Blog

By Jim Wieners

McCluer North and Lutheran North Boys High School Basketball teams helped say goodbye to 2011 by winning Holiday Tournaments that wrapped up Dec. 30.

McCluer North returned to Illinois for the Holidays by visiting Collinsville High School’s Vergil Fletcher Gymnasium, named for a Collinsville Basketball legend, for the Collinsville Holiday Classic. The Stars came home by being the first school from outside of Illinois to win this tournament.

Lutheran North is no stranger to Mary Institute Country Day School including the annual Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament at the McDonnell Gymnasium. The Crusaders played in the championship game for the fourth time and won for the third time, the first since 2001. LHSN is now tied for third at the MICDS Holiday Tournament with the now-defunct Wellston, one behind Country Day/MICDS.

McCluer North started the Collinsville Holiday Classic Dec. 28 and won four games in three days including the final two on Dec. 30. The Stars won three of those games over Southwestern Conference teams. Missouri State High School Activities Association rules usually forbid two basketball games in one day but Collinsville plays under Illinois High School Association rules which allow for two basketball game in a day.

McCluer North won the Classic Dec. 30 by beating the host Collinsville Kahoks, 45-44. The Stars led 29-23 after three quarters but had to withstand the 21-16 Kahok rally. Byron Ray score 16 points for the Stars.

Earlier that day the Stars knocked off top-seeded East St. Louis, 63-57, by outscoring the Flyers, 21-16 in the fourth quarter to break a 41-41 tie. Jordan Granger led the Stars with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

On Dec. 29 McCluer North won over another Southwestern Conference team with a 69-59 win over Belleville East as the Stars outscored the Lancers, 59-49 the last three quarters. Galen Brown scored 15 points while Granger pulled down 10 rebounds.

The Stars opened Dec. 28 with a 62-37 rout of Dunlap as Granger scored 16 points The Stars opened up a 51-24 lead through three quarters and coasted from there.

Lutheran North secured the MICDS Classic title Dec. 30 with a hard-fought 82-76 overtime win over Westminster Christian Academy. It was the first time LHSN won two tournaments in a year after winning the St. Charles West Warrior Classic earlier in the month.  The Crusaders outscored the Wildcats, 15-9 in overtime as Anthony Virdure, who was named to the All-Tournament team, scored 11 of his 26 points, including seven out of eight free throws, in overtime while Glenn Bradford added 25.

Lutheran North won the Dec. 29 semifinal game over St. Louis University High, 59-53 as the Crusaders defeated a Class Five team for the fourth time (LHSN is in Class Three). While SLUH outscore LHSN 34-13 in the first and fourth quarters the Crusaders outscored the Junior Billikens, 46-19 in the second and third quarters. Virdure led LHSN with 29 points.

On Dec. 28 LHSN won the quarterfinal game over host MICDS, 66-59. Through three quarters the Crusaders led 52-40 and had to withstand a fourth-quarter 19-14 rally by the Rams. Virdure led the Crusaders with 27 points.

LHSN opened the MICDS Tournament Dec. 23 with a 65-52 win over Jennings as the Crusaders outscored the Warriors, 54-41 the last three quarters. Isaiah Holman led LHSN with 15 points.