MRN_012512 by Newsmagazine Network

26 I sports I

JANUARY 25, 2012 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE

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Spor t s Lady Spartans dispatch East St. Louis in St. Louis MLK Classic By Jonathan Duncan In a season that has featured tough draws such as Notre Dame, Principia, and Webster Groves for the Francis Howell Central Spartans girls basketball team, last week’s appearance in the St. Louis MLK Classic yielded another big challenge on the hardwood. Although the game was the last of the day, the action proved far from the least as the Spartans gave the Flyerettes of East St. Louis a first-hand look at why they are also a team to be reckoned with in area girls’ hoops circles. Senior guard Sharese Jones poured in a game-high 28 points and senior center Brea Gegg added 13 points as the Spartans rolled to a 53-43 victory over highlyregarded East St. Louis at North County Technical School in Florissant. Strong half-court defense allowed the Spartans to get out in transition and get quick baskets at the other end of the floor. “I thought we played pretty good defense… A lot of what they (East St. Louis) scored on was on the times we got a little sloppy with the ball, but that’s a team that puts a lot of pressure on the ball,”

Howell Central coach Bryan Ricker said. “So we expected some of that but I thought we handled the pressure pretty well for the most part.” Howell Central (14-2) pushed to a 15-9 lead after the first quarter but it was the second quarter that allowed the Spartans to get a handle on the contest. A 9-2 run keyed by a Jessica Rekosh lay up and capped by a Torrey Wilson jumper catapulted Howell Central to a 24-11 advantage. The Spartans led by 13 points heading into the final stanza but the Flyerettes turned up the defensive pressure and came pushing back. Davioanna Holmes knocked down a pair of free-throws pulling the Flyerettes to within 45 to 38 with just 5:28 left. But Howell Central had answers down the stretch. Jones scored six of the Lady Spartans final eight points and the Flyerettes got no closer than 10 points in the closing seconds. “When we attack the basket like we’re supposed to then we can play pretty well,” Ricker said. “I thought we did a good job of that.”

Howell Central’s Brea Gegg (53) battles East St. Louis’ Cardeja Triplett (45) for a rebound.

Jones hit 13 of 20 shots from the freethrow line to go with 7 of 10 shooting from the floor. “Sharese Jones is just an outstanding player,” Ricker said. “She’s going to get her points but against good teams like this, we need to get contributions from everybody and I think we got that.” Getting out to a double-digit win start has not been just the work of starters such as Jones, and Gegg or Rekosh. Sophomore guard Sydney Wilson was ready to fill in against East St. Louis for Torrey Wilson, who was hurt in the game. Also, junior forward Grace Wade and

freshman guard Lauren Nosal have played significant roles in helping the Spartans have a red hot start to the 2011-12 campaign. “I think that getting contributions from everybody is important,” Ricker said. After a nonconference game with Hazelwood West Tuesday (Jan. 24), the Lady Spartans begin Gateway South Conference play on Jan. 31 against Francis Howell. “The schedule gets tougher from here and we get into conference play here soon, so we hope to do well in conference play and see where we go from there,” Ricker said.

The Missouri Winefest Saturday, February 11th & Sunday, February 12th Noon to 5:00 p.m. at Westport Plaza (Indoor Pavilion) • • • •

Featured Wineries:

Live Music by: Tony Viviano Missouri’s finest wineries Wines available for purchase Entrance fee: $20

Artesian Springs Winery Cedar Lake Cellars

(includes commemorative wine goblet & wine sampling for the day)

Fahrmeier Family Vineyards Sainte Genevieve Winery Serenity Valley Winery St. James Winery

Proceeds Benefit:

Stone Hill Winery