MAAA Tournament: Blackcats, Cougars snap recent first-round blues
PARK HILLS – The Fredericktown boys basketball team picked up a second victory this season over West County minus the drama of its previous last-minute comeback and buzzer beater.
Junior guard Andrew Starkey scored a game-high 17 points, and the eighth-seeded Blackcats prevailed 61-49 in the first round of the MAAA Tournament on Monday afternoon.
Matthew Starkey finished with 14 points and seven rebounds as Fredericktown (9-10) advanced to face Large-School division champion and top-seeded Central in a Tuesday quarterfinal.
The outcome of a close battle at 44-40 was ultimately decided when the Blackcats suddenly heated up from the perimeter, turning four 3-pointers into a 12-2 run.
Matthew Starkey connected twice with a triple by his younger brother in between, and Zander Stephens bumped the lead to 56-42 with 3:08 left.
West County (9-12) committed only three turnovers while forcing 10 in the second half, but struggled to hit enough contested shots down the stretch.
Jase Campbell tallied 10 of his team-high 16 points after halftime, and freshman guard Ty Harlow amassed 11 points along with three steals for the Bulldogs.
Both teams entered the action in a relatively fortunate situation in terms of depth and health. West County had its full roster available for just the third time this season.
But the recovery of reserve guard Mark Heine from the knee injury clearly bolstered the Blackcats. His active hustle at both ends of the court was a difference maker in the first half.
Riley Fraire notched three early baskets to highlight a 12-5 start, finishing two entry passes from Andrew Starkey, but the Bulldogs answered as Campbell and Michael Simily scored in the paint.
Heine stripped the ball near midcourt for an uncontested layup after entering the game, and added two more steals before hitting two 3-pointers. He gave the Blackcats a third man in double digits with 12.
Andrew Starkey dished out four assists, and increased a 31-23 Fredericktown lead at the break with a pair of driving layups to open the third quarter.
Caden Merrill and Jaxon Campbell each had seven points for West County. Their baskets in the lane cut the Fredericktown edge to 42-37 heading into the fourth.
Kingston 57, Arcadia Valley 40
PARK HILLS – Kingston entered the MAAA Tournament with its highest seed of No. 7 since the field combined divisions in 2004, and has finally broken through to the quarterfinal round.
Senior center Matt Nelson muscled his way to 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cougars turned up their defensive intensity after halftime to defeat Arcadia Valley 57-40 on Monday night.
Kingston (16-4) coaxed the Tigers into 20 turnovers in a game that featured just six combined free throws, and will chase a signature win against North County on Wednesday.
Arcadia Valley (6-14) stayed within 31-27 as senior guard Willie Carter capped his strong first half with a leaping putback just before time expired.
But the Cougars held their opponents two just 13 points over the final 16 minutes, and conversely committed no second-half turnovers until the midway mark of the fourth quarter.
Kingston saw its lead slashed to 35-32 on a 3-pointer by Alex Reeves, but answered with a barrage of triples from Dylan Morrison, Wyatt Jessen and Nelson off quick ball movement.
Cody Yates added 14 points to the victory, and sparked a 10-0 separating run in the final period off a steal and outlet pass from Giuseppe Ghirlanda.
Nelson highlighted his game out of a timeout by slamming a baseline inbound lob from Collin Sumpter. Corey Kemper followed with two layups for a 57-37 lead while also drawing a charging foul.
Jackson Dement compiled 13 points and seven rebounds to pace Arcadia Valley, and engaged in a post battle with Nelson from the outset similar to last year’s district final.
Nelson gained the upper hand early with 10 first-quarter points, hitting a jump hook and strong putback while surrounded amid a 4-of-5 start from the field.
Dement helped rally the Tigers with a 3-pointer to punctuate the first quarter after trailing 21-11, and later drilled a dazzling 13-foot turnaround jumper at the edge of the lane.
Carter further ignited the AV push as his second and third triples trumped a couple of driving layups by Yates, and finished with 12 points overall.
Reeves provided eight points and eight rebounds in defeat. Morrison had eight points for Kingston.
Potosi 80, Bismarck 29
PARK HILLS – Potosi worked freshman guard Carter Whitley into the rotation, and benefited from his speed and shooting on Monday night.
Whitley equaled Ty Mills with 13 points apiece to headline six players in double figures, and the fifth-seeded Trojans rolled past Bismarck 80-29.
Malachi Peppers and Gabe Brawley notched 11 points each, and Potosi (11-9) easily advanced to face Ste. Genevieve in the MAAA Tournament quarterfinal round on Tuesday.
The Trojans closed the first quarter leading 22-9 after getting an energy boost from their bench. Starting guard Brawley hit a 3-pointer and drove end to end moments later to earn free throws.
Junior forward Tanner Martinez totaled a game-high 15 points plus eight rebounds and two blocks for Bismarck (5-16), which was saddled with 15 turnovers prior to intermission.
Potosi capitalized by racing in transition whenever possible. Malachi Sansegraw and Whitley assisted one another on layups as the halftime difference reached 41-14.
Mills buried two perimeter shots and Peppers added three field goals as the Trojans delivered a 29-9 scoring edge in the third quarter to make it 70-23.
Gavin Portell scored twice on second chances and contributed 10 points as a reserve. Sancegraw had a fast start with three baskets, and ended with 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
Hunter Dugal chipped in six points for the Indians.
