rebounds in the second half alone. Senior Chase Hardaway along with juniors Ryleigh Lampkins and Skyla Williams converted key baskets down the stretch, and the Hawks maintained a double-digit lead with Harris on the bench.
“It’s just who we are. We have players who come off the bench and can produce. Our younger players are still learning, but they’re not scared to get out there and perform,” Porter said.
And this championship performance was legendary for a depleted Lift for Life team that scored more than 60 points only once in its first 11 games and lost by at least 20 points three times during that stretch.
“It’s just grinding at practice, having the heart to play this game, having the dawg mentality, and everyone on this team has it,” Harris said.
For a photo gallery from this game, click on this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/2023-24-Girls-Basketball/Girls-Basketball-2025-26/Lift-for-Life-vs-MICDS-Class-5-champ