It was rivalry weekend on the hardcourt as Kirkwood earned a big victory this past Friday evening while Herculaneum grabbed a big win in the JCAA conference. John Burroughs continued their winning ways in girls’ action with a victory in a huge Metro Conference match-up.
After trailing by as many as nine points in the third quarter, Kirkwood’s offense exploded in the fourth period to push the Pioneers to a 52-42 victory over Webster Groves Friday evening. This is the first time Kirkwood has defeated the Statesmen in nine years. The Pioneers grabbed an early 9-5 lead after the first period only to see Webster Groves take a 22-17 lead into the halftime locker room. The Statesmen stretched the lead in the third quarter to as many as nine points before Kirkwood started their comeback. Kirkwood outscored Webster Groves 25-11 in the final stanza to earn the come-from-behind win and improve their record to 12-0 on the year. Javaris Moye led the Pioneers’ attack with a game-high 19 points while Christian Hughes added 10 markers in the win.
Kirkwood HS Boys Basketball vs. Webster Groves HS
In a huge Jefferson County Athletic Association rivalry game, Herculaneum held off St. Pius X in the fourth quarter to earn a 59-57 victory to improve their record to 9-4 on the year. In a game that went back and forth all night, the Blackcats used timely shooting and a few key stops in the final minutes to earn the win. Dylan Jarvis, Gabe Watkins, and Ethan Hoskins each scored 13 points to pace Herculaneum in the victory while Watkins added seven rebounds. Patrick Flanagan paced the Lancers’ attack with 24 markers with John Whitman adding 22 points in the loss.
In their annual Paint it Pink night at MICDS, John Burroughs picked up a pair of conference victories as both their boys’ and girls’ teams came away with victories Friday evening.
On the boys’ side, the Rams took a five-point lead at the end of the first half only to see the Bombers race back in the third quarter by outscoring MICDS 19-9 in the period to take a 39-34 advantage into the final stanza. Burroughs then continued to pull away in the final quarter as they limited the Rams to 15 points while scoring 20 markers to earn a big Metro League win. Trevor Reed led the scoring for the Bombers with 17 points while Max Steinbach added 16 points in the victory to aid Burroughs in improving their record to 10-5 on the year.
In the girls’ game at MICDS, the Bombers used a huge third quarter en route to a 50-21 victory over the Rams. Burroughs held a 20-15 advantage at the half and found their shooting touch in the third quarter by outscoring MICDS 23-4 to extend the lead to 43-19. Burroughs then turned to their defense by holding the Rams to two points in the final period to earn the win and improve their record to 15-2 on the year. Allie Turner paced the Bombers with 13 points with Breaunna Ward chipping in with 12 points in the win.
On the wrestling mat, Seckman emerged as a team to watch in the later stages of the regular season by winning the St. Charles West Invite with 226 points. Howell North earned second place in the tournament with 161 points while Howell placed third with 151 points. Braden Williams got the Jaguars started in the championships by winning the 106 lb. weight class while Drake Jenkins took home the 150 lbs. title and Cole Ruble claimed the championship in the 190 lb. class.
Conference battles dot the schedule this week in prep sports action while there is a full slate of games set for Martin Luther King Day.
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
