We have some pretty good action on tap for Wednesday night. I will be making the trip to Troy to catch the semifinals of the Troy/Peoples Invitational Tournament.
The first game will pit Class 5 state contender Columbia Rock Bridge against Hazelwood East at 5:30 p.m. Following that game will be a match-up between McCluer North and the host school Troy at 7 p.m.
Rock Bridge finished third in the state tournament last year and would like to get back to take care of some unfinished business after blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter in the 66-65 loss to Chaminade in the semifinals.
The Bruins feature 6'5" guard Ricky Kreklow (pictured), who's headed to the University of Missouri and a talented supporting cast. Kreklow is a talented do-it-all guard that is worth driving out to Lincoln County to see if you live in the St. Louis area. He reminds me a little of former Collinsville High McDonald's All-American Richard Keene.
Hazelwood East is led by 6'3" senior Don Shumpert, a University of Iowa football recruit and junior guard Jaylen Fulton, who scored 21 points in East's first-round victory over Howell.
The next game should be a good battle featuring the perennial power McCluer North Stars and the always-tough Troy Trojans. McCluer North is 2-0 and coming off an impressive victory over Class 5 Final Four participant Oakville last night at home.
The Stars are led by 6'5" senior forward Denzel Reed, the son of North coach Randy Reed, 5'9" senior point guard Ollie Roundtree and 6'5" senior post man Ryun Davis. Reed is off to a quick start, averaging 22 points and eight rebounds in North's two victories.
Troy is led by 6'1" tough-as-nails junior guard Neil Branham, who is averaging 21 points in two games. Neil is a very underrated player in the junior class, but he can play. The Trojans are also getting 20 points a game from 6'3" junior Cullen Devins.
The championship game is set for Friday night at 8:30 p.m. I will be on hand to call the game for Prepcasts.com with B.J. Schulte on the play by play.
There will be a nice showdown of small-school powers tonight when Whitfield High travels to Washington, Mo. to take on St. Francis Borgia at 7 p.m.
This could be a very entertaining game as both teams are averaging 75 points a game after playing four games this season. Both teams have multiple scoring threats and like to play up-tempo basketball.
Borgia, the Class 4 state champions, is led by 6'5" senior Nathan Scheer, who is averaging 23 points a game. Fellow senior Tyler Ressel is averaging 18 points while sophomore Bryce Dolan is averaging 14 points a game.
Whitfield is 3-1 after winning its own round robin tournament last week. The Warriors had three impressive victories, before stubbing their toes unexpectedly in a loss to DeSmet last Friday night. The Warriors have a balanced scoring attack led by senior Micahel Gallagher's 16.5 points a game. He is followed by 6'6" senior Alex Rudd (15.3), sophomore guard Zach Ellis (14.8), senior forward Julian Johnson (11.) and senior guard Maurice Burns (8.5).
Trinity will visit Cardinal Ritter tonight in a early conference showdown in the Archdiocensan Athletic Association. Trinity is an emerging program that is still trying to get their bonafides around the area. A victory at perennial small-school power Ritter would do the trick, but it will not be easy as Ritter fields another excellent team under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marvin Neals.
The Lions are led by 6'3" senior guard Eric Clark, who scored 32 points in Ritter's AAA victory over Lutheran St. Charles on Monday night. Ritter is also getting 17 points a game from sophomore Cameron Biedschied, a slender 6'5" forward while senior veterans Mylin Jordan and Wendell Crowder are scoring nearly 10 points a game.
Trinity is just coming off the championship of the Valley Park Tournament. The Titans are led by senior guard Marquise Hill, who averaged 17.7 points a game in the three games at Valley Park. David Minor, an improving 6'5" junior, is averaging 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
The semifinals of the St. Charles West Warriors Classic will be held tonight. Fort Zumwalt South will face Ritenour at 6:30 p.m. followed by St. Charles West vs. Fort Zumwalt West at 8 p.m. The championship game will be held on Friday night. You can hear that game on Prepcasts.com with Charlie Kennedy on the call.
The SCW Tournament saw an impressive debut performance by freshman guard Anthony Virdure of Lutheran North. The son of former LN standout Anthony Virdure, Sr., young Anthony had 22 points, three assists and three steals in the Crusaders' loss to the host St. Charles West Warriors. The 5'7" Virdure is a talented young player who can play both guard positions. He will be one to watch in the future.
Ricky Kreklow photo courtesy of Nate Latsch, saintlouis.scout.com
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