Vashon and St. Joseph’s shine on national stage
Plus, highlights for MLK Shootout
Of the St. Louis American
The St. Louis area earned a big dose of “street cred” on the national level, thanks to two perennial powers knocking off some of the best teams in the country.
Vashon High’s boys ventured to Springfield, Mo. last weekend and won the prestigious Bass Pro Tournament of Champions against a talented field of teams from around the country. Vashon defeated Portland (Ore.) Jefferson, Lafayette (La.) Northside and Christ the King (NY) en route to winning the title.
On the girls’ side, St. Joseph’s Academy went to Chicago on Monday and defeated national power Chicago Farragut 62-55 in the feature game of McDonald’s Prep Classic in Villa Park, Ill. Farragut was ranked No. 1 in the Chicago area and No. 3 in the nation.
Vashon defeated Christ the King 69-59 in the championship game behind 18 points and 12 rebounds from junior Leon Powell and 17 points from senior Bobby Hill. Senior guard James Washington had nine rebounds and five assists. Washington was voted the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament for his overall brilliance at the point guard position.
In the first round Vashon whipped a good Portland Jefferson team 80-65 behind 18 points from Washington. Powell and sophomore Corneilius Walker added 15 points. The Wolverines’ closest call came in the semifinals when they defeated Northside 52-21 behind Hill’s 17 points.
Vashon head coach Floyd Irons was ecstatic about winning the tournament and showcasing St. Louis in the process. Vashon is currently ranked No. 12 in the USA Today national prep rankings.
“A lot of people don’t give St. Louis kids enough credit for venturing outside the state to play the best competition,” Irons said. “The teams in this tournament were top-quality and we were fortunate to play some of our best basketball. It says something not only for Vashon, but for kids in this city as well.”
St. Joseph’s trailed Fenwick, 53-47, but the Angels went on a 16-2 down the stretch to score the huge upset victory. The senior backcourt duo of Mackenzie Stirmlinger and Kelsey Luna scored 20 points each to lead the Angels.
MLK Shootout Hilites
The 14th Annual Martin Luther King Shootout was held at a jam-packed Vashon High on Monday. The most competitive game on the event came when Cardinal Ritter defeated McCluer North 68-65 in an overtime thriller.
McCluer North trailed 44-26 late in the third quarter, but stormed back to send the game into overtime, but Ritter junior Deandre Gilmore took things over in the overtime. The powerful 6’2” guard scored seven of his team’s 12 points in the extra session. He finished with a team-high 18 points. Laird Bowers and Marquis Jones finished with 13 points each. The Lions also got a boost with the return of 6’4” forward Jonathan Mosley, who had seven points. Mosley has missed most of the season with an injury. McCluer North was led by Kenzie Burke with 24 points and Torres Roundtree with 13.
Normandy defeated University City 55-38 in the opening game behind 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals from talented sophomore Anthony James.
In the afternoon session, East St. Louis clobbered Vashon 95-16 in the girls’ game. Sophomore forward Teandrea Smith scored 23 points to lead the Flyerettes, who improved their record to 17-1.
In the nightcap, Vashon defeated a scrappy East St. Louis team 59-56 to win its fourth consecutive game in four days. Bobby Hill led the Wolverines with 16 points. Eric Harris led East Side with 15 points.
Tommie Liddell, again
Saint Louis University freshman Tommie Liddell (East St. Louis) was selected the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season. Liddell had 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the Billikens’ 69-64 overtime loss at George Washington. Liddell then hit a 12-foot jump shot with 1.5 seconds left to give the Billikens a 50-48 victory over Massachusetts on Saturday at the Family Arena in St. Charles.
Big Games this week
For those fans of local NCAA Division II hoops, there’s a good one on tap tonight when the University of Missouri-St. Louis visits Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Vadalabene Center on the SIUE campus. SIUE is currently 11-3 overall and 5-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. UMSL is 10-4 and 4-3 in GLVC play. UMSL is led by Johnathan Griffin (Normandy), who averages 18 points and seven rebounds a game. SIUE’s top all-around player is J.B. Jones (Belleville West), who averages 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
On the high school front: McCluer North will visit Hazelwood Central in a Suburban North showdown on Friday at 6:30 p.m….Other top Friday games include Troy at Fort Zumwalt South and Lafayette at Kirkwood.
