The first round of the Visitation Holiday Classic went as expected as all of the seeds except for one were held as the tournament takes a break until this coming Monday. The tournament features two defending state champions with Incarnate Word and John Burroughs seeded as the top two teams in the classic.
The top-seeded Red Knights raced out to an early lead and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 68-24 win over Webster Groves. Natalie Potts led the way for IWA with 24 points while Brooke Coffey added 13 markers as the Red Knights ran their consecutive winning streak to 74 games. Ellie Heimann paced the Statesmen with eight points in the loss.
Allie Turner of John Burroughs shoots at the Visitation Basketball Tournament – 2022
The No. 2 seeded Bombers also used an offensive explosion in the first half to secure a 59-33 victory over Nerinx Hall. John Burroughs outscored the Markers 31-10 in the first two quarters of action to advance to the quarterfinals. Allie Turner led the Bombers with 15 points and five steals while Monet Witherspoon added 12 points in the win. The Markers were led by Haylee Braun and Sam Busch who scored nine points apiece.
After a close first quarter, No. 3 seed Eureka pulled away in the second stanza to defeat Parkway West 62-37 to move on in the tournament. The Wildcats held a one-point advantage after the first eight minutes 16-15 but outscored the Longhorns 18-7 in the second frame to gain a 34-22 lead at the break en route to the win. Natalie Harty paced the Wildcats with 21 points and six boards with Maison Smith chipping in with 12 markers. Alexa Riddel led the Longhorns with nine points in the loss.
No. 4 seed Pattonville remained undefeated on the season with a 47-35 first-round victory over Westminster. Jasmine Gray paced the Pirates with a double-double as she scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Hannah Fenton added seven points. The Wildcats were led by Mia Scheulen who scored 13 points in the defeat.
No. 5 seed Civic Memorial used a big second quarter to outlast Edwardsville 45-36 in a battle of Illinois teams in the classic. After trailing the Tigers 8-6 in the first quarter, the Eagles limited Edwardsville to a single point in the second stanza as Civic Memorial took a 17-9 lead into the locker room. The Eagles extended the lead in the third quarter by outscoring the Tigers 13-8 to grab a 30-17 advantage en route to the win. Aubree Wallace led an Eagles balanced scoring attack with nine points while Meredith Brueckner added eight points in the win. The Tigers were paced by Emerson Weller who scored 10 points in the defeat.
No. 6 seed Visitation won their opening-round tournament game with a 44-40 victory over Lift for Life. The Vivettes held a 26-24 lead after two quarters before outscoring Life for Life 10-2 in the third stanza to extend the advantage to 36-26. Viz needed to hold off a Lift for Life comeback attempt in the final quarter to gain the win. Kate Restovich led the way for Viz with 20 points while her sister Grace added 12 markers in the win. Lauren Bennett paced Lift for Life with nine points in the loss.
In the lone upset of the day, No. 10 seed Parkway South upended Gateway Legacy 47-35 to move on to the quarterfinals. Gateway replaced Whitfield in the tournament field after the Warriors needed to bow out of the classic due to illness within the program. After leading at the half 17-10, the Patriots outscored Gateway 18-7 in the third quarter en route to the win. Alivia McCulla led the way for Parkway South with 21 points while her sister Ava and Annalise Dorr added 10 points apiece in the win. Maria Sanchez led Gateway with nine markers in the loss.
No. 8 seed Cardinal Ritter used a big fourth quarter to defeat Cor Jesu 52-39 and advance to the quarterfinals. The game went back and forth through the first three quarters as the Lions held a 36-34 heading into the final stanza. Cardinal Ritter then outscored the Chargers 16-5 in the final quarter to gain the win. Ai’Naya Williams paced the Lions’ offense with 16 points while Hannah Wallace added 11 points in the win. Paige Dolrenry led the Chargers’ attack with 14 points.
Tournament action continues Monday, Dec. 26 with Consolation and Championship quarterfinals taking place. Below is the schedule of games:
Consolation Quarterfinals:
1 p.m. – Gateway Legacy vs Nerinx Hall
1:30 p.m. – Cor Jesu vs Webster Groves
2:30 p.m. – Lift for Life vs Parkway West
3 p.m. – Edwardsville vs Westminster
Championship Quarterfinals:
4 p.m. – Civic Memorial vs Pattonville
5:30 p.m. – Cardinal Ritter vs Incarnate Word
7 p.m. – Visitation vs Eureka
8:30 p.m. – Parkway South vs John Burroughs
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
