Mother Nature once again played havoc with the prep sports schedule this week, but not before some teams were able to get their playoff games in around the area. However, the weather did an end to the regular season for many basketball teams as they prepare to start district action this weekend.
Let’s get you ready for a busy weekend with this week’s Friday Fast Break.
In one of the games on the boys’ schedule that we’re able to be played earlier in the week, Vashon bounced back after losing to Westminster over the weekend to defeat DeSmet 65-50 Tuesday night. The Wolverines earned the win to improve to 20-4 on the year by getting 17 points from Jayden Nicholson while Kennard Davis Jr., added 12 points in the victory.
In Class Three district action at Bishop DuBourg, St. Pius X, Carnahan, DuBourg, and McKinley advanced to the semifinals that will be held Friday evening in South City. Nathan Ruble scored 15 points to push the Lancers into the semifinals in their win over Gateway. Raiveon Clark and Jayden Essex scored 14 markers in the Carnahan win over Jefferson.
On the girls’ side at DuBourg, the host Cavaliers defeated Carnahan 34-28 and St. Pius X pulled away from Jefferson R-7 in the second half to earn a spot in the district final with a 37-22 win. Genesis Rhodes paced Bishop DuBourg in their victory with 15 points while Maia Gayden added 12 points to get the Cavaliers into the final. In the second semifinal, P.J. Krodinger led the Lancers with 11 points in their win over the Blue Jays.
The Edwardsville girls advanced to the Class 4A Super-Sectional on the Illinois side with a 57-45 win over Normal Thursday night. Sydney Harris paced the Tiger’s offense with 22 points while Macy Silvey chipped in with 15 markers to aid Edwardsville. The Tigers will take on state powerhouse Bolingbrook Monday evening in Bloomington, Ill., for a chance to advance in the state tournament.
District play begins this weekend for all the big schools in the area while the IHSA Regional finals are also set to take place. The Mid-States Club Hockey semifinals are also set to get underway starting tonight.
On the ice, the final four in the MSCHA will head to Centene Ice Center tonight to start their semifinals. In the Challenge Cup, CBC will take on DeSmet tonight at 9:30 p.m. while SLUH and Vianney will hit the ice just to start things off at 7:20 p.m. The Cadets are looking to earn their 17th title and first since 2017. SLUH is on the hunt for their fourth league crown while Vianney is still in the chase to win consecutive Challenge Cups.
The final four is set for the Wickenheiser Cup as Priory takes on Parkway West at 9:10 p.m. with Lafayette playing Rockwood Summit at 7 p.m. The top-seeded Ravens are looking to win their first title since 2007 while the Lancers are trying to get their second cup in three years.
On the court in Illinois, Collinsville takes on Belleville East in the Class 4A Regional at Granite City Friday night while O’Fallon looks to advance in the 4A bracket with a matchup against Quincy Friday evening at Alton High School. In Class 3A, East St. Louis takes on Highland in the Regional final at Cahokia. In the Class 2A bracket, Alton Marquette takes on Greenville Friday night at Greenville with hopes to advance to the sectional round.
On the court in Missouri, the Class Four, Five, and Six districts will begin play on Saturday at sites around the area. In Class Four, Soldan, University City, and St. Charles West will host districts while in Class Five, Webster Groves, Westminster, and Warrenton will play host to games. In Class Six, SLUH, CBC, Pattonville, and Liberty are set to host district action.
Jim Powers has been covering prep sports in the St. Louis area for 15+ years and a part of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Championship Broadcasts for the past 11 years. Powers is also a part of the Fox 2 Verlo Mattress Prep Zone Friday nights at 10:10 during the football and basketball seasons. If you have a prep sports story, please contact Jim at japowers2421@yahoo.com. Follow Jim at @hssportscaravan
