After plenty of offseason changes, the boys basketball teams in the small-schools division of the Jefferson County Activities Association have started their new seasons.
There’s one less team in the division with St. Pius X going independent after the Lancers were voted out of the JCAA in March. St. Pius had two first-teamers on the small-schools all-conference team (both have graduated) and won the division in 2022.
Last season’s small-school champion, Jefferson, lost conference MVP Nate Breeze to graduation and have a new head coach after Sean Breeze, Nate’s uncle, was hired as the activities director at Grandview. Tyler Bellmyer replaces Breeze and he’ll be assisted by Jon DeBold.
With Nate Breeze and fellow forward Kaleb Weiler, also an all-conference first-teamer who graduated, combining to average 37 points per game, few small schools could stop the Blue Jays near the paint. Jefferson beat Bishop DuBourg to win the Class 3 District 4 title before finishing the season 22-4 after a loss to Kingston in the sectionals.
“We have a very young roster coming into this season,” Bellmyer said. “Many of the new guys you’ll see on our varsity roster this season were capable of playing varsity last year, but we just had lots of seniors last year that prevented them from (getting) that opportunity.
“We return one significant contributor from last year’s team, guard Cooper Frisk. We’re counting on his high ability and experience to push him to be a leader for our young team.”
Frisk had an outstanding junior season on the gridiron at quarterback, rushing for 1,349 yards and 17 touchdowns and passing for 1,205 yards and 14 TDs. On the hardwood, Frisk, a guard, averaged 6.5 points and about two assists per game a year ago. Those figures should double this season.
The rest of the starting lineup is largely untested on the varsity level: Senior guard Joe Manno, sophomore guard Blayne Wilson and sophomore forwards Colton Broadwater and Talon Watson. Broadwater pulled down 20 rebounds in nine games last year.
“Our goal for this season is to get some of these young guys acclimated to playing at the varsity level, so they can set the foundation for the years to come,” Bellmyer said. “But on top of that, we want to compete in every single game no matter who the opponent is.”
Jefferson has a few players who can come off the bench and make an immediate impact. Bellmyer said he needs to see them in action before he can identify a sixth man or set the depth chart.
“But we have a couple of guards and a couple of posts who we can bring off the bench and feel confident about the contributions we are going to get from them when they’re in the game. It’s important to have depth beyond your first five because you will have injuries, foul trouble, etc. We have the depth necessary to compete when we need it.”
Under Bellmyer, the Blue Jays will play an up-tempo style, run in transition and try to make quick buckets.
“We’ll also slow it down at times and rely on our half-court sets,” he said. “We believe in our ability to execute our sets well and get good looks if we’re not able to get that in transition.”
Defensively, they’ll rely heavily on man-to-man, but will adjust to a zone when the situation calls for it.
“We have some really good athletes who are capable of guarding some of the best players in the area one-on-one, so we’re not afraid to let them do their thing on the defensive end.”
Jefferson is in District 3 this season with St. Pius, Grandview, Kingston, Valle Catholic and West County. The Blue Jays open the season in the Rolla “Duke” Herbert Classic at Crystal City Dec. 2-6.
Blackcats drop opener
Despite junior point guard Tanner Duncan’s 29 points, Herculaneum lost 75-54 at Bayless Nov. 26 in the Blackcats’ season-opener. The Bronchos had three players score in double figures and shot 49 percent from the field. Freshman guard/forward Ben McLaughlin scored nine points in his first game for Herky, who also play in the tournament at Crystal City this week and open against Grandview.
Herculaneum finished 10-16 overall and 2-3 in the conference last year. Duncan averaged 16 points per game and was named to the all-JCAA small schools second team.
“Tanner is productive in many stat lines and fills up a stat sheet with steals, rebounds, assists,” Herculaneum head coach Jason Jarvis said. “He is an all-around player and will help us tremendously during the season.”
Joining Duncan in the starting lineup are junior shooting guards Isaiah Pickens and Jackson LaPlante, sophomore small forward Kellan Waxman and senior center Luke Brice.
LaPlante attempted a team-high 140 shots from the 3-point arc and made 25 percent of them, finishing the season averaging 5.5 points and two assists per game. Brice grabbed 102 rebounds and Waxman averaged 4.5 points per game.
“This will be Luke’s second year playing basketball,” said Jarvis, who enters his 10th season only nine wins from 100 in his career. “We are looking for great improvement for him, both offensively and defensively. We are hoping for big things from him. Jackson made a splash as a sharpshooter last year, but has been working on his overall game. We are looking for growth of that overall game.”
Freshman guard/forward Ben McLaughlin will be the first man off the bench. Sophomore center Taylor Greenlee is the first post player off the bench and reserve senior guard Steven Stenzhorn also will see minutes.
