McCluer North and Hazelwood East may be in different conferences, but it is still an excellent North County rivalry on the basketball court.
The old Suburban North Conference rivals met on Wednesday night at McCluer North and it was the host Stars who came away with a 76-56 victory. McCluer North improved its record to 14-7 while Hazelwood East fell to 14-8 on the season.
McCluer North controlled the game from the opening tip as they built a 35-27 lead at halftime. The Stars’ lead grew to double digits early in the fourth quarter, but Hazelwood East rallied to cut the lead to 41-36 midway through the period.
McCluer North made their decisive move in the final three minutes of the third quarter when they outscored the Spartans 18-5 to take a 59-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Stars had four players score in double figures, led by senior Terry Cornell and sophomore Cornell Williams Jr., who scored 15 points each. Junior forward Jamel Hawkins scored 14 points while senior guard Mekhi Owens added 10 points.
Hazelwood East was led by junior forward Javon Pringle and senior guard Aarron Brown, who scored 12 points each.