Annual Border War, Jan. 15
Inside Sports
With Earl Austin Jr.
The 15th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Basketball Shootout has really shaped up to be a premier event.
The four-game basketball showcase will be held on Monday, Jan. 15 at East St. Louis Senior High School. Of the eight teams that will participate, four of them won holiday tournament championships last week while one other team finished second in a good tournament out of town. Get your tickets right away to see this special event.
The featured game will be the annual “Border War” battle between Vashon and East St. Louis, which will begin at 6 p.m. The other three games feature Cardinal Ritter vs. University City at 1:30 p.m., McCluer North vs. Gateway Tech at 3 p.m. and Hazelwood East vs. Metro in a girls game at 4:30 p.m.
Host East St. Louis, which is currently riding a 12-game winning streak, won the Collinsville Tournament. Gateway Tech won the Normandy Tournament, McCluer North won the Chaminade Tournament and the Hazelwood East girls won the Duchesne Tournament. Vashon advanced to the championship game of the Poplar Bluff Tournament. In 2005, Vashon, Cardinal Ritter and the Metro girls won state championships while Hazelwood East was a Final Four participant and East St. Louis advanced to the IHSA Class AA Supersectionals.
Tickets are available for $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Tickets will be sold at the participating schools and at the St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation.
Holiday Tournament Recap
Normandy: Gateway Tech edged McCluer South-Berkeley 53-51 to win the 73rd annual Normandy Holiday Tournament. Junior guard Courtney Belger was the star of the game with 23 points, including the game-winning free throws in the closing seconds. The Jaguars enter the new year at 9-1 with the Normandy title and a victory over McCluer North earlier this season.
Chaminade: McCluer North rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat the host Flyers 46-45 in the championship game. The Stars were led by junior guard Torres Roundtree, who scored 18 points. Senior guard Brandon Thompson scored the game-winner with a driving layup with eight seconds remaining.
Collinsville: The East St. Louis Flyers defeated Lincoln (Ill.) 43-40 to win the Collinsville-Schnucks’ Holiday Tournament. Guard Darian Sain’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds was the game-winner. Senior forward Anthony Mitchell had a huge tournament, including a 21-point, 20-rebound performance against McCluer in the first round.
Meramec: Troy rallied from a 17-point deficit to stun Webster Groves 57-54 for the second consecutive Meramec title. Senior Richard Rose was the tournament MVP after scoring 23 points in the finals.
Centralia: In a battle of Southwestern Conference powers, Alton defeated O’Fallon 57-33 to win the title.
McCluer South-Berkeley (girls): The host Bulldogs rolled to its second consecutive title with a 58-36 victory over Career Academy. Junior guard Megan Lewis scored 18 points to lead Berkeley, which enters the new year with a 10-0 record. The Bulldogs are a deep and talented outfit that are capable of doing some heavy damage in March come postseason time.
Visitation: Top-ranked Incarnate Word won back-to-back Viz titles with a 50-38 victory over Francis Howell Central. The Red Knights have clearly established themselves as the area’s top girls’ team.