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McCluer North Boys Hoops 3-Peat At Borgia, Who Road Blocks North Tech
By Jim Wieners
St. Francis Borgia Regional High School in Washington, Mo., has been hosting a Boys Basketball Thanksgiving Tournament for 63 years, which is longer than any Florissant Valley area high school has existed.
For McCluer North their experience at Borgia has been for six years and now has four titles including three in a row (2010, 2013-2015), a second-place finish to Borgia (2011) and a third-place finish (2012). The 2011 loss to Borgia was McCuer North’s only loss. The Stars are 16-2 at Borgia.
North Technical has completed their second appearance at Borgia and is 4-2 in two seasons. However the Golden Eagles losses are to Borgia, in pool play last year and in a championship game this year, both by five points each.
McCluer North won the Blue Division title for the third year in a row. The Stars defeated Washington 64-40 Nov. 23 and Soldan International Studies 75-72 Nov. 27 to win Blue Pool 2. Washington defeated McCluer North in the 2012 semifinals. On Nov. 28 the Stars defeated Blue Pool 1 Champion Cardinal Ritter 69-60, the second time in three years McCluer North has defeated the Lions
What this year’s McCluer North win over Cardinal Ritter stands out is that Randy Reed — who coached the Stars to State Titles in 2007, 2011 and 2012, was second to Webster Groves in 2008 and won the 2010 Borgia Tournament — is now coaching at Cardinal Ritter. Reed stepped down from McCluer North in 2013 and coached at St. Louis Community College for two years before succeding Marvin Neals at Ritter. Trevor Laney, a 16-year assistant to Reed at McCluer North, is now in his third year as the Stars’ head coach.
Harry Ballard, Suburban XII Conference North Division Football Player of the Year, averaged over 22 points per Borgia Tournament game, scored 23 against Washington and 33 against Cardinal Ritter. Urics King, who also played Football, had 22 rebounds at Borgia and Richard Pittman had 18 assists including eight against Washington.
North Tech lost 73-68 Nov. 28 to Pool 1 Champion Borgia in the Gold Division Championship game. Last year North lost 50-45 to Borgia in Thanksgiving Day, 2014, in Pool play. North Tech got to the Gold Divison Championship game by winning two Gold Pool 2 games 71-50 Nov. 24 over the Blue Knights and 77-34 Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Day) over Union. Jontae Huntspon scored 22 points for North Tech against Borgia.
North Tech seeks their fourth straight Lutheran St. Charles County Nike Tournament title Dec. 17-19 while McCler North is at the Collinsville (Ill.) Tournament Dec 28-30, a tournament the Stars won in 2011.
