Of the St. Louis American
Kobe Bryant’s 81-point outburst last weekend got me thinking about some of the best individual performances I have witnessed during my 20 years of covering high school basketball in St. Louis. Here are a few that come to mind.
*In January of 1987, Beaumont’s Craig Upchurch had 59 points, 21 rebounds, nine assists and eight steals in an 118-114 victory over Sumner in a Public High League game at Vashon. In the same game, Sumner’s Albert Thomas scored 45 points.
*In 1994, Wellston’s LaShonda Albert scored 69 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Orchard Farm in a Class 2A district championship game. She could have scored 90 points, but she was unselfish. The best performance I’ve ever seen in a girl’s game.
*Sumner’s Albert Thomas scored 55 points against Beaumont in the 1988 University City Tournament. This happened on a Monday night. Just two days earlier, Thomas was playing quarterback for Sumner in the state championship game and he hadn’t touched a basketball for months.
*In March of 1997, CBC’s Larry Hughes erupted for 40 points against Riverview Gardens in the Class 4A state quarterfinals at UMSL. CBC trailed by 12 points after the first quarter and a Final Four berth was on the line. Larry just went off. That was the first time the words “lottery pick” came out of my mouth in regards to Larry. One year later, as a SLU freshman, Larry did the same thing at Marquette in front of a stunned Bradley Center crowd.
*In December of 1990, Venice’s Erwin Claggett goes for 45 points against East St. Louis at the East St. Louis Shootout. There’s nothing like watching a great jump shooter get his groove on. One of the great jump shooters in our area’s history, Claggs was on fire that night.
*In the 1994 Martin Luther King Classic at Normandy, freshman Keith Adams from Wellston scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Trojans from a 20-point deficit against Normandy. Wellston’s rally fell short, but Adams had Viking Hall rocking with the seven 3-pointers he hit in about a three-minute span.
Well, back to the present.
Daddy’s Girls
Francis Howell Central junior Shakara Jones is enjoying a huge junior season. The 6’1” post player is averaging 25.7 points to lead the St. Louis area. Jones also averages 8.7 rebounds, 3.5 blocks while shooting 61 percent from the field. Howell Central is currently 16-1. Jones is the daughter of former University of Missouri basketball standout Ron Jones….Althoff’s All-State guard Theresa Lisch is averaging 20 points in leading the Crusaders to a 21-1 record. She is the daughter of former Big Red quarterback Rusty Lisch…McCluer South-Berkeley freshman Monai Douglas is a big part of the Bulldogs youth movement and 11-3 record. The 5’6” guard is averaging 7.4 points and three steals a game. Her father is Saint Louis University Hall of Famer Monroe Douglass…Senior Janay Marsh is averaging five points and six rebounds a game as a starting forward at McCluer North (11-5). She is the daughter of former Big Red tight end Doug Marsh.
GAC Young Guns
There are some talented sophomores taking up residence in the Gateway Athletic Conference this season. Washington’s Scott Suggs is slowly turnaround the fortunes of the Bluejays. The 6’6” point guard is averaging 20 points, four rebounds and three assists a game. He is one the radar of many major Division I schools around the country….Kramer Soderberg of St. Charles West (son of SLU head coach Brad Soderberg) is averaging 23 points a game while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. Kramer has a 42-point game to his credit this season. His backcourt mate is fellow sophomore Brian Maurer, who scores 11.6 points a game for West, which has won nine games in succession…. Fort Zumwalt West has three exciting sophomores. Jared Swopshire is a smooth 6’6” swingman who averages 14 points a game. He scored 26 points in a big road win at Troy two weeks ago. Ron Waller, a 6’3” guard, is averaging 13 points and four assists while 5’11” Courtney Belger excels on the defensive end. They have led the Jaguars to a 14-2 record…At Fort Zumwalt South, 6’3” swingman Josh McCoy is making a name for himself. McCoy is averaging 12 points a game while shooting 54 percent from 3-point territory. South is currently 13-5.
Big Games this Week
Belleville East at East St. Louis (tonight, 7:30): Key Southwestern Conference girls game.
Friday night boys action: Kirkwood at Webster Groves, 7 p.m.; Belleville East at Edwardsville, 7:30 p.m.; Alton at O’Fallon, 7:30 p.m.
Ameritime Classic (at Parkway West): Semifinals are Friday night at 7 and 8:30 p.m. with the finals set for Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
Cut Line: Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance conjured up memories of great past performances from former area prep stars such as CBC’s Larry Hughes and Wellston’s LaShonda Albert.
