The Midwest Showdown Shootout is annually one of the state’s top one-day events on the basketball calendar. The event, which is presented by Terrell Ramey of Rameybasketball.com, will be held on December 17 at Webster Groves High. Ramey has put together a tremendous six-game event which features teams from Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee. Admission for the event is $10 for the entire day.
Schedule:
Soldan vs. MICDS, 1 p.m. – The opener features a battle between two good Class 4 teams. Soldan features a pair of talented sophomores in twin guards Jesse and James Little. MICDS has one of the area’s leading scorers in 6’5” senior Alec Spence, plus 6’5” senior Matt Roper and 6’2” junior Austin Thompson.
Cardinal Ritter vs. White’s Creek (TN), 2:30 p.m. – Cardinal Ritter is currently ranked No. 1 in the state among Class 3 schools. The Lions have been led by 6’6” senior forward Xavier Womack and the talented backcourt duo of 5’9” junior Jared Phillips and 5’10” sophomore Malek Davis. White’s Creek is led by 6’11” center Ruot Monyong.
Whitfield vs. W.E.B. DuBois, 4 p.m. – Whitfield features one of the state’s top junior prospects in 6’4” guard Torrence Watson, who has received offers from several major Division I programs.
CBC vs. Chicago Lawndale, 5:30 p.m. – CBC has a talented young team, but the Cadets are led by veteran 6’5” junior forward Kale Catchings and senior guards Sam Orf and Josh Nunn. Lawndale is led by 6’3” senior Carlos Hines and 6’5” senior Leonard Capels.
Webster Groves vs. Chicago Uplift, 7 p.m. – The Statesmen are led by 6’3” junior guard Courtney Ramey, who is one of the best guards in the junior class nationally. Uplift is led by sophomore guard Markese Jacobs, who has already committed to Kansas.
Vashon vs. Chicago Thornton, 8:30 p.m. – The nationally-ranked Wolverines are led by 5’10” senior Daniel Farris, 6’8” senior Kansas State signee Levi Stockard and 6’0” sophomore standout Mario McKinney. Thornton is paced by 6’2” senior guard Alonzo Verge and 6’6” junior forward Orlando Allen.
Visitation Tournament opens this weekend
The Visitation Holiday Tournament will kick-off with first-round games on Saturday. It is the top girls’ holiday tournament in the state of Missouri. Incarnate Word Academy got the No. 1 seed in this year’s loaded field, which also includes Parkway North, Kirkwood, Hazelwood Central, Webster Groves, Cor Jesu, Whitfield and many more.
The first-round schedule on Saturday is as follows: Fort Zumwalt West vs. Parkway North, 10 a.m.; Whitfield vs. Visitation, 11:30 a.m.; Kirkwood vs. Francis Howell, 1 p.m.; Hazelwood Central vs. Webster Groves, 2:30 p.m.; Metro vs. Washington, 4 p.m.; Parkway South vs. Pacific, 5:30 p.m.; Ursuline vs. Cor Jesu, 7 p.m.; Incarnate Word vs. Notre Dame, 8:30 p.m.
The tournament will resume on December 26 with quarterfinals games. The championship game is set for Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 8 p.m.
GAC-Suburban Challenge
The GAC-Suburban Challenge is a three-day 16-game event that features schools from St. Charles County going head to head against schools from the St. Louis Suburban Conferences. This year’s event will be held at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. It will begin with three games on Thursday, four games on Friday and nine games on Saturday.
(You can also catch Earl Austin Jr. talking high school basketball on the Fox 2 Prep Zone on Friday nights at 10:12 p.m. You can also follow Earl on twitter @earlaustinjr.)
