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Prep Boys Winter Notebook East-Central Rivalry Includes Saturday Basketball Showdown
BY JIM WIENERS
Hazelwood East and Hazelwood Central have developed a high school sports rivalry that goes beyond just football.
Basketball gets heated up between the two teams. Last month (early December) Central defeated East in the Girls Suburban North Conference Tournament championship game and the two teams meet again Jan. 25 at East (see Girls Winter Notebook). This Saturday the two high schools go at it in Boys Basketball in a 12 noon shootout at Central.
Hazelwood Central was 12-2 prior to Tuesday’s rematch at St. Charles West. On Dec. 28, at St. Louis Community College at Meramec’s Holiday Festival, St. Charles West dealt Central one of their two losses. (Troy-Buchanan, who won their second straight Meramec Holiday Festival Championship, also defeated the Hawks). Central has two Suburban North Conference wins so far — against Hazelwood West (66-58) and Ritenour (72-25).
Hazelwood East is recovering from a slow start and was 6-7 overall prior to Tuesday’s game at Chaminade. That includes winning four out of six, starting with a 3-1 run at the Normandy Invitational, and includes a 56-42 home Suburban North win last Friday over McCluer North. This is the first of two Saturday games at 12 noon for East with the other being Feb. 10 at Riverview Gardens.
Hazelwood East will host Class Five, District Five in late February and it is an all Suburban North district. Six of the eight Suburban North teams will be involved.
McCLUER NORTH was ranked first in Class Five State according to the Associated Press, prior to their loss last Friday at East. It was one of two losses by the 13-2 Stars who avenged one of their losses last Monday at the Martin Luther King Shootout in East St. Louis, Ill., 65-51 over Gateway Tech. McCluer North was dealt their first loss Dec. 16 at Gateway Tech (42-39) and the Stars are 1-1 in the Suburban North which includes a 63-37 home win Jan. 5 over Ritenour.
HAZELWOOD WEST opened the season by winning six of their first eight before hitting a four-game losing streak. West responded with a 54-47 home win last Friday over Wentzville-Timberland and a 66-56 victory over Metro-St. Louis in the first round of the Trinity Catholic Tournament last Monday. West (8-6 as of this past Tuesday) is 1-1 in the Suburban North, losing to Hazelwood Central and defeating Ritenour (66-44 on Dec. 14).
McCLUER SOUTH-BERKELEY is currently 13-3, losing only to Nashville, Ill., Madison, Ill., and Gateway Tech. MSB has won the Clopton Tournament and has defeated Riverview Gardens (at home), Chaminade (at home) and Hazelwood East (at the Normandy Invitational).
PREP WRESTLING — An ice storm and power outages last weekend cancelled the Riverview Gardens Tournament last Saturday. McCLUER NORTH took third place last Saturday at St. Charles West and the Stars had three winners — Donald Woods (160 pounds), Jordan Parks (171) and Kevin Knopf (189).