The Blackcats don’t play their first home game until Jan. 7 against Potosi. After the Herbert Tournament, Herculaneum visits Kingston Dec. 17 and St. Clair Dec. 19 and then takes the floor in the Bob Sechrest Christmas Tournament in Park Hills.
“We are going to take it one game at a time,” Jarvis said. “One goal is to make some noise in the Crystal City tournament. Then we will be looking toward getting ready for the Christmas tournament at Park Hills, where we want to set a goal of playing in three or four games.”
Familiar name takes over as Hornets new coach
After Phil Tessereau retired at the end of last season, Crystal City hired Stephen Eisenbeis to be its new head coach. Eisenbeis had been an assistant coach the past six seasons.
Eisenbeis is the father of Nolan and Trent Eisenbeis, key figures in the football team’s back-to-back seasons that ended in the Class 1 District 1 championship game. The Eisenbeis brothers will also be key figures in the team’s success on the hardwood, where the Hornets were 10-17 and 1-4 last season.
Since the Crystal football team won two district games and didn’t stop playing until Nov. 22, the basketball team wasn’t fully intact to practice until last week.
Nolan (all-conference honorable mention) will start at guard and could lift his 8.5 points per game average into double digits this season. Senior Evan Wolfe, one of Nolan’s favorite targets at wide receiver, will start at guard, as will senior Julian McGinnis. Another football player, junior running back Ricardo Pastrana, starts at guard. Wolfe buried a team-high 36 3-pointers last season.
“We will really lean on Nolan to be a leader this year,” Stephen Eisenbeis said. “I expect him to get to the basket a lot, as well as create havoc on defense and the boards. I expect a lot of those same attributes out of Ricardo. Evan showed himself to be a bit of a deep threat last year, so we will be counting on that. Julian has also improved his jumper, and I expect him to add more long-range offense.”
In the same way the Hornets haven’t set their starting lineup, they haven’t developed a true sixth man, although their varsity roster should go nine or 10 deep. Junior Alex Kuchera and freshman Skyler Fowler provide athleticism at the guard spot. Junior Hayden Westbrook and sophomores Gage McPherson and Trent Eisenbeis were all starting offensive linemen for the football team, and should provide some muscle and size in the paint and on the boards. Senior Chris Greathouse is a new addition to the team, bringing length and athleticism.
“With our lack of height, we’ll have to weaponize our athleticism to our advantage on both the offensive and defensive end,” the coach said. “I hope to create constant chaos on both ends, which will necessitate the use of all our depth.”
Crystal is in Class 2 District 4 and begins the season by hosting the Herbert Tournament.
Eagles deep in the post
Grandview will feature some depth this year, including four post players who will rotate for each other.
The Eagles also are deep in the backcourt, with five or six guards capable of playing varsity minutes.
Juniors Brendan Martin, Cameron Brooks, Wyatt Keim, Isaac Walker and Tucker Rhinehart, sophomore Logan Mercer and senior Clinton Pennock all could see action in the starting lineup. Martin is the returning point guard and was the football team’s starting quarterback the last two years. Pennock, a guard, is the team’s returning leading scorer, averaging nine points per game. The Eagles lost their only all-conference player, Weston Hopper, and his 17 points per game to graduation. Walker and Rhinehart are big football players providing heft inside.
“Clinton is a 6-2 guard with a long wingspan,” said head coach Jeremy Moss, starting his third year. “He is a returning starter from last season and our only senior on the team. He is smooth on the offensive end and can score from all three levels. He has improved his athleticism and is becoming a better defender every day at practice.
“Brendan really excels in transition. He plays at a fast pace and really puts the pressure on opposing defenses by consistently getting in the paint. He is also one of our best 3-point shooters. When you combine that with his quickness and ability to get to the rim, it makes him really tough to defend at times.”
Sophomores Brock Poole and Jaxson Peterson will be the first guards off the bench. Poole provides a defensive spark and plays with a lot of energy while Peterson has a high basketball IQ and is one of the team’s best passers.
The Eagles have finished with the same 8-19 record in Moss’ two seasons and are 1-9 against the small-schools division in that time. The coach’s goal this season is for his team to focus more on the process and less on the results.
“I want us to focus on the little things that go into being a successful team,” Moss said. “That starts with having a great focus every day at practice, competing at all times, bringing great effort, attitude, and energy, and being the best teammate possible.
“The ultimate goal is to be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be, and it starts with building great habits every day at practice. So my goal is more about our team having the right mindset rather than anything to do with wins and losses. If we focus on the process, stay positive with each other and create a culture of competition, the results will follow.”
