The holidays set the stage for some outstanding prep basketball tournaments throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. Here is a quick recap of some of the great holiday hoops action from around the area.
Visitation (Girls): Incarnate Word Academy won yet another Visitation Christmas Tournament with a 50-46 victory over John Burroughs. The Red Knights ran their impressive winning streak to 109 games, but they had to work for it as the Bombers pushed the nationally-ranked Red Knights to the very end. Seniors Zoe Best and Abbie Sextro had 13 points each for IWA while junior BreAunna Ward led John Burroughs with 18 points. In the third-place game, Cardinal Ritter defeated Columbia Hickman 56-54.
Coaches vs. Cancer: Webster Groves defeated DeSmet 60-55 in the championship game to win the Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Tournament for the fourth time in the past 10 years. Standout freshman guard Scottie Adkinson scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Statesmen while senior forward Iziah Purvey added 17 points, while dominating the action inside.
Vashon in Hawaii: The Vashon Wolverines participated in the Iolani Prep Classic, which is a big national tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Wolverines finished the week with a 3-1 record against a talented field of teams. Junior guards Christian “Mouse” Williams and Trey Williams were both selected to the All-Tournament Team. Vashon will head to Springfield (MO) to compete in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, which will be held from January 11-13 at Missouri State University.
MICDS: The Ladue Rams took home the championship of the Don Maurer Invitational after winning a pair of close contests. Ladue defeated MICDS 54-53 in the semifinals on a last-second layup by Ahmaad Ba. Ladue then came back to defeat Francis Howell 65-58 in overtime in the championship game. On the girls side, Fort Zumwalt West took home the championship with a 42-36 victory over Marquette.
Collinsville: The championship game featured two of the top teams in the state of Illinois as host Collinsville defeated Quincy 44-39 in a battle of undefeated teams. The Kahoks got a big game from 6’9” senior Zach Chambers, who had 14 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks in the victory.
St. Paul Jingle Bell: St. Mary’s continued its excellent play this season as it defeated Hazelwood East 86-78 in the championship game. Junior guard Zyree Collins led the Dragons with a season-high 46 points in the championship game. The 6’0” Collins is averaging 30 points a game for the 16-1 Dragons.
Legends of Winter: John Burroughs went 3-0 during the week to win the Round-Robin Tournament. Tristan Reed, a 6’8” sophomore forward, was dominant in the tournament as he had 29 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over Hazelwood Central in the championship game. He also had 24 points and seven rebounds in a win over Lift for Life.
St. Dominic (Girls): Lutheran St. Charles defeated Francis Howell Central 74-41 in the championship game. Sophomore forward Kennedy Stowers had 18 points to lead the Cougars while junior guard Jordan Speiser had 15 points and 14 rebounds and junior Chloe Reed added 14 points.
*Highland Shootout is Set for Saturday
The lineup is set for the 2024 Highland Shootout, which will be held on Saturday at Highland High School (IL). It is annually one of the top basketball events of the new year. The eight-game event features teams from Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. Top teams Vashon, Chaminade, Vianney and Cardinal Ritter will be representing the area. Here is a look at the schedule for Saturday’s Highland Shootout.
Highland vs. Father McGivney (girls), 9 a.m.
Highland vs. Breese Central, 10:30 a.m.
Quincy vs. Cardinal Ritter, noon
Peoria Richwoods vs. Vashon, 1:30 p.m.
Vianney vs. Chicago Whitney Young, 3 p.m.
Chaminade vs. Great Crossing (KY), 4:30 p.m.
Chicago Kenwood vs. Normal Community (IL), 6:15 p.m.
Thornton (IL) vs. Metamora (IL), 8 p.m.
