Of the St. Louis American
The Hazelwood East girls’ fell short of their bid for the school’s first state championship, but the Spartans continued to establish themselves as a state power in girls basketball.
The Spartans were tripped up by Liberty 56-46 in the Missouri Class 5 state championship game Saturday night at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia. With just over two minutes left in the game, the Spartans trailed 47-46, but went scoreless down the stretch and Liberty secured its first state title from the free throw line.
Senior center Dalila Thomas led the Spartans with 21 points in the final game of her career. With the Liberty defense geared to stop standout junior Channon Haywood, the 6’2” Thomas became the Spartans’ offensive force with dominant play in the low post. She also added eight rebounds and three blocks.
Hazelwood East (24-6) was making its second consecutive trip to the Class 5 Final Four. After losing two games last season and finishing fourth, the Spartans reached the championship game with a 69-52 victory over Normandy. Sophomore Robniesha Woods led the Spartans with 18 points and 10 steals. Haywood followed her with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jantelle McNeal added 13 points.
“We got back here to the Final Four and that was our goal,” said East coach Terry Creamer. “We’re disappointed that we didn’t win it all, but gave it one heck of a shot.”
The Spartans will graduate Thomas and point guard Jennifer Harris, but they should be formidable again with the return of Haywood, McNeal, Woods leading a strong young nucleus. Thomas and Harris have proven to be great leaders for a program that is now officially on the statewide map. Thomas will continue her career at Western Kentucky next season.
“It feels good to know that I played a part in making Hazelwood East a power in girls basketball,” Thomas said. “We made history at our school and that is something to be proud of.”
Normandy (20-9) finished fourth after being defeated by Columbia Hickman 69-41 in the third-place game. Senior Shameia Green scored 17 points to lead the Vikings. In the semifinals against Hazelwood East, junior Jasmine Bailey led Normandy with 19 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and five steals.
The Vikings made their first Final Four appearance since 1987 when they finished third with a 26-1 record behind top players such as Kim McClelland, Kristie Parrish and Lezlie Winfield.
Fort Zumwalt South (25-5) finished third in the boys Class 5 state tournament. After dropping a 60-52 decision to Rockhurst in the semifinals, the Bulldogs came back to defeat Lindbergh in the third-place game.
Junior guard Josh McCoy concluded a stellar state tournament run by scoring 47 points in the two games in Columbia. The 6’4” McCoy scored 19 points against Rockhurst then added a game-high 26 points in the Bulldogs’ 68-58 victory over Lindbergh. The Flyers made their first Final Four appearance since 1970 led by senior guard Robert Williams’ 13 points in the semifinals against McCluer North (a 54-39 loss). Ben Harmon scored a team-high 16 points in the third-place game.
St. Charles (23-8) finished fourth in the Class 4 state tournament. The Pirates were defeated by Cape Girardeau Notre Dame 53-51 in the semifinals. Senior center Josh Harrellson had 18 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out in the third quarter. Senior guard Rudy Harper added 16 points. St. Charles was defeated by Willard 60-49 in the third-place game with Harrellson closing out his career with 19 points and nine rebounds.
