It was a busy weekend on the hardwood as the Webster Winter Classic and the Town and Country Bank Tournament featured some of the top teams in the area while a pair of squads took part in one of the outstanding Norm Stewart events in Springfield. Also, the Visitation and Coaches vs Cancer Holiday Tournaments held their seeding meetings this past Saturday.
Let’s get caught up on all the news in this week’s edition of the Monday Morning Wrap-Up.
At the Webster Winter Classic in Roberts Gymnasium, CBC needed a second-half rally to defeat Whitfield 71-62 to win their first title in the Classic. After trailing 41-32 heading into the third quarter, the Cadets rallied to cut the deficit to 51-48 after outscoring the Warriors 16-10 in the third frame. CBC took the lead for good midway through the final period to complete the rally and claim their first Winter Classic title. Nassir Binion paced the Cadet attack with 18 points to earn tourney Most Valuable Player honors. Anthony Gause chipped in with 15 points as the Cadets improved to 4-1 on the young season.
In the third-place game at Webster Groves, John Burroughs used a huge final period to defeat Webster Groves 51-47. The Statesmen broke open a tight game in the second period to take a 25-19 lead into the half. Webster Groves extended the lead after three quarters to 36-29 before the Bombers caught fire from the field and outscored the Statesmen 22-11 in the final stanza to claim the third-place trophy. Trevor Reed paced the Bomber attack with 22 points and 10 boards while Will Chapman added 10 markers in the win. Iziah Purvey led the way for Webster Groves with 16 points in the loss.
In girls’ action Friday evening, Lutheran South raced out to a 12-point lead after the first two quarters and cruised to a 51-44 victory over North County in the championship game of the Town & Country Bank Classic at Herculaneum. The Lancers broke open a 12-12 tie after the first quarter by outscoring the Raiders 21-9 in the second frame to take a 33-21 lead into the halftime locker room. After both teams scored nine points in the third period, North County saw their rally fall short after having a 14-9 scoring advantage in the quarter. Ellie Buscher led the Lutheran South attack with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Savannah Butterfield added 16 markers in the win.
The AAA Conference took center stage in Springfield, Mo., over the weekend as Rosati-Kain used a run in the second quarter to overcome a six-point deficit en route to a 37-28 victory over league rival Bishop DuBourg at the 48 Hours of Basketball played at Greenwood Event Center on the campus of Missouri State University. After trailing by as many as six in the second quarter, the Kougars used an 8-0 run to help them take a 20-16 lead at the break. Rosati-Kain then turned to their defense as they held the Cavaliers to 12 second-half points to claim the victory. Tedda Bock was named the game’s MVP with a 10 points performance while Brooke Elston added another 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win. The event is part of the Norm Stewart Classic that helps raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
The Holiday break is right around the corner and a pair of big tournaments held their seeding meetings this past weekend.
De Smet earned the top spot in the annual Coaches vs Cancer Holiday Tournament that will be held this year at the Simon Center on the campus of Maryville University. Columbia Hickman earned the second seed while Parkway West is the No. 3 seed and Troy was named the No. 4 seed. The tournament will start at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 26.
Incarnate Word grabbed the top spot at the Visitation Holiday Tournament as the Red Knights ran their current winning streak to 72 games over the weekend. John Burroughs was voted the number two seed while Eureka earned the No. 3 seed and tourney newcomer Pattonville is slotted in the fourth spot. The tournament starts this coming Saturday at 9 a.m. with eight games slated for the day. We will have a bunch of coverage of the tourney starting Wednesday.
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