Blue Jays have all the tools to win conference title
There will be a new Jefferson County Activities Association small-schools girls champion now that St. Pius X is an independent.
Fourth in the state in Class 3 last season, the Lancers won the last two small-schools titles, going 10-0. Jefferson finished 18-8 overall last year and was second in the conference at 4-1. The Blue Jays lost twice in two weeks to the Lancers, including in the District 3 final. With St. Pius out of the picture, Jefferson is positioned to win its first conference crown since 2016, only two seasons after going winless against the league.
The Blue Jays return several all-JCAA players. Senior Halayna Loyd made the first team and was the only Jefferson player to average in double-figure scoring with 12 points per game. She poured in a season-high 25 against Arcadia Valley in district play. Loyd’s strong presence inside led to her sinking 80 of 128 free throws. She frequently got fouled after grabbing a rebound. Opposing ballhandlers had to be wary around Loyd, who averaged 2.6 steals.
“If we all work together, we can go back to being conference champs,” Loyd said. “I feel like I am a very well-rounded player. I need to be flexible and willing to adapt.”
Junior Peyton Guffey (second team all-conference) was a few points shy of averaging 10 per game. She averaged five rebounds and was second on the team with 3.3 steals per game.
Senior Megan Wood (honorable mention) led Jefferson with 3.7 steals per game and also was the top rebounder with 202 (7.8 average). She pulled down 10 or more boards in four of her first five games last season.
Seniors Cecelia Ott and Claire Goodwin and juniors Louise Duepner, Jenna Buehler and Annabelle Richardson logged considerable varsity time last season. Duepner was the only one who didn’t play in all 26 games, appearing in 18.
With its recent success, St. Pius has been bumped up to Class 4. The Blue Jays stay in Class 3 but have moved into District 2 with Arcadia Valley, Kelly, Scott City, West County and Woodland. Jefferson has never won a district title.
“I’m kind of excited because we’ve never played (some of those schools) before,” Loyd said. “I’m ready to switch things up. We’ve been in the same district for a while.”
The Blue Jays lost to Potosi 72-60 in their season opener Nov. 25. They are in the Fountain City Classic at De Soto Dec. 2-7.
“I found we all adapted well,” Loyd said. “Potosi is a very strong team. There’s things we can improve on, like adapting in the moment.”
Hornets have new coach
After 20 seasons, Ken Jones stepped down as head coach of the Crystal City girls basketball and cross country teams, and activities director, to be the director of transportation for the Ste. Genevieve R-2 School District.
Crystal hired three people to replace Jones in those roles, and after being a former player and assistant for the Hornets, Dana Hern is the new basketball head coach. She takes over a team that finished 2-22 overall last year and 0-5 in the conference.
“My goals for this season are for my girls to improve as their season progresses,” Hern said. “I would like to see a great deal of growth in between every game instead of feeling as though we are taking steps backwards.
“Another one of my goals is for the girls to have an enjoyable season and want to continue to come out every year to play. With this being my first year coaching varsity, I would like to increase upon the number of wins the girls had last year and be right at, if not above .500.”
The all-conference team was devoid of Hornets. That’s bound to change at the end of this season with the emergence of senior center Carly Roussin, who is Crystal’s leading returning scorer (eight points per outing).
“Carly is extremely fast and a great threat at getting up and down the court on both offense and defense,” Hern said. “Carly’s speed is going to be her best component. She will be able to stay in your face and force turnovers on a regular basis. Carly can also jump out of this world and will be able to fight for every rebound and point.”
Juniors Makayla Denney (shooting guard) and Maya Hankins (forward) are returning starters. Hankins averaged a solid five points and 6.4 rebounds. Denney averaged six points in 12 games.
“Makayla falls into the same category that Carly does. We are not a tall team, but we are a fast team. Makayla is great at reading not only the defense but the whole court as well. She is capable of making passes that others are not and setting her teammates up for a scoring opportunity. She will be one of our biggest scoring assets.”
Hankins is not afraid to crash inside to either score or get a rebound.
“Maya is going to let you know that she is there and she isn’t going anywhere, simply by how she approaches the game,” Hern said. “Maya is great with our younger players. She is constantly talking and showing them where they need to be and what they need to be doing, which is extremely helpful and important for our team.”
Freshman guards Molly Reiter and Addison Bova (point guard) round out the starting lineup. Hern coached both in middle school.
“These two play so well together and really balance each other out. If one of them is having an off night, the other one recognizes it and steps into that leadership role a little bit more. They both have the ability to read the floor as well as the defense and create opportunities either for themselves to score or one of their teammates.
“What I like about both of these girls is their selflessness; they are always willing to go above and beyond to get one of their teammates the ball and the opportunity to score.”
