As a resident of the Ferguson-Florissant School District, it is very pleasing to see the McCluer North boys and McCluer South-Berkeley girls heading to Columbia to play in this weekend’s Final Four of the state basketball tournament.
As many of you know now, I attended McCluer North, so it’s cool to see the Stars back in the mix for a shot another state championship. However, I am just as happy to see the McCluer South-Berkeley girls on the big stage because I have known their coach Shaun Jones for many years. You can almost say that I watched him grow up.
Shaun was a former student of my mother’s several years ago when he was in elementary school. He was always one of my mothers’ favorites back then, and I found him to be a delightful young man.
I kind of kept tabs on him after the year he spent in Mrs. Austin’s class. He went on to have a nice high school career at McCluer High, where he was a good basketball player and an all-state track performer in the high jump. Jones has matriculated through the ranks to where he is today, an excellent young basketball coach with one of the top small-school programs in the state of Missouri. He took over the McCluer South-Berkeley program six years ago with big dreams and aspirations.
Jones will lead his Lady Bulldogs into their first-ever appearance in the Final Four on Friday when they take on Bolivar in the Class 4 state semifinals at 10:40 a.m. Should they win, the Bulldogs will play for the state-championship on Saturday afternoon at 12:20 p.m.
One of Jones’ building blocks of the program has been 5’8” senior guard Meghan Lewis, who has been a four-year standout for the Bulldogs. Lewis is the school’s career-scoring leader and one dynamic offensive player. In the Bulldogs’ dramatic 57-56 overtime victory over St. Dominic last Saturday, Lewis keyed the rally with 11 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter. She enters the Final Four averaging 18.1 points a game. In four years at MSB, Lewis has scored 1,690 points and the Bulldogs have achieved a record of 78-27.
Lewis is the leader of a quick group of young ladies that harass opposing teams into turnovers and quick shots. Junior Markeita Baker averages 12.2 points a game, many coming off of easy layups on the fast break. Junior guard Monai Douglass, the daughter of former McKinley High and Saint Louis University star Monroe Douglass, is a talented guard who will try to add another state title to the family’s showcase. Monroe led McKinley to the Class 3A state crown in 1984. Senior forward Chiara “KeKe” Robinson is the tallest starter at 5’9” but she plays bigger with her excellent leaping ability while senior Lametria Jackson plays the game with the moves of a wise old veteran. The youngster of the group is 5’8” freshman center Briana Hawthorne, a nice inside player who hit the game-winning free throws in the closing seconds to give Berkeley its 57-56 victory over St. Dominic.
Word up
There will be some familiar teams participating in the Class 5 girls Final Four at the Mizzou Arena. Long-time rivals Incarnate Word Academy and St. Joseph’s both advanced to the semifinals. Incarnate Word (28-3) will take on No. 1 Hickman Mills (29-0) at 4:30 p.m. That game will be followed by St. Joseph’s (25-4) against Columbia Rock Bridge at 6:10 p.m. The winners will meet on Saturday night for the state championship at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest.
Incarnate Word used a tenacious defense to rally from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Nerinx Hall in the state quarterfinals. The Red Knights feature a balanced team led by senior guard Kayla Person at 12 points a game and the impressive inside duo of seniors Britteni Williams and Danielle Hellickson. Making it all work is senior point guard Bianca Beck, who was the starting point guard on IWA’s state-championship team in 2006. The Red Knights also get energetic play off the bench from the likes of junior forward Jazmin Hitchens and sophomore guard Chloe Nelson.
St. Joseph’s relies on its inside-outside senior duo of point guard Patrice King and 6’2” center Myrtie Riley. The 5’7” King averages 17 points a game while Riley averages 12 points and 10 rebounds a game. Junior guard Ashley Hanlen provides 3-point shooting in the backcourt. The younger sister of Webster Groves boys’ standout Drew Hanlen, Ashley has already given a verbal commitment to attend Saint Louis University.