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Hazelwood Central, McCluer North, North Tech Suffer Midseason Stumbles
By Jim Wieners
Three area boys school basketball teams that have been successful in season opening tournaments hit a roadblock this month as they suffered at least a loss or more.
Hazelwood Central, after winning nine of its first 11 games including the St. John Vianney Jerry Boeckmann Memorial Invitational, have lost two of their last four prior to playing Jan. 19 at St. Louis University High.
Most recently the Hawks lost 74-58 Jan. 16 at Fort Zumwalt South in St. Peters. This is a rematch of a March 15, 2014 Quarterfinal game won 75-52 by the Hawks, eventual fourth-place finishers in state. Hazelwood Central has two wins in the Suburban XII Conference North Division — over Hazelwood West 54-40 on Dec. 18, 2014 and over McCluer 77-67 on Jan. 15 — and will continue Suburban XII North play in February concluding Feb. 14 at Hazelwood East.
Hazelwood Central will be in the Ameritime Torurnament Jan. 26-30 at Missouri Baptist University.
McCluer North, after opening the season with five wins in their first six games inclduing the Blue Division Championship of the St Francis Borgia Thanksgiving week tourney, has lost five of their last nine prior to Jan. 18. It began with the Collinsville, Ill. Tournament as the Stars won the first two games then lost the next two. So far in January the Stars have lost four out of six and that includes losing the final two games of the Kirkwood-Denver Miller Tounament after winning the opener over Suburban XII North rival Hazelwood West (72-46) in the opener. The Stars will be playing their Suburban XII North games between Jan. 22 (Thursday, 5:30, at home against Riverview Gardens) and Feb. 12 (at McCluer).
North Tech, which had an 11-game winning streak after a 1-1 start in the St. Francis Borgia Tournament Gold Division, opened January with a two-game losing streak prior to Jan. 16. North Tech lost Jan. 5 to Ritenour, 69-64, and Jan. 8 at Maplewood-Richmond Heights, 43-39, and Ritenour is the only team prior to Jan. 16 to score more than 60 points against the Golden Eagles.
North Tech had won their third straight Lutheran-St. Charles County Nike Cougar Classic.
Hazelwood East is doing the opposite prior to their Jan. 19 game at Lutheran North as the Spartans have won three out of five games played in January after closing 2014 with six losses in eight games. East lost two out of three in the Troy-Buchanan Tournament, went winless in three games of the Collinsville, Ill., Tourament and will close January by playing Jan. 26-30 in the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament. In the Suburban XII North East already has a win over Riverview Gardens, 60-52 on Jan. 15 and will play the rest of the league schedule in February.
