The lineup is set for the 8th Annual Sweet Hoops All-Girls Basketball Showcase, which will be held on Saturday at Harris-Stowe State University.
Lift for Life Athletic Director Chandra Palmer has done a great job of putting on excellent basketball events for years, whether it is her Sweet Hoops Summer League or Sweet Hoops Fall League. The annual shootout continues to grow into one of the top girls’ events in the state and this year’s lineup is one of the best.
The showcase game of the event will be a battle of powerhouse teams in Incarnate Word Academy and Lutheran St. Charles. The big showdown will be the fifth and final game of the event, which will tip off at 6:15 p.m.
Incarnate Word currently has a St. Louis area record 111-game winning streak. The Red Knights have won the past three Class 6 state championships in Missouri. IWA will be putting its streak on the line against a Lutheran-St. Charles team that won the Class 5 state championship last season.
Here is a look at the lineup for the Sweet Hoops All Girls Showcase.
Game 1: Owensville vs. East St. Louis, noon – Owensville fields a strong trio of guards in cousins Emma Daniels and Ali Daniels, who both average 13 points a game and junior Camryn Caldwell. East St. Louis is led by senior guard Ry’ale Mosley, who is averaging 12 points a game and senior forward Camya Pitts, who is averaging 11 points a game.
Game 2: Chatham Glenwood vs. Ladue, 1:45 p.m. – Ladue enters the week on a three-game winning streak. The Rams are led by senior guard Mya Mann, who is averaging points a game, and forward Tamara Currie, who is averaging 10 points and 12 rebounds a game. Chatham-Glenwood comes from the Springfield (IL) area.
Game 3: Pattonville vs. Vashon, 3:15 – This game is billed as “The Rematch” as Vashon won an exciting game at last year’s event en route to winning a Class 4 state championship. The Wolverines are led by 5’8” senior guard Chantrel “Tutu” Clayton, an Illinois-Chicago commit who is one of the best in the state. Pattonville has a well-balanced team led by 5’7” senior guard Zoe Newland, 6’1” junior forward Kennedy Horton and 5’5” junior guard Hannah Fenton.
Game 4: Lift for Life vs. Huntsville Lee, 4:45 p.m. – The two teams met last season in this event with Lee pulling out a victory in overtime. Lift for Life has a crew of talented guards, led by freshman Amaya Manuel, sophomore Zha Harris and senior Chase Giddings. The leader up front is 5’9” senior forward Paige Fowler, who is a great rebounder.
Game 5: Incarnate Word vs. Lutheran-St. Charles, 6:15 p.m. – IWA is coming off winning the championship of the Visitation Christmas Tournament. They are led by the senior duo of 5’10” Zoe Best and 5’11” Kaylynn Janes along with stellar 5’10” junior point guard Nevaeh Caffey. Lutheran-St. Charles is led by 6’2” junior sharpshooter Jordan Speiser along with the talented sophomore duo of 6’2” forward Kennedy Stowers and 5’6” guard Kyrii Franklin.
*St. Louis connections at the National Championship Game
Monday night’s college football national championship game between Michigan and Washington had a pair of St. Louis connections in the game.
The co-defensive coordinator for Washington is William Inge, a former Kirkwood High standout who played college football at Iowa. He has been a college assistant coach since 2001 and the Huskies co-defensive coordinator for the past three seasons.
Former Cardinal Ritter College Prep standout Fredrick Moore just finished his freshman season for the Wolverines, who defeated Washington to win the national title. Moore was an All-State wide receiver last season in helping lead the Lions to a 14-0 record and the Class 3 state championship. Michigan finished this season with a 15-0 record, which means that Moore has not been on the losing side of a football game in 29 contests over the past two years.
