If you want to see some exciting basketball played during the summer for the right price, may I suggest taking in a St. Louis Surge game.
The Surge play in the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL), a semi-pro league with teams from all over the country. Under the direction of owner Khalia Collier, the Surge has been one of the WBCBL’s model franchises in recent years.
If you attended the Surge’s home opener against the Minnesota Ice last Saturday night, you can see why the franchise is held in such high esteem. Not only are they a perennial contender for the league title, but they also attract the biggest crowds. I took in the action and was thoroughly entertained by the product on the court and the atmosphere in the building.
A huge crowd turned out for opening night, as the Surge rolled to a 97-68 victory to run their record to 6-1. The lower bowl of the Mark Twain Building on the campus of UMSL was virtually full last Saturday. That is pretty impressive for a women’s semi-pro team that is playing in the middle of June. It is a great testament to the job that Collier and her staff have done to market the team and make UMSL a popular place to spend a Saturday evening with your family.
It was not just a crowd that came at sat on its collective hands, either. It was a very enthusiastic and noisy crowd with people of all ages and from all walks of life. They kept the building rocking all night as the Surge put on a great display on the court. A drum line from a local school and a disc jockey kept the groove flowing at the atmosphere at a fever pitch.
The Surge responded to the partisan crowd with some exciting basketball as they avenged their only loss of the season. They play an entertaining up-tempo style of basketball in which they average more than 80 points a game. The 97 points that they put up last Saturday was one of their highest outputs of the season.
First-year head coach Tony Condra has been a fixture in St. Louis girls’ basketball for years. His staff includes former area stars Petra Jackson and Angela Lewis. They have put together a deep and talented squad with plenty of size and athleticism.
The members of the team are Samantha Barber (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), Bianca Beck (Incarnate Word/SEMO), Jaleesa Butler (Alton High/Georgetown), Lucy Cramsey (Quincy U.), Amber Dvorak (Drury), Gabriella Green (Hazelwood East/Lindenwood), Rebecca Harris (Illinois), Leah Kassing (Bradley), Felisha Loggins (Quincy U.), Kayla Person (Incarnate Word/Drake), Devonna Smith (Kirkwood/UMSL), Hannah Weedman (Quincy U.), Katie Yohn (Bradley).
If you were not one of the many people who attended the home opener, there is another chance to experience Surge basketball this Saturday night when they host the Kansas Lady Nuggets at UMSL at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday night’s special promotion will be Veterans and Public Service Night. Admission will be $5 for men and women with a military ID or a public service uniform. Game Day tickets are also on sale for $8. Children who are under five years of age will get in for free, as will youth basketball teams who show up in their uniforms.
