Chaminade, CBC meet in high school boys basketball matchup

Fasten your seatbelts. The rematch between CBC and Chaminade promises to be as good as the first encounter.

The two Metro Catholic Conference high school boys basketball teams collide at 7 p.m. Friday (Dec. 7) at CBC. The two schools met Nov. 30 to decide the championship of the Pattonville Invitational and it was a donnybrook. CBC escaped with a 60-56 victory after talented junior Jordan Barnett sank two free throws with three seconds showing to snap a tie.

CBC coach Bob McCormack remembers it well.

“One of our goals is when we play in a tournament, we want to get to the finals. We did and we played a very good Chaminade team,” McCormack said. “We were up nine point. Chaminade played well to get back in it. We were too complacent in attacking their zone.

“Jordan created a foul and hit the free throws,” McCormack said. “Then he made a nice steal at the end to preserve the win. Chaminade is a very good team. People need to know that. It’s no fluke. They are a MCC team and they’re tough. We’ve had such battles through the years with them. It’s one of the games on your schedule you circle. They’ve been talented and so have we.”

Now, they will get to play again.

Chaminade is not in a good mood. The Red Devils dropped a MCC game at home Tuesday to St. Louis University High. Chaminade (3-2) lost 47-45.

Chaminade coach Kelvin Lee acknowledges SLUH played well.

“Give (first-year SLUH coach) Erwin Claggett credit,” Lee said. “He had his boys ready to play. They were outstanding.”

The slow beginning to the season is not a cause of concern, Lee said. His team knows what they must do.

“We’re off to a rocky start a little bit,” Lee said. “We’ve got some veteran guys and some youth. It’s chemistry issues that are a problem right now for us. We have to figure it out. It’s still early as we’re in the first week of December. The talent is there. We have to play with a sense of urgency.

“I’m disappointed in the defense. We’re playing out of position and not disciplined. It’s not the way my teams normally play. We lost our first conference game and it was at home. That’s not a way to get started. You have to take care of your home games. In your house, you have to win. Now, we go to play at CBC and they’re very good.”

McCormack said he buys into what Lee is saying.

“It’s a big night for both teams I would think,” McCormack said. “Conference games are always hard-fought games in the MCC. I saw the game Tuesday night. SLUH played well. In this league, you need to win at home and steal two or three on the road if you can.

“We’ve already played Chaminade. We know what they do and they know what we do. We have to play four solid quarters against them.”

Lee knows what his Red Devils must do.

“We have to play good defense,” Lee said. “We have to rebound the ball and do the hustle plays. We must make extra pass and hit open teammates and then hit the shots when we’re open.

“CBC is very good, very talented. They have the pieces of the puzzle to make a good run. I love playing there. It’s the first of three big games for us. We don’t have any cupcakes. We go to CBC and then we play Hazelwood Central and Vianney. It’s a tough stretch for sure.”

The Cadets have won four in a row since its season-opening 71-59 loss to La Lumiere at Washington D.C. The prep school is tough and nationally ranked.

“I made a joke that is was an NBA team we played in the opener,” McCormack said. “It’s a prep school and it’s a basketball factory. We played well at times. We put 2 1/2 good quarters together. That’s the type of game win or lose will help you down the road.”

Here are other local high school boys games scheduled for Friday night:

Kennedy at Valley Park at 6:30 p.m.

Parkway South at Summit at 7 p.m.

Eureka at Parkway West at 7 p.m.

Ladue at Parkway North at 7 p.m.

Principia at Priory at 8:30 p.m.

Here are other local high school girls games scheduled for Friday night:

Parkway North at Ladue at 6 p.m.

Barat at Kennedy at 6:45 p.m.

Kirkwood at Parkway South at 7 p.m.

Eureka at Lindbergh at 7 p.m.

Westminster Christian Academy at Parkway Central at Marquette at 7 p.m.

Parkway West at Marquette at 7 p.m.

Principia at Villa Duchesne at 7 p.m.