It was an outstanding weekend of basketball action in the area as Kirkwood and Vashon came away with a pair of signature victories on the hardwood while Whitfield once again looks to be the team to beat in Class 3 on the wrestling mats after claiming a big tournament title.
Let’s get caught up on all the action in this week’s edition of the Monday Morning Wrap-Up brought to you by Triad Banks.
Vashon played host to one of the best one-day shootouts Saturday as any top teams from the Midwest took part, but it was the nightcap that everyone was waiting for as the host Wolverines played the top team in Class 6 in the state Missouri, Staley, and came away from the heavyweight battle with a 58-57 overtime victory over the Falcons.
After the Falcons raced out to an early first-quarter lead, Vashon settled in and got right back into the contest and trailed the Falcons 31-27 at the break. The game went back and forth in the second half with Vashon holding a slim two-point lead late in the contest, but Staley got a bucket in the waning seconds to push the contest into an extra session with the score tied at 48-48. The Falcons grabbed the lead in the overtime, but a Dierre Hill triple at the buzzer propelled the Wolverines to a hard-fought victory. The defending Class 4 champions were paced by Kennard Davis with 23 points while Hill finished the contest with 17 points in the win to help Vashon improve to 11-7 on the year.
The Kirkwood boys’ basketball team had a coming-out party Friday evening as the Pioneers took an early first-quarter lead and cruised to a 57-39 victory over De Smet to claim the title at the Circle 7 Shootout at Parkway West. The win also helped Kirkwood remain undefeated at 17-0 on the year.
The Pioneers held an early 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and held a 25-17 at the break before Kirkwood outscored the Spartans 16-9 in the third stanza to extend the advantage to 41-26. Javaris Moye led the way for the Pioneers with 15 points while Kellen Rhimes chipped in with nine markers with Creighton Wise grabbing seven rebounds to aid Kirkwood in the victory.
The Metro Catholic Conference continues to be a wide-open race as St. Louis University High earned their third consecutive league victory with a 72-69 win over Chaminade Friday evening to pull within a game of the top of the conference with a record of 3-2 in the league. De Smet is on top of the conference with a 3-1 mark while Chaminade is 2-2 in league play. The Jr. Bills and CBC are right in the mix with records of 3-2.
In a game that went back and forth all night, Aaron Walker Jr. paced SLUH with 19 points while Charlie Isom-McCall added 15 points in the victory. Zach Ortworth grabbed eight boards with Walker Jr. dishing out nine assists to help the Jr. Bills improve to 12-6 on the year.
On the wrestling mats at Howell, Whitfield showed that they are the team to beat in Class 3 as the Warriors took home the title at the Kyle Thrasher Invite this past weekend with 249.5 points. The Warriors held off another local powerhouse team in Hillsboro, who placed second with 248 points, Staley earned the third spot with 170 points, and Howell Central grabbed the fourth position with 131 points. This will be a precursor to the Class 3 districts as Whitfield and Hillsboro are placed in the same district that will take place in a few weeks.
The Warriors won three weight classes and finished in the runner-up position in two others to win the tournament. Yashua Amen got things going for Whitfield by winning the 120 lb. weight class while Porter Matecki claimed the 126 lb. title just minutes later. Alexander Rallo continued the winning ways for the Warriors as he earned the title in the 138 lb. weight class.
Carter Wallis paced the Hawks by winning the 106 lb. weight class while Jackson Tucker brought home the title in the 132 lb. weight class to aid Hillsboro in their second-place finish.
The seeds are out in the Mid-States Club Hockey Association playoffs as CBC, Parkway West, and Fort Zumwalt East all are on top of the seeds for the upcoming tournaments.
The Cadets will be the top team in the Challenge Cup field with Kirkwood earning the second seed, De Smet garnering the third slot, and SLUH gaining the fourth seed.
In the Wickenheiser Cup tournament, the Longhorns are the top seed with Summit gaining the second seed, Oakville earning the third seed, and MICDS gaining the fourth seed.
Fort Zumwalt East is the top seed in the Founders Cup with Duchesne gaining the second seed and Westminster getting the third seed in the seven-team tournament.
The annual Webster Groves Winter Classic features three of the top teams in the state as Incarnate Word, Rock Bridge, and Vashon will vie for the title that IWA has won for the past few years. The action opens up at Roberts Gymnasium Tuesday as Vashon takes on Cor Jesu at 4 p.m. while Rock Bridge takes on Webster Groves at 5:30 p.m. Lift for Life will play St. Joseph’s Academy at 7 p.m. with IWA taking on Gateway Legacy in the nightcap at 8:30 p.m. The semifinals are set for Friday evening while the title game will take place Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
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
