Day 2 of my holiday tournament excursion began back at Collinsville for the Schnucks Holiday Classic. In the first consolation bracket game, Springfield Southeast defeated University City. Southeast was led by 6’8″ senior forward Jalen Henry, who dominated the game with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Henry got the ball inside often and he delivered the goods. He was a fine get for SIU-Edwardsville coach Lennox Forrester, who was front and center to watch his recruit in action. In the second game, Decatur MacArthur defeated Granite City 55-35. It sets up a good consolation matchup between Southeast and MacArthur this afternoon.
Next, came the quarterfinal games. In the first game, Belleville East used a strong second half to defeat Oakville 65-55. Senior guard Darreon Reddick scored a team-high 23 points while senior forward Cameron Hunter added 14 points. The Lancers trailed 30-23 at halftime, but outscored Oakville 23-6 in the third quarter to take control of the game. The 6’3″ Reddick dominated the second half as he used his superior size to get to the basket at will. Oakville was led by 6’5″ senior Ervin Sarajlic’s 25 points. Sarajlic is having a strong tournament with 57 points in two games. Center Austin Gillmann added 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. The 6’11″ Gillmann was a force in the first half before being saddled with some fouls that were at the very least were of the dubious variety. The game changed when Gillmann went to the bench and East took advantage with a parade of layups. They shot 70 percent in the second half.
In the second quarterfinal, top-seeded Lincoln (Ill) defeated McCluer North 71-40 in what was a breathtaking display of basketball execution. If you are an old-school geezer like me who enjoys ball-movement, cutting, precision and unselfish basketball, Lincoln is the team you want to see. Their spacing was flawless, the ball movement was crisp and they shot the lights out. They hit five 3-pointers in the first three minutes to put this one away early. The second quarter, it was backdoor layup time. It was quite a show for the basketball purist. The five kids played as one and no one player cared who got to shoot the ball. McCluer North is a very good team, but the Stars just ran into a buzzsaw on this afternoon.
This afternoon’s semifinals will pit Belleville East vs. Lincoln and Althoff vs. East St. Louis. The championship game will be played tonight at 8 p.m.
*I left Collinsville midway through the fourth quarter of the Lincoln-McCluer North game to get over to Meramec for a first-round game between Washington and Parkway West. The No. 14 seed Parkway West team really took it to No. 3 Washington as they advanced with a 56-41 victory. The Longhorns got a game-high 27 points from 6’6″ freshman forward Wyatt Yess. The youngster was very impressive around the basket. He could also handle the ball a little bit. Yess was also good from the free throw line. When he gets a little stronger, he will be quite a load to handle. West also got 14 points from senior guard Jake Socha. The 6’3″ Socha can play. He can handle, shoot and pass the ball. He has a nice all-around game. Washington got 16 points from standout guard Ronnie Suggs. The Longhorns did a fine job of keeping of convoy of defenders in Ronnie’s area throughout the game. It was a nice defensive team effort by the ‘Horns.
Parkway West will play St. Charles West in the quarterfinals tonight at 7 p.m. In the other quarterfinals, Kirkwood will play Eureka at 4 p.m., Hazelwood Central will play Jennings at 5:30 p.m. and Webster Groves will play Hazelwood East at 8:30 p.m.
*After the West-Washington game, I made the move over to the Visitation Girls Tournament to see the fifth-place game between Kirkwood and Metro. I wanted to get a look at two of the top girls players in the area, who ironically have the same last name of Miller. It was Metro’s 5’10″ senior Tayler Miller and Kirkwood’s 6’1″ freshman forward Lauryn Miller. Both battled foul trouble, but I was not disappointed by either one. Both finished with 21 points. Tayler Miller is one of the most versatile players that I’ve seen. She pretty much plays every position for Metro and does it well. She was shooting 3-pointers, rebounding, setting up teammates with nice passes and handling the ball. A very good player. Lauryn Miller, a southpaw, is already a impact, impact player as a freshman. She is strong and has a tough inside game around the hoop. She can also dribble the ball like a guard. Even with foul trouble, she played smart and kept herself in the game. Lauryn also made her free throws down the stretch to help seal Kirkwood’s victory. It was a very competitive game between two good teams.
St. Joseph’s defeated Webster Groves 60-47 in the third place game. Incarnate Word won the championship over Hazelwood Central 88-44. Junior Napheesa Collier scored 27 points en route to being named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
*My evening ended at Chaminade for the semifinals of their Christmas Tournament. In the first semifinal game, the host Red Devils dispatched of Northwest Academy 72-50. Sophomore star Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 23 points and handed out eight assists. He got a helping hand from 6’2″ senior Damon Patterson, who scored 14 points. Patterson really had the 3-point stroke going as he hit four of six from long distance. Sophomore power forward Tyler Cook checked in with 13 points. Northwest was led by senior guard Barion Jones’ 21 points. He is a very talented scoring point guard who can make things happen. Northwest also got 19 points from 6’4″ post player Demarkis Gary. Coach Gerald Jones has a real nice Class 3 team at Northwest. Jones and Gary form a good outside-inside combo and there are some good pieces around them.
The second semifinal game was a most entertaining one between Bayless and Cardinal Ritter. Bayless came away with a 77-72 victory to move into the championship game against Chaminade. Cardinal Ritter raced to a 37-28 halftime lead as their speed and pressure defense seemed to wear on Bayless. However, it changed after halftime as the Bronchos roared back to score 49 points in the second half. They were led by senior forward Edin “Dino” Mehmedovic, who had 34 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. The 6’4″ 240-pound Mehmedovic was an absolute load around the basket, plus he could handle the ball and take it to the basket. Dino just took the game over. Senior guard Patrick Triplett enjoyed a fine all-around game before fouling out in the fourth quarter. The 6’3″ Triplett had 14 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. He is a big, strong guard with nice handles and the ability to score. Ritter was led by 6’3″ senior Sean Clancey, who scored 23 points and Charles Jones, who scored 18. Cardinal Ritter will take on Northwest Academy in the third place game tonight.
*Side Notes
More tournament action today
MICDS Quarterfinals: Duchesne vs. MICDS, noon; SLUH vs. Parkway Central, 1:30 p.m.; Whitfield vs. Ladue, 6 p.m.; Westminster vs. St. Charles, 7:45 p.m.
Affton: Affton vs. Priory, 2:30 p.m. (Championship Game)
St. Dominic: Sikeston vs. Fort Zumwalt West, 8:15 p.m. (Championship Game)
Columbia-Freeburg: Alton Marquette vs. Waterloo, p.m. (Championship Game)
Centralia Semifinals: O’Fallon vs. Alton, 12:30 p.m.; Centralia vs. Champaign Central, 2 p.m.
Seckman: Francis Howell North vs. Lutheran South, 4:30 p.m. (Championship Game)
*Girls
Duchesne 53 St. Charles 36 in championship game of Duchesne Tournament
Summit: Summit vs. Rosati-Kain, 5:30 p.m. (Championship Game)
Mascoutah Semifinals: Mater Dei vs. Breese Central, 11:30 p.m.; Nashville vs. Belleville West, 1 p.m Championship game at 7 p.m.
Edwardsville Semifinals: Edwardsville vs. Jacksonville, 1:30 p.m.; Champaign Centennial vs. Metamora, 3 p.m.
St. Dominic: St. Charles West vs. St. Dominic or Lutheran St. Charles,6:30 p.m. (Championship Game)