Local Teams Make Strong Showings At Holiday Hoops Tournaments All Over The City

Now that the holiday high school hoops season is over, and most teams have completed the 2012 portion of their schedules, it's time to take a quick look back at what the eight Ladue-Frontenac-Olivette area teams did during the break.

Just about everybody played in some type of holiday hoops event or tournament, with three of the local teams going perfect run and winning the tournament they were playing in.

The most surprising of the tournament championship wins was turned in by the girls from Ladue High, who pulled off one of the great upsets of the first half of the season, by knocking off previously unbeaten and No. 8 ranked Ritenour High, last Friday afternoon in the championship game of the first ever Ritenour Holiday Tournament.

The Rams blew out Confluence Academy in the first round, and struggled to get by Bishop DuBourg. But played perhaps their best game of the season in a 52-44 championship game win over Ritenour.

Senior Elizabeth Greenberg had a game-high 18 points, and knocked down 13 of 16 free throws, including seven in the final minute to clinch the Ladue victory.

The Rams will now head into 2013 with an 8-4 record, and will play their first game of the new year on Friday at the Neilson Gymnasium, where Ladue will host Suburban East Conference rival Jennings High at 5:30 p.m.

The other girls team to pull off an upset victory, and win the tournament they were playing in, was the MICDS squad, which was hosting their own event at the McDonnell Gymnasium.

The Rams, who came in seeded third, knocked off the two-seed Parkway Central in the semifinals, and the top-seed Westminster Christian to win the MICDS Girls championship for the first time ever.

MICDS will hit 2013 with a 10-1 record and an eight-game winning streak, which the Rams will put on the line Friday night, in a Metro League conference game at Lutheran South.

The other local team to bring home a title trophy over the break is the unbeaten John Burroughs boys.

The Bombers, who were playing in the Chaminade Tournament, won that event for the second straight year, thanks to a thrilling 50-46 come-from-behind, overtime win over Pattonville last Saturday.

Senior Foye Oluokun had a brilliant three days at Chaminade, averaging 18.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in JBS' three wins.

In the championship game though, it was fellow senior Trevor Bain's clutch shooting at the end of regulation and in the overtime that carried the Bombers to their 10th straight victory.

When JBS returns to the court on Friday, it will be in one of the Bombers' biggest games of the season, as they'll face rival Lutheran North at the historic Olin Fieldhouse, in a matchup that will tip off at 7 p.m.

The Ladue boys took third in the MICDS Boys Tournament, after falling to eventual champion Duchesne High in the semifinals.

The Rams, who played most of the tournament without junior big man Andrew Maddock, had a tough time matching up with Duchesne's big lineup on Friday.

Ladue did bounce back on Saturday though, with Maddock leading the way (16 points and seven rebounds) in a 64-45 win over Westminster.

Like their girls team, the Ladue boys will open up 2013 with a game against Jennings on Friday, January 4.

No team is probably as ready to have the first half of the season be over as the MICDS boys, who went 1-2 over the break, and will go into the new year with a 4-7 record.

The Rams were thought to be one of the best teams in the area coming into the season, but the breaks have been few and far between, for a club that's lost each of its last four games by four points or less.

Senior point guard Trey Pettus has stepped up his play lately, and average 19.3 points a game during the MICDS Tournament.

Junior power forward Robin Thompson, who had a season-high 28 points in the Rams' 63-59 consolation round loss to St. Mary's, is leading the team in scoring with a 14.3 points per game average.

MICDS will host Lutheran South at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.

The St. Joseph Academy girls suffered their first loss of the season in the championship game of the Visitation Tournament.

The Angels faced No. 1-ranked Incarnate Word in the title game for the third straight year, and lost to the Red Knights for the third straight time.

Seniors Sydney Stipanovich and Erin Nelson were both named to the Viz All-Tournament team.

St. Joe is 7-1, and will play its next game at the Prepcasts Shootout, on Saturday, January 5. The Angels will face Carthage (MO) in a 7:15 p.m. game, that will be played at De Smet High.

The Villa Duchesne girls were able to snap a five-game losing streak with a consolation round victory over Clayton during the MICDS girls event, but the Saints did lose twice over the break, and will go into 2013 with a 2-7 record.

Villa's first game of the new year is on Monday, January 7, when the Saints will host Whitfield at 6 p.m.

The only local team that didn't play any games over the break was the girls from John Burroughs.

The Bombers last played a game on December 13 against Lutheran North, and will open up the new year with a rematch against the Crusaders on January 4.