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  By Jim Wieners

It took 364 days for Lutheran High School North to play Hazelwood West in the St. Charles West Warrior Classic Championship Boys Basketball game after West won last year’s tourney final, 72-66.

Last week Lutheran North was to avenge the loss in the Dec. 9 championship game of the Warrior Classic as the 3-0 Crusaders held off the Wildcats, 68-64. It started nearly an hour late and ended at 11 p.m. about 12 and one half hours before West (3-1) played O’Fallon (Mo.) Christian, an 83-76 Wildcat win. Lutheran North was the smallest school competing in the Warrior Classic.

“If you can come and win this tournament it’s all nice,” said Lutheran North coach Brent Rueter. “There are a lot of good schools (and) it’s a nice place to play.” Rueter said the Crusaders’ biggest focus is to “play hard, play smart and play right. Mainly they played hard and smart.”

DaVante Harrell scored the Crusaders first 10 points and had 11 in the first quarter as the Crusaders led 27-11 and Harrell had 15 at halftime as Lutheran North led 36-22 and would he would score about 19 in the game. The Crusaders led by as much as 17 points in the fourth quarter (62-45) before the Wildcats went on a late rally by outscoring Lutheran North 19-6 before time expired. Anthony Virdure added 16 for LHSN.

   Hazelwood West, who made eight shots from three-point range, was led by Derrian Johnson with 22 points and made four shots from three-point range. Will Donegan scored 15 and T. J. Ross, a transfer from Lutheran North, added 12.

“Lutheran North is a tougher team,” said Hazelwood West head coach Cary Lewis. “Lutheran North is the same team we played last year. They did not have the championship-game jitters that we would have” and Hazelwood West had to rebuild a lot from last year.”

“I tell guys it takes five to play no matter what class,” Rueter said. Lutheran North is a Class Three School while Hazelwood West is a Class Five School. “I tell kids don’t be intimidated by the big schools.”

   Lutheran North opened the Warrior Classic Dec. 6 with a 61-38 romp over Francis Howell North as Virdure scored 18 points while James Mitchell added 16. The next day, Dec. 7, Lutheran North won 51-41 over semifinal opponent Fort Zumwalt South as Mitchell scored 16 points, Virdure scored 14 and Harrell added 12. Lutheran North opens Metro (formerly ABC) League play Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at Lutheran South

Hazelwood West opened the Warrior Classic Dec. 5 with a close 65-63 win over Fort Zumwalt West, as Devon Carter, a transfer from Suburban North rival Pattonville, 16 points while Donegan added 15. Two days later, Dec. 8, the Wildcats would win their semifinal game, 66-59, over Kirkwood as Ross led the ‘Cats with 19 points

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