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Hazelwood Central Wins 2 Holiday Basketball Tourneys, Hosts Wrestling
By Jim Wieners
Hazelwood Central Varsity Basketball teams, Girls and Boys, celebrated the Christmas Holiday break by winning 16-team tournaments. Meanwhile the Wrestling team will host a two-day, 30-team tournament, the St. Louis All-Suburban Wrestling championships Friday-Saturday, Jan. 8-9.
The Hazelwood Central Girls Baskeball team won their first Visitation Academy Christmas Tournament. Meanwhile the Boys Basketball team won the Coaches Verus Cancer Tournament, fomerly the Meramec Holiday Festival at the Meramec campus of St. Louis Community College. Also Hazelwood Central spent the Christmas break by finishing third in the DeSmet Spartan Holiday Wrestling Tournament
VISITATION CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT — Hazelwood Central became the first team other than Incarnate Word Academy to win the tournament since St. Joseph’s Academy won in 2007. Central became the first public school to win since Parkway West won in 2000 and the fifth public school in the 41-year history of the touanament to win the title (now defunct St. Louis Southwest-1980, Perryville-1986, DeSoto-1990, Parkway West-1998, 2000, Hazelwood Central-2015).
Mallory Meeks scored 53 points in the tournament, averaging about 13.3 per game and had 13 steals. In rebounds Ukari McKinney pulled down 37 while Kelsie Williams pulled down 33. It was the second tournament title this season for the Hawk ladies to go along with winning at Northwest-Cedar Hill. Aftrer a 2-2 start in the O’Fallon, Ill., Blue and Gold Tournament Hazelwood Central carried a nine-game winning streak prior to the Jan. 6 home game against Normandy.
Hazelwood Central began before Christmas by defeating Fort Zumwalt West 59-39 as Meeks scored 16 points and Mallory White added 14. Against Webster Groves the Hawks won 51-33 win as McKinney scored 14 points and Williams pulled down 11 rebounds The semfinal game had Hazelwood Central playing Ursuline Academy, a team that ended Incarnate’s seven year championship reign with a 49-45 quarterfinal decsion. Central won 42-35 win as Meeks scored 14 points while McKinney pulled down 14 rebounds.
The title game pitted Hazelwood Central in a Class Five, District Six rematch with eventual state third-place finisher Parkway North — who was without tournament Most Valuable Player Alicia Sutton, who injued her knee in a semifinal game. Hazelwood Central won the title with a 50-43 victory over Pakrway North as Williams scored 16 points and Meeks added 14. Hazelwood Central and Parkway North could meet in Class Five, District Five this March at Central
COACHES VERSUS CANCER TOURNAMENT — Hazelwood Central won their first Coaches Versus Cancer Tournament but it was the fifth time since 2003 that the Hawks won a Holiday Tournament on the SLCC-Meramec campus. Xaver Sneed scored 21.3 points per game while Dominique Dobbs averaged 17.5. It was the second tournament won this season after the Hawks won at St. John Vianney.
Hazelwood Central, led by Sneed’s 20 points routed Eureka in their opener, 85-48, after leading 74-33 through three quarters. In the 71-57 win over Parkway West the Hawks ran away by outscoring the Longhorns 57-41 in the final three quarters as Sneed scored 30 points while Dobbs added 20. In the semifinal Steve Holloway scored 29 points in the Hawks 81-57 win over Webster Groves, who defeated Central 41-39 in last year’s title game on a last-second shot.
Hazelwood Central defeated CBC 79-69 in the title game Dobbs scored 23 points and the Hawks put an 11-game winning streak after losing the season-opener to Michigan City on the line Thursday against Oakville.
ST. LOUIS ALL SUBURBAN WRESTLING — About 30 public high schools from 18 school districts in St. Louis and Jefferson Counties, including the Ferguson-Floirssant and Hazelwood School District will compete in two gymnasuims Friday, starting at 5:30, and Saturday, Starting at 10 a.m. Seckman, a Jefferson County school (Imperial) has won the tournament four times in five years including last year while McCluer North has been the area’s highest finisher in each and every year. AT DE SMET Jacob Freebersyser (113 pounds) and Michael Simon (285) each won individual titles while Camron Sharp (138), Josiah Jackson (145), James Mckenzie (152) and LaRontae Williams (170) each finished second.