Valle Catholic 60, Valley 23
PARK HILLS – Valle Catholic senior Aiden Heberlie stamped a powerful third quarter by throwing down a dunk during a series of three quick steals on Monday night.
The sixth-seeded Warriors triggered a 23-1 scoring run over the last nine minutes to break open a 60-23 blowout of Valley in the first round of the MAAA Tournament.
Heberlie netted 13 of his 25 points within the third stanza, and compiled a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double as Valle Catholic (13-7) advanced to face Farmington on Wednesday.
Carson Tucker made the margin 45-22 with his own steal and layup, and Nick Oliver drained a 3-pointer off the bench to begin a dominant fourth quarter.
Chase Fallert finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals and four assists, and helped lift the Warriors out of an early shooting slump.
His driving layup capped an initial 9-0 run as the defense locked down the Vikings over the first four minutes. Fallert sank his second 3-pointer to end the first quarter at 14-5.
Heberlie was scoreless until the midway mark of the second, but quickly surged with a putback and transition layup after Nathan Schwent retrieved a loose ball and located him ahead.
Valley (10-11) trailed 26-13 at halftime despite getting three triples from Carson Loughary, and could not overcome 28 turnovers.
Carter Jackson sank three baskets in the third quarter, and scored eight points for the Vikings, who did not have leading scorer Colby Maxwell available due to an ankle injury.
Michael Okenfuss provided seven rebounds as Valle Catholic, the MAAA Small-School division champion, earned its sixth consecutive win.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Arcadia Valley 42, Ste. Genevieve 40
FARMINGTON – Arcadia Valley outscored Ste. Genevieve 10-4 while making 6-of-9 free throws in the fourth quarter, and avenged a loss from earlier this season on Monday night.
Junior guard Alyssa Glanzer shined with 21 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals in the 42-40 minor bracket upset by the ninth-seeded Lady Tigers at the MAAA Tournament.
Arcadia Valley (4-15) trailed 36-32 entering the fourth quarter, but earned a quarterfinal berth against top seed Farmington on Tuesday.
Katelyn Strange tallied nine points and five rebounds, and Molly Cook provided 12 rebounds along with six points in the victory.
Alli Byington paced Ste. Genevieve (2-17) with 17 points, and connected three times from 3-point range in the second quarter to give the Dragons a 23-19 halftime lead.
Kylee Clayton had 10 points and Chloe Staffen chipped in eight.
Fredericktown 70, Valley 28
FARMINGTON – Kyndal Dodd scored a game-high 25 points, and Fredericktown defeated Valley 70-28 in the first round of the MAAA Tournament on Monday.
The fifth-seeded Lady Blackcats established a 46-14 lead by halftime, and advanced to face No. 4 West County in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday.
P.J. Reutzel added 19 points as Fredericktown (10-9) moved back above the. 500 mark.
Valley (0-16) suffered its 17th straight loss dating back to last year.
Potosi 58, Bismarck 25
FARMINGTON – Potosi used balanced scoring to cruise past Bismarck 58-25 in the first round of the MAAA Tournament on Monday night.
Emily Hochstatter, Kya Gibson and Kaydence Gibson each tallied 10 points for the sixth-seeded Lady Trojans. Kalie Thompson had eight points and Carley Hampton chipped in seven more.
Potosi (12-8) outscored the Lady Indians 24-3 in the first quarter, and will face North County in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday at Central.
Sophomore guard Madison Dunn amassed all 25 points for Bismarck (4-17), connecting four times from beyond the arc.
Valle Catholic 59, Kingston 46
FARMINGTON – Valle Catholic topped Kingston for the third time in six weeks after producing its best offensive half of the season on Monday night.
Senior guard Mia Weiler tallied 16 points for the second straight game in a 59-46 triumph during first-round action at the MAAA Tournament.
Ade Weiler added 12 points and Sam Loida totaled nine while Emma Christine and Madelyn Griffard contributed eight each for the seventh-seeded Lady Warriors.
Valle Catholic (14-5) will face Central in a road quarterfinal contest on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Madison Nelson scored 25 points, moving past 2,300 for her career, and senior classmate Tania Jenkins had 12 for Kingston (11-9).
Fredericktown guard Mark Heine (1) steals from West County guard Carter Reed (23) during the first quarter of a boys first-round game at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills.
Kingston guard Giuseppe Ghirlanda cuts past Arcadia Valley guard Colin Whited (25) for a layup attempt during the first quarter of a boys first-round game at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills.
Potosi guard Carter Whitley (20) shoots a mid-range jumper against Bismarck during the first quarter of a boys first-round game at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills.
Valle Catholic guard Clayton Drury (4) throws pass toward teammate Chase Fallert (12) from the baseline during the second quarter of a boys first-round game against Valley at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills.
West County forward Jase Campbell (5) looks to score against Fredericktown defenders Riley Fraire (22), Cohlbe Dunnahoo (24) and Zander Stephens (5) during the second quarter of a boys first-round game at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills.
Arcadia Valley guard Willie Carter (3) hits a 3-point shot as Kingston coach Paul Hamilton looks on during the first quarter of a boys first-round game at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills.
Bismarck forward Hunter Dugal (55) shoots as Potosi guard Malachi Peppers (11) and forward Steven Willis (4) defend during the second quarter of a boys first-round game at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills
Valley forward Carson Loughary (12) dribbles as Valle Catholic guard Nathan Schwent (2) defends during the first quarter of a boys first-round game at the MAAA Tournament on Monday in Park Hills.
