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Hazelwood Central, McCluer North Girls Meet In Sub. 12 North Finale
By Jim Wieners
Girls Basketball teams at Hazelwood Central and McCluer North High Schools are in a collision course to a Feb 16 contest that not only will wrap up the 2015-16 Suburban XII (12) Conference North Division play but the 5:30 game at Hazelwood Central could also decide the conference title at well.
Hazelwood Central, 16-4 overall prior to Feb. 8, had three games before hosting McCluer North including a pair of Suburban XII North games. The Hawks hosted Riverview Gardens Feb. 8 and visits Hazelwood East Thursday, Feb. 12 at 5:30 with a Feb. 10 home game against Parkway Central sanwiched inbetween the Suburban XII North games. Hazelwood Central had rolled over McCluer, 63-25, and Hazelwood West, 88-39, in previous Suburban XII North games so wins over Riverview and East would put Central at 4-0 in the Suburban XII North prior to the Feb. 16 showdown.
McCluer North had put a 12-9 record on the line prior to the Feb. 8 contest at defending three-time Class Four State Champion Incarnate Word Acdemy. The Stars visit Ferguson-Florissant School District rival McCluer Thursday, 5:30, in a Suburban XII North game then gets to host Parkway Central Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. before heading to Hazelwood Central. In previous Suburban XII North games McCluer North rolled over Riverview Gardens, 54-18, Hazelwood West, 59-24, and Hazelwood East, 58-36, so a win over McCluer will give the Stars a 4-0 Suburban North record ahead of the Feb. 16 encounter at Central.
In two Suburban XII North games for Hazelwood Central Mallory Meeks has scored 27 points, had 11 assists and 14 steals while Ukari McKinney has 15 rebounds and has made nearly 71 percent of her shots from the floor including 69 percent from inside the three-point arc. Overall, prior to Feb. 8, Meeks has averaged 11 points per game while shooting 73 percent from the free throw line, McKinney has 132 rebounds, Kourtney White has 51 assists and 61 steals and Kelsie Williams had blocked 17 shots.
In two reported Suburban XII North games for McCluer North Lauryn Hudson has scored 21 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and blocked three shots, Ymahni Jones has made nearly 64 percent of her shots, Kortni Collins and Anasha Hurst has seven assists each and Eriyann Simmons has three steals. Overall, prior to Feb. 8, Hudson has averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per game to go along with blocking 31 shots, Hurst has made nearly 69 percent of her free throws (46 out of 67) to go along with making 38 assists and 35 steals and Alyssa Walbridge has mad half of her shots (27 out of 54) inside the three-point arc.
Hazelwood Central and McCluer North are in separate Class Five Districts whose tourneys begin as early as Feb. 27 and end no later than March 5 and if they both win their distirct titles the Hawks and Stars could have a rematch in a March 9 Sectional, 7:45 in St. Charles at Lindenwood University’s Robert Hyland Arena. Hazelwood Central hosts Class Five, District Five but the Hawks would likely meet in the finals last year’s state third place finisher Parkway North, whom the Hawks won 50-43 in the Visitation Christmas Tournament championship game. McCluer North is in Class Five, District Six but may have to play with tourney host St. Joseph’s Academy, a team the Stars defeated 45-42 at home last year to win Class Five, District Seven.
BOYS — Hazelwood Central is 4-0 in the Suburban XII North and the Hawks are assured of at least a co-championship but will wrap up the conference title outright with a win at home 12 noon, Saturday, Feb. 13 against Hazelwood East. In the Suburban XII North the Hawks have wins over Hazelwood West, 77-64, McCluer, 70-32, McCluer North, 68-55, and Riverview Gardens, 64-64, and Hazelwood Central is 19-4 overall prior to the Feb. 9 home game against Fort Zumwalt North. Hazelwood East is 12-8 overall prior to a Feb. 8 home game against Lutheran North and is 1-2 in the Suburban XII North.
CLASS THREE DISTRICTS — North Technical is the only St. Louis County high school to be in Class Three, District Six, hosted by O’Fallon Christian, with Duchesne, Elsberry, Lutheran St. Charles County, Orchard Farm, Winfield and Wright City competing. Trinity Catholic is in Class Three, District Five at Lutheran North along with Cardinal Ritter, Carnahan, Lift for Life Academy Charter, Metro and Northwest Academy of Law.
Districts begin as early as Feb. 20 and end no later than Feb. 27. The two district winners meet in the Sectional March 2 at St. Charles West (6 p.m. girls, 7:45 boys) and the winners play in the Feb. 5 Quarterfinal at Warrenton (1 p.m. girls, 2:45 boys). The Semifinals, Third Place and Championship games are March 10-12 at Mizzou Arena, University of Missouri, Columbia.
