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Basketball Tournament Play
Hazelwood Central Girls Hoops Start 3-2, Splits O’Fallon (Ill.) Blue-Gold
By Jim Wieners
It’s not often that a High School Basketball team plays six games in November but that is the case for the Hazelwood Central Girls team.
So far Hazelwood Central is 3-2 prior to the opening-round of the Northwest-Cedar Hill Tournament. The Hawk ladies began defense of that tournament title Nov. 30 against Ladue-Horton Watkins, a team the Hawks defeated 56-46 in last year’s tournament championship game.
Hazelwood Central would next face Ursuline Academy or Pattonville at 5:30 on Dec. 2, if the Hawks lost, or Thursday, Dec. 3, if the Hawks won. Central defeated Ursuline 54-50 in last year’s opener while Pattonville was a former Central rival when they were both were in the now-former Suburban North Conference. If Hazelwood Central goes 0-2 at Northwest-Cedar Hill the Hawks would play Friday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. but at least a win or two has the Hawks playing Saturday, Dec. 5, at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or 1:30.
Playing at Northwest-Cedar Hill marks the second multi-team, multi-day tournament for Hazelwood Central. Prior to Thanksgiving the Hawk ladies alternated wins and losses at the O’Fallon (Ill.) Township Blue-Gold Tournament by playing four games in three days. Hazelwood Central won Nov. 23 over host O’Fallon, 55-53, lost Nov. 24 to Breese (Ill.) Central, 41-32, and played two games on Nov. 25 defeating Suburban XII Conference North Division rival Riverview Gardens 66-22 while losing 38-36 to Belleville (Ill.) West.
Against O’Fallon Hazelwood Central took a 31-22 halftime lead and had to withstand a 31-24 O’Fallon rally as Kourtney White scored 18 points, Mallory Meeks added 17 and Ukari McKinney had 10 rebounds. Against Breese Central the Hawks had a 12-4 third quarter which prevented a bigger rout but the leading Hawk scorer , Kelsie Williams, was held to eight points.
Against Riverview Williams scored 16 points while Taianna Holte and Essence Ward each added 12 and White added nine steals. Meanwhile Belleville West had a 15-8 third quarter that broke a 13-13 halftime tie and Hazelwood Central’s 15-10 fourth-quarter rally falls short as Shannyn Triplett scored 11 points while White added 10.
Two days after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, Hazelwood Central went to Ursuline to play in the Carlei’s Wish Shootout opener and the Hawk ladies defeated Cor Jesu Academy, 43-35. Central outscored Cor Jesu 40-27 in the final three quarter as nine Hawk ladies scored with White leading the way with 18.
McCLUER NORTH, Class Five Sectional Qualifier last year, will play in three consecutive tournaments after opening the season with a 51-29 home loss to Ursuline and played a 5:30 game Dec. 8 against Ladue. Last year the Stars won one tournament but had a combined 2-5 record in two other tournaments.
The Stars travel to Springfield, Mo. Dec. 10-12 in the Stephanie Phillips Tournament playing first against host Kickapoo Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. During Christmas break McCluer North plays at least three games in two days, Dec. 28-29, in the Edwardsville (Ill.) Christmas Tournament (Springfield [Ill.] Sacred Heart-Griffin Dec. 28, 1 p.m., Chicago-Simeon Dec. 28 7:30 and McHenry Dec. 29, 11:30 a.m.).
NORTH TECHNICAL will be playing in two different tournaments this year beginning at Lutheran St. Charles County Dec. 1-5 and going to St. Dominic (O’Fallon, Mo.) Dec. 28-30. Last year North Tech took third at Fort Zumwalt North and won the Consolation title at Ritenour. At Lutheran St. Charles North Tech played against Francis Howell Central Dec. 1, plays against Wright City or Visitation Academy Thursday at 5:30 or 7 p.m. and Friday in the final round at 3:30, 5 p.m., 6:30 or 8:15. North Tech opened with a 65-26 loss to Mary Institute-Country Day School Nov. 28 in the Carlei’s Wish Shootout at Ursuline.
TRINITY CATHOLIC, who opened Nov. 24 with a 50-21 loss at Lutheran St. Charles County, returns to the Winfield Classic after finishing seventh last year. Trinity played against Silex Nov. 30, Hannibal or Winfield Dec. 2 and plays in the final round Friday. Trinity will also play in the Bishop DuBourg Tournament, Dec. 28-30.
HAZELWOOD EAST, HAZELWOOD WEST and McCLUER will each be in the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament, Dec. 14-18 and in the Duchesne Tournament, Dec. 28-30. Last year Hazelwood West took 2nd at Fort Zumwalt North McCluer finished 7th.
