First-ever trip for McCluer North
Of the St. Louis American
The St. Louis area will be well-represented at this weekend’s Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 5 state championships in Columbia this weekend.
McCluer North, Lindbergh and Fort Zumwalt South are all headed to Columbia this weekend. The three St. Louis teams will be joined by Columbia Hickman this weekend. McCluer North and Lindbergh will meet in the first semifinal game on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Rockhurst and Fort Zumwalt South will meet in the second game at 6:10 p.m. The winners will meet for the state championship on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. in a game that will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest.
McCluer North (24-3) will be making its first ever appearance in the Final Four after its thrilling 48-44 victory over Webster Groves in the state quarterfinals at UMSL last Saturday. The Stars have spent a good part of the season ranked No. 1 in the St. Louis area as well as the state. Under the direction of head coach Randy Reed, the Stars been one of the area’s most successful programs in recent years.
The Stars have been powered by its talented junior trio of Torres Roundtree, Femi John and Anthony Booker. The 6’4” Roundtree is averaging 17 points, six rebounds and three assists a game. The versatile Roundtree scored 21 points in the Stars’ victory over Lafayette in the sectionals and 15 points in the quarterfinals against Webster Groves. He has already committed to Southern Illinois University.
The 6’4” John is an athletic jump-shooter and a perfect compliment to Roundtree’s all-around excellence. He scored a game-high 25 points against Webster Groves to lead the Stars into the Final Four. John enters the state tournament with averages of 15 points and four rebounds a game. The third member of the trio is 6’8” center Anthony Booker, who is averaging nearly 10 points and seven rebounds a game. Despite being slowed by a knee injury, Booker is still a formidable presence in the low post for the Stars. Booker has also committed to Southern Illinois.
Providing valuable contributions for North throughout the season have been senior guards Brandon Thomposon and Ryan Goldkamp, senior forward Juan Redmon and sophomore guard Bobby Peebles. Thompson scored the game-winner in overtime against Webster Groves.
The Lindbergh Flyers (18-11) were struggling at the beginning of February on a four-game losing streak, but they have rebounded to win the next seven to earn their trip to Columbia. The co-champions of the Suburban South Conference, the Flyers have a balanced attack led by senior guard Robert Williams, who averages 12.7 points a game. It was Williams’ 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Flyers a 38-35 victory over Northwest in the district playoffs. Lindbergh also relies on 6’5” senior Tyler Kiel, a four-year starter who averages 10 points a game, and 6’2” senior Robbie Meeh, who gets nine points and seven rebounds a game. After an up-and-down regular season, the Flyers are putting things together at the right time.
Fort Zumwalt South (24-4) advanced to Columbia after defeating three of the state’s top five-ranked teams. The Bulldogs defeated No. 5 Troy in the district finals, No. 3 Columbia Rock Bridge in the sectionals and No. 1 Springfield Kickapoo 48-47 in the state quarterfinals in Sedalia.
The Bulldogs are led by talented 6’4” junior guard Josh McCoy, who averages 17.6 points a game while shooting 42 percent from beyond the 3-point line. McCoy has come up with one big play after another in leading the Bulldogs to their first ever Final Four appearance. He gets plenty of help in the Bulldogs’ run and shoot offense, including 6’4” senior Kurt Kovach (10 ppg.), guard Danny Ortiz (13 ppg.), center Andre Thomas (6.1 ppg, 5.3 reb.) and forward Trenton Paluczak (6 ppg..).
Represented the Western side of the state will be Kansas City Rockhurst (19-9). The Hawklets have the most Final Four experience, having made it Columbia the past two years. They feature an outstanding forward in 6’4” senior Connor Teahan, who averages nearly 20 points a game. He will attend Kansas next year as a walk-on. The Hawklets have peaked each of the past three years at state tournament time to become a Final Four participant.
In the Class 4 state tournament, St. Charles will play Cape Girardeau Notre Dame on Friday morning at 9 a.m. The winner will face either Ruskin or Willard for the state title on Saturday at noon.
St. Charles is led by the 1-2 punch of 6’9” senior Josh Harrellson and 6’3” senior Rudy Harper. Harrellson is averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds a game while Harper has been the Pirates best all-around player during the postseason. He hit the game-winner in the final seconds of the Pirates’ 47-45 victory over rival St. Charles West in the district finals. He scored a game-high 22 points in the Pirates’ victory over Westmister Academy in the state quarterfinals.