Blog

By Jim Wieners

Hazelwood Central Boys will have one more tune-up before districts as the Hawks take a 17-6 record to Jefferson City, Feb. 22 at 6:30. Then four days later, Feb. 26, the Hawks will play a 4 p.m. game against Hazelwood West or Hazelwood East and that winner will be determined in a 4 p.m. game on Feb. 25. Also on Feb. 26 McCluer North, defending state champions from the last two years, takes on McCluer in a 6 p.m. rematch of last year’s district final.

The Feb. 26 winners play March 2 at 12 noon and the District Eight Champion plays the District Seven  Champion in a  6 p.m. Sectional March 6 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Mark Twain Building.

It is a district tournament where anyone can win it since all five of the teams have gone up and down. Hazelwood Central has won the Suburban North Conference title and the Meramec Tournament and Hazelwood East won the Fort Zumwalt North Boys Tournament in January. Hazelwood Central head coach Josh Martin said following a 71-45 home rout of Hazelwood West on Feb. 15. “Once district starts every record is the same. You got to play every game” as it is win or go home.

Hazelwood Central Girls will have a week before opening district play Feb. 28 in a 4 p.m. game against the winner of the Feb. 25, 6 p.m. game between McCluer North and McCluer. After Central plays their district game Hazelwood East hosts Hazelwood West in a 6 p.m. game between two teams that played each other twice and East won both times including the Fort Zumwalt North Tourney Final in December. The Feb. 28 winners play each other March 2 at 2 p.m. for the right to play in a March 6 Sectional at 7:45 against the winner of District Seven.

Hazelwood Central wrapped up Suburban North play Feb. 19 against visiting Riverview Gardens then visited Lafayette Feb. 20 before their week off before district play. As the seeds were finalized Hazelwood Central head coach Wendy Reeves was concerned about the team’s scoring after the Hawks won Feb. 13 at home over Pattonville, 47-35. “We’re not scoring as many points lately,” Reeves said as the Hawks, prior to the Feb. 15 win at Hazelwood West, 52-36, was averaging less than 41 points in three games, the win over Pattonville and losses to Nerinx Hall and Mary Institute-Country Day School.

CLASS FOUR, DISTRICT FIVE  — Incarnate Word Academy is the top seed and the Red Knights play at Soldan-International Studies beginning Feb. 26, 6:15 against Soldan or McCluer South-Berkeley, which plays Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. The district championship game is March 1, 7 p. m. and the winner plays the District Six winner March 6, 7:45 at Parkway West. IWA took a 24-0 record to a Feb. 19 home game against Cor Jesu and hosts Ursuline Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

On the Boys side McCluer South-Berkeley plays Vashon Feb. 25 at 4:30 with the winner playing top-seeded Miller Career Academy Feb. 28, 4:30 and the Championship game is March 1, 5:30 for the right to play the District Six winner, March 6, 6 p.m. at Parkway West,.

CLASS FIVE, DISTRICT TWO — Riverview Gardens will be playing at Ladue-Horton Watkins and the Boys team is seeded third, playing Feb. 26 in an 8 p.m. in a rematch of the Kirkwood-Denver Miller Tournament Final against Chaminade. That winner plays for the championship March 1 at 7 p.m. for the right to play the District One winner, March 6, 6 p.m. at Northwest-Cedar Hill.

In Girls Basketball Riverview plays Ritenour Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. and the winner plays top-seeded St. Joseph’s Academy, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. That winner plays for the championship Feb. 28, 7 p.m. for the right to play March 6, 7:45, against the District One winner at Northwest-Cedar Hill.

CLASS THREE, DISTRICT FIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS, are slated for Feb. 21 at Vashon. North Technical plays Cardinal Ritter in the Girls’ game at 5:30 while North Technical or Lutheran North plays Cardinal Ritter or Northwest Academy in the Boys’ game at 7 p.m. North Technical Girls defeated Trinity Catholic 68-27 and Metro 59-46.