Blog

By Jim Wieners

For the second year in a row in Boys High School Basketball Hazelwood Central won the Meramec Holiday Basketball Tournament while just before Christmas North Technical won the Lutheran-St. Charles County Cougar Classic.

Meanwhile, for the sixth straight year in Girls Basketball Incarnate Word Academy won the Visitation Academy Christmas Basketball Tournament as the Red Knights are tied with the host Vivettes for most tournament titles, 10 each, in 39 years.

HAZELWOOD CENTRAL BOYS won the 38th Annual Meramec Tournament, that was held at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, by defeating Lindbergh, 67-32, Jennings, 73-63, Kirkwood, 62-49, and Webster Groves, 57-51. Three of the four wins were by 13 points or less and “anytime you can win a tournament like this is awesome,” said Hawk head coach Josh Martin. “The kids worked hard and it speaks of the program.”

In four games Xavier Sneed scored 54 points while Demarco Buchanan scored 53. Sneed and Buchanan each connected four times from three-point range while Clifton Yancy made five treys.

Meanwhile NORTH TECH BOYS got a pre-Christmas present when they rolled over Orchard Farm, 64-38, and Lift for Life Academy Charter, 68-47, before rallying to win in overtime over host Lutheran-St. Charles County, 72-69. In the tournament final North Tech trailed by 14 early in the fourth quarter and trailed by 13 points with less than two and a half minutes before the Golden Eagles outscored the Cougars 15-2 to tie the game at 66-66 and forced the overtime.

In three games three Golden Eagles were in the top 10 in scoring with Kevin James scoring 57 points, Jermaine Walker added 49, NiSean Rigmaden scored 48 and Mike Henderson-Burt scored 34. In three-point shots Henderson-Burt made five and Rigmaden made four, James made 11 out of 14 free throws, Rigmaden — who made eight out of 11 free throws — had 27 assists and 10 steals while James and Walker each pulled down 11 rebounds.

IN GIRLS INCARNATE WORD ACADEMY wrapped up their sixth straight Viz title by rolling over Hazelwood Central, 88-44, the second time the Red Knights defeated the Hawks in six Visitation Tournament championship games. Prior to defeating Hazelwood Central IWA routed Lafayette, 84-27, defeated MWAA White Division rival Nerinx Hall, 67-35, and routed Webster Groves, 62-44.

In four games Napheesa Collier scored 94 points, had 16 assists, 28 steals, 38 rebounds and blocked 10 shots. Nakiah Bell scored 62 points, made 14 shots from three-point range and had 30 assists while Gwen Adams made all 15 free throws.

HAZELWOOD CENTRAL GIRLS got to the Visitation Tournament finals by defeating Blue Springs, 44-37, Notre Dame-St. Louis, 56-43, and St. Joseph’s Academy, 61-42, which ended a string of four straight Viz Tourney final appearances by St. Joe. The 44 points by the Hawks were the most against IWA in this year’s Viz Tourney.

In four games Jessica Jordan scored 70 points and pulled down 28 rebounds, Jekiyah Woods made 23 out of 26 free throws and Zaria Valle pulled down 30 rebounds while blocking six shots.

NORTH TECH GIRLS, like the boys, also got a pre-Christmas gift by winning the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament title three weeks ago. It marked the fourth straight year that a North County high school won the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament and the second title in four years for North Tech. Hazelwood East won two in a row.

North Tech defeated McCluer, 61-44, Orchard Farm, 46-38, and Lutheran-St. Charles County, 57-55. In the final against Lutheran-St. Charles County, a rematch of last year’s Class Three Semifinal won by Lutheran, North Tech overcame a 15-point second-half deficit while playing Anjanae Miller most of the second half with four fouls. North Tech won over Lutheran-St. Charles County with seven-tenths of a second on two Khalia Miller free throws.

In four games Anjanae Miller scored 61 points, made 19 out of 27 free throws and pulled down 40 rebounds. Khalia Miller scored 63 points, made seven three-point shots and made 12 out of 17 free throws.