There’s just two days left in 2018, but more than two months remaining in what’s shaping up to be a tremendous boys and girls basketball season in Jefferson County.
Jefferson County Activities Association small-schools rivals St. Pius X and Jefferson met in the championship game of the inaugural Suntrup Auto Grandview Boys Basketball Tournament on Saturday night. Junior swingman Riley Naeger (6-7) led the Lancers with 16 points and 13 rebounds as they outlasted the Blue Jays 53-48. The game did not count in the conference standings.
St. Pius was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and has won five straight games to improve to 9-3. Naeger scored 20 points in the opening-round 73-27 victory over KIPP Charter on Thursday and registered another double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in the Lancers’ 51-49 win over Lesterville (No. 4). For the season, Naeger averages 18.4 points and 11.6 rebounds.
“We’re feeling good. We’ve got guards who can play defense against anybody,” Naeger said. “I feel we’re one of the most athletic teams out here.”
Jefferson (No. 2, 8-6) led St. Pius 28-27 at halftime after Naeger sank two free throws with a second left in the second quarter. Blue Jays senior Erik Eisenbeis and Lancers junior Josh Ruble traded 3-point baskets to open the second half. Junior Jon Weik gave Jefferson a 33-30 edge with a basket with 5:15 left in the third, but Naeger answered with the old-fashioned 3-point play with a bucket, bruise and free throw to tie the game.
“I tried to take the ball inside and get (Weik) into foul trouble,” said Naeger, who picked up just one foul. “If the outside shot’s open, I shoot it.”
Jefferson senior Easton Null made a trey with 4:35 left in the third to put the Blue Jays ahead 36-33, Eisenbeis stepped just inside the arc and nailed a field goal, and Weik swished a 3-pointer with 1:10 left in the quarter to make it 41-35.
Senior forward Luke Klahs (6-5) trimmed the lead to two for the Lancers when he opened the fourth with a basket, but Jefferson senior Cole Holdinghausen answered immediately from downtown to push the Blue Jays’ lead to 44-39. Junior Eli Boyer sank two 3s within a minute and St. Pius was back on top 45-44.
The score stayed that way until Jefferson junior forward Levi Ebersoldt fouled out with 3:46 to play. Klahs made one of two free throws and the Lancers led by two. Weik followed with a pair of foul shots to tie the game.
In a close game, St. Pius reached the bonus and only was called for one foul with under two minutes to play. Junior Kayden Cook’s field goal put the Lancers ahead 49-46 before Holdinghausen’s bucket clipped the lead to one. Eisenbeis took a shot to tie, but the ball went in and out of the basket and was rebounded by Ruble. Eisenbeis fouled out a few seconds later and the Lancers kept their distance from the free-throw line.
For 23 seconds the Blue Jays had a chance to tie the game with a 3, but as they advanced the ball down the floor, they were fouled along the way five times without being able to take a free throw or shot from the field. Null, who beat the Lancers with a 3-pointer last season, never got the ball in his hands and all Jefferson could muster was a contested shot inside the arc.
“The first thing in my mind was Easton beating us at the buzzer,” St. Pius head coach Eric Lawrence said. “So I told the boys, ‘anybody but Easton this year.’ The foul count was in our favor so we could dictate what they could or couldn’t get, and the boys executed it well.”
The Blue Jays still had a desperation chance with four seconds to play, but senior guard Jalen Thornton calmly stepped to the line and made both free throws.
“Jalen is a gamer. We might have guys with better free-throw percentages in that situation, but I’m A-OK with Jalen getting the ball,” Lawrence said.
There were some exceptional performances at the Grandview tournament. Null poured in 34 points in the Blue Jays’ 74-42 victory over Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis. Weik scored 23 points in that game and Eisenbeis led Jefferson with 20 points in the 69-36 win over Grandview. Against Lesterville, Klahs was close to a triple-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Christian Academy senior guard Johnny Little had the single-best scoring day with 36 points Saturday in a loss to Lesterville.
In an unanimous choice by the coaches in the tournament, Null was named the most valuable player and selected to the all-tournament team along with Naeger, Weik, Thornton, St. Louis Patriots junior Jacob Witascheck, Lesterville junior Brendan Myers, Northwest sophomore Trey Davis, Grandview junior J.T. Isaacson, Lesterville junior James Gibson and Christian Academy senior Jahod Ward.