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McCluer North, IWA Win MLK Girls Basketball Showcase At North Tech
By Jim Wieners
McCluer North, North County Technical and Incarnate Word Academy were winners in the MLK Girls Basketball Showcase during Martin Luther King weekend at North Tech while Hazelwood Central lost.
On Jan. 16 McCluer North rolled over Butlersville, Ohio, 46-35, while on Jan. 17 North Tech pulled off a 55-52 win over East St. Louis, Ill., and Incarnate Word pulled away from Memphis (Tenn.) Ridgeway, 48-36 to close out the Showcase and snapped a rare two-game losing streak. Meanwhile Hazelwood Central, coming off an emotional 78-73 overtime win at Hazelwood West, Jan. 14, lost Jan. 16 to White Station, Tenn., 35-46.
McCluer North head coach Dwayne Polk said the Stars “don’t know much about (Butlersville, but) told them ‘be ready to play‘” and the Stars did in rolling to a 28-11 halftime lead. The Stars coasted from there to their fifth win in a row, 11-5 overall, prior to the Jan. 18 contest at home against Suburban North Conference rival Hazelwood East.
“I was very pleased with the way we played the first three minutes,” Polk said.Senior Kaci Cason scored 23 points including 15 in the second half while sophomore Markeyah Neal including 10 in the first half.
“I told them (the players) about Kaci,” Polk said. “I told them to ‘step it up.’” The rest of the Stars scored a combined 19points.
“I can’t say that I’m pleased,” Polk said but “I’m not complacent.”
North Tech, despite starting at 11 a.m., was able to get on a 7-0 roll in the first 2:18 of the first quarter before East St. Louis scored their first points of the game. The Golden Eagles were able to keep the Flyerettes from scoring their first field goal until 1:28 was left in the opening quarter but the Golden Eagles led 23-9 after one quarter. “We knew we had to play a ‘more strict routine,” said Golden Eagle head coach George Merritt.
In the second quarter the Eagles were looser Merritt said and “we got outside of our game.” It resulted in the Flyerettes to go on a 13-0 run during the first 3:44 of an 18-10 second quarter to cut the North Tech lead to 33-27 at halftime.
The second half was close as the Golden Eagles trailed for the first time with 3:14 left in the third quarter but regained the lead seconds later. In the final three minutes of the fourth quarter the Flyerettes took their final lead at 52-51 only to half the Golden Eagles score the final four points of the game and denied the Flyerettes a chance to tie as time expired. Senior Yelena Rosado scored 18 points, 13 in the first half, senior Brittany McNutt added 15 and senior Brandi Riddle added 10.
Incarnate Word, which lost its only game last year at North Tech, to Chicago-Whitney Young, was coming off back-to-back losses to Webb City, at CBC, and Blue Springs, at home, which is rare for a team that is coached by Dan Rolfes. It was a tight first half as the Red Knights led 9-8 after one quarter and 19-8 at halftime “Early on we gave them a lot of offensive rebounds,” Rolfes said.
“Then,” in the second half Rolfes said, “we distance ourselves” (from Ridgeway) by outscoring them 27-19 in the second half, including a 14-5 run in the third quarter. Senior Brittany Carter led the Red Knights with 17 points including 10 in the third quarter, while senior Brianna Puni scored 13. IWA was without three players including two who were academically ineligible (most recently junior Lateesha Deloach)
Hazelwood Central led White Station 14-12 after one quarter and lead 16-12 early in the second quarter. “Then it fizzled,” said Hawk head coach Wendy Reeves, and the Hawks were outscored 34-21 in the final three quarters. More important is that the Hawks were with out a basket in the first six minutes of the third quarter.
“We were flat,” Reeves said. “There was not a lot of energy.”
“They got on that little run (especially in the third quarter) and our heads were down,” Reeves added. What also hurt the Haws was the fact that two of the players, according to Reeves, were “under the weather.”
Senior Erika Beard led the Hawks with 14 points while senior Erika Beard added 10. “I’m unhappy with the effort,” Reeves said, but “we’ll regroup and be fine.”
