Blog

By Jim Wieners

Those fans were waiting to get in as early as two hours prior to the starting time of 12 noon according to a published report. When this reporter arrived at 10:50 a.m. parking next to the gym was restricted, cars were parked back to the east side of the campus near the entrance from Washington Street near the Interstate 270 entrance ramp, And the fans were lined up from the east side of the M-4 Gym to the south end of the parking lot next to the gym in the windy and freezing cold.

The smallest gym in the Suburban North Conference was filled by 11:45 a.m., about 15 minutes prior to tip off of the Class Five, District Eight Boys Championship Game. Those that got in, prior to McCluer announcing a sellout which locked out those who can not get in due to Fire Marshall Laws, were able to watch a very tight battle between McCluer North, defending Class Five State Boys Champions, and McCluer High, the district tournament host.

About 95 minutes after the opening tip off the McCluer North Stars were able to win a very tight scoring battle over the McCluer Comets, 58-54, and the Stars were able to take a district championship plaque back home to their campus on Waterford Drive at St. Catherine Street. The Suburban North rotates the site each year among those who participates in the predominately Suburban North district and it was McCluer that was assigned to host this year’s event.

For the McCluer North players who saw the crowd waiting outside when they arrived on their bus it felt to them was like going to a big-time college event when people wait outside before the gym, field house or auditorium was open. “It made us all feel like this was college,” said McCluer North guard Galen Brown, who was also the football team’s starting quarterback.

The 39-year rivalry between these Ferguson-Florissant District high schools in all sports has had a game of this magnitude, especially when the two boys’ basketball teams have a combined record after the game of 50-5. McCluer North head coach Randy Reed said this reminded him of the days when he was in high school at Vashon during the 1970s when the Public High League had big rivalries.

“This is incredible,” said Reed. “I’ve never seen a rivalry like this. People were coming from all walks of life.”

McCluer North let it be known that they were the defending state champions especially after Byron Ray’s three-pointer at the end of the first quarter broke up a 13-13 tie. But McCluer, who finished at 26-4, let it be known in the second quarter that the game was in their house when the Comets outscored the Stars 19-15 and took a 32-31 halftime lead in front of a standing-room only crowd.

The Stars took over in the third quarter as they opened with a 13-0 run to take a 44-32 lead with 3:29 left. The Comets did not score until 3:07 left and scored the last eight points of the third quarter to cut the Stars lead to 44-40.  “They knew it was a game of runs,” Reed said. “The game plan was to keep McCluer off balance.”

The fourth quarter was even, each scoring 14 points as the Comets got no closer than one point down, 48-47, and the Stars led by no more than six points, 53-47. After the Comets got to within two points, 56-54 with 13.8 seconds left, the Stars sealed the win with 1.5 seconds left when Brown scored the last of his 13 points on two free throws. Jordan Granger scored 11 of his 25 points from the free throw line while pulling down 11 rebounds and Tremayne Garrett added 11 points.

“We’re more of a balanced team, a completely smarter team (this year than last),” Reed said.

Three days earlier, Feb. 22, McCluer North won going away from Hazelwood East, 89-57, with a 42-21 second half after leading at halftime, 47-36. Granger scored 22 points while Brown added 19.

McCluer North took their 24-1 record to Maryville University Feb. 29 for a 7:30 game against 15-12 Fort Zumwalt South.

The winner plays March 3, 2:45 against Vianney or Troy Buchanan at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The state semifinals-finals are March 8-10 at Mizzou Arena, Columbia.