Hern called sophomore Blake Parker a “true” sixth player.
“She is someone I can throw into any role, whether that is as point, guard, or even post. I have good depth on my bench this year.”
The Hornets began the season with a bang Nov. 22, beating Valley Park 77-55 at home. Hankins had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Bova sank four 3-point baskets and scored a team-high 20 points. The Hornets’ highest point total in any game last year was 48.
Crystal played Brentwood and Bayless this week, after the Leader deadline, and play Dec. 9-13 at Herculaneum in the 27th annual Town and Country Bank Black and Red Classic.
“We are going to be a fast-paced team that is in your face the entire time,” Hern said. “Offensively, we are very guard strong. We don’t have a great deal of height, so my posts are not going to be the tallest out on the court. But these girls can jump out of this world and they will do whatever it takes to get the ball or rebound.”
Eagles led by senior point guard
Grandview’s Catherine Wakeland has the ability not only to repeat as a member of the all-conference first team, but become the league MVP this season.
A three-year starter, last year Wakeland learned how to operate without her older sister, 2023 graduate Annabelle, and thrived in her role as the Eagles’ leader in scoring (13.4 points), assists (3.4) and steals (3.1). With 858 career points, Wakeland is a lock to reach 1,000 if she stays healthy.
“Catherine is a skilled basketball player and her leadership and talent on the court makes those around her better,” said head coach Kristi Smith, launching her second season.
Grandview beat West County in the first round of the 2024 District 3 playoffs before bowing out to St. Pius and finishing the season 12-14 overall and 2-3 in the conference. The Eagles remain in the same district.
“Last season – even with a slow start (1-5) – we were close to a winning record,” Smith said. “We want a winning record this season. Since we have several seniors as well as several freshmen, as a coach I want to see these upperclassmen coach up the younger players.”
Seniors Brooke Patterson (forward/center), Sydney Riddle (forward) and Katie Terrell (guard) and sophomore Madisyn Nahlik (point guard) join Wakeland in the starting lineup. Patterson combined to average 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.
“I expect Brooke to be an all-conference and all-district player by the end of this season,” Smith said. “I also look forward to seeing Riddle break out with some big games.”
Senior Raquel Marco is a foreign-exchange student from Spain. Sophomore Malia Nahlik (Madisyn’s sister) provides energy and defense off the bench.
Wakeland poured in 20 points in a 36-35 home loss to De Soto in the Eagles’ season opener Nov. 26. She forced eight of her team’s 22 turnovers. Grandview visits Oak Ridge tonight (Dec. 5).
“These girls are committed to a team offense and defense,” Smith said. “The second half of last year, they found their rhythm and saw the benefits of a good team defense creating offensive opportunities. We are working hard to carry that momentum, work ethic and confidence forward.”
Jarvis top Cat on court
Herculaneum senior guard Jill Jarvis has grown up in a basketball family. Her dad, Jason, is the head coach of the boys team at Herculaneum. Her brother, Dylan, played for the Blackcats until his graduation in 2023.
Jarvis has all the tools to move up from the all-conference second team to the first this season. A year ago she led the Blackcats in scoring (12.2 points per night) and assists (3.2) and was second in steals (2.4). Jarvis and senior forward Abby Smith played in all 26 games. Herky started 4-3 but a loss to Festus started a tailspin that ended at 7-19 and 1-4. Jarvis was a freshman on the team that won the JCAA small-schools title in 2022.
“Our goal for this season is to have a better year than we did last year,” said head coach Doc Carranza, in his second season. “Last year was a learning year for both the players and the coaches. I feel that last season is well behind us and the girls are really excited about starting a new season and showing what they learned from last year.”
Joining Jarvis and Smith in the starting lineup are junior guard Zoey Embree, junior forward Macy Pope and sophomore guard Ayla Scurlock. Pope played in 23 of 26 games last year and is athletic as a forward but also can shoot from the outside.
All of the Cats’ bench players put in some varsity time last season. They are junior forwards Grace Lenington and Alivia Smith, junior guard Michelle Walker and sophomore guard Tamya Waters.
Carranza, better known to many local sports fans as the longtime tennis coach at Windsor, said his team will play man-to-man defense, keeping the ball out of the middle of the floor.
“We are a little quicker this year than we were last year, so our defense should be better.”
On offense, he said they should also be better than their 2023-2024 average of 42 points per game, having played in the same system for a season and all summer.
“Our all-around play has gotten a lot better over the summer than last season, so hopefully we will be able to carry that over.”
It hasn’t happened yet. The Blackcats fell 52-30 to North County in Farmington to open the season Nov. 23, then lost at Windsor 45-28 Nov. 25. Herculaneum has its home opener against St. Clair (0-1) Friday night.