The Highland Shootout did not disappoint this past Saturday as there were many great games, but Chaminade was the story of the day as they grabbed a signature win over a powerhouse team from Chicago. De Smet also earned a huge conference victory last Friday evening while an area head girls’ basketball coach reached a coaching milestone as his team won their own tournament.

Let’s get caught up on the weekend events in today’s edition of the Monday Morning Wrap-Up.

The Highland shootout was once again a must-see event this past weekend as many of the top teams in the area took part in some outstanding games. In one of the feature games, Chaminade came away with a 60-57 victory over Illinois powerhouse St. Rita out of Chicago. The contest was tight throughout as the Red Devils trailed St. Rita 31-30 at the break. Chaminade outscored St. Rita 19-16 in the third quarter to grab a 49-47 advantage and was able to hold on to get the win. Nilavan Daniels paced the Red Devils with 21 points as he hit five three-pointers in the win and he also grabbed seven rebounds. Sophomore Ben Winker scored 14 points and also grabbed seven boards with BJ Ward dishing out 10 assists to help Chaminade improve to 9-1 on the year.

In a huge Metro Catholic Conference contest, Ian Thomas nailed a free throw with no time on the clock to push De Smet to a 54-53 win over CBC at DC Willcut Gym. It was the first time that the Spartans won at CBC in 10 years. The Cadets broke out to an early 19-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and took a 23-17 advantage to the halftime locker room after the two team’s defenses surrendered a combined nine points in the second frame. De Smet inched closer in the third quarter as they cut the deficit to 40-36 and then outscored CBC 18-13 in the final quarter to get the win. In the final seconds, Thomas as fouled as the final buzzer sounded to send him to the line with the score tied at 53-53. He hit the first of two free throws with no one around him to give the Spartans the victory. Justin Duff paced the De Smet attack with 14 points while Riley Massey added 13 markers and seven rebounds in the win. Thomas finished the evening with a team-high nine rebounds, including the final one that sent him to the line for the win to help the Spartans improve to 9-3 on the year.

In girls’ action, Lutheran South needed to work overtime to claim a 69-64 win over Union to claim their own tournament title. The win also gave head coach Ben Ealick his 200th win as a head coach. The Lancers raced out to a 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended the advantage to 36-17 at the break. Union outscored Lutheran South 41-20 over the next two periods to tie the game at 58-58 to force the extra session. The Lancers grabbed control of the overtime early and went on to take the tourney title. Ellie Buscher led the way for the Lancers with 25 points and 19 rebounds while Savannah Butterfield added 18 markers and five assists for the victors as Lutheran South improved to 8-2 on the year.

On the mat at the GAC championships, Fort Zumwalt South claimed the boys’ title by scoring 217 points while Howell Central scored 184.5 points to earn second place at one of the top conference meets in the state. Jeric Gumahin led the Bulldog efforts by winning the 150 lb. title. Washington took home the title with 215 points in the girls’ meet and held off a late charge by Howell Central, who placed second with 206 points. Kendra Blissa won the 125 lb. class while Annelise Obermark and Lauren Thurmon each won their weight classes to help the Blue Jays to the title.

It will be a busy week in prep sports as conference play is in full swing on the hardwood while the wrestlers continue their activities with many duals taking place.

 

Jim Powers

Jim Powers

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