Notebook: Postseason Awards Put Stamp on Hoops Season

Parkway West forward Larry Toomey earns Suburban South Player of the Year honors.

It was a disappointing season for the Parkway West boys basketball team, but that did not slow down Larry Toomey. The 6-foot-6 senior forward was named the Suburban South Player of the Year earlier this month. Toomey shares this honor with University City junior guard Trevon Williams. Parkway West was 21-7 one year ago, but ended this season at 12-14 despite winning six of its final 10 games. The Longhorns and first-year head coach John Wright not only lose Toomey, but they will see six seniors graduate. Toomey’s next stop is West Point, as he will play for Army in the Patriot League this fall. Toomey became the seventh player in Longhorns history to reach 1,000 career points this season, and he led Parkway West with averages of 17.1 …

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Sports Notebook

Notebook Entry: Marquette Boys' First District Title in 15 Years

The Mustangs, behind junior center Ryan Rosburg, defeat top-seeded Parkway South, 30-28, in the district title game.

It will most likely be the lowest scoring boys basketball district championship played in Missouri this season, but that matters very little to Marquette. The Mustangs, behind 6-foot-9 junior center Ryan Rosburg, defeated top-seeded Parkway South, 30-28, in the Class 5 District 4 title game at Lafayette High School on Friday night. Rosburg scored 14 points, including the tiebreaking basket with seven seconds left, to down the Patriots (21-6). The Mustangs won their three district games by a combined eight points. For Marquette (18-10) coach Shane Matzen and his seniors, the win had increased satisfaction given that the third-seeded Mustangs had lost three straight district title games. It is Marquette’s first district title in 15 years. …

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Marquette Girls Fall Short in Tournament Title Game

Eureka junior center Alex Hillyer's 22 points leads the Wildcats past Marquette, 55-46, in the championship game of the Lindbergh Girls Tournament.

The Marquette girls basketball team rallied to tie red-hot Eureka in the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs could not gain a lead and eventually lost, 55-46, in the championship game of the Lindbergh Girls Tournament on Friday night. Marquette coach Scott Cleer was pleased with the effort of his squad, which lost to Eureka 63-49 in a Suburban West Conference game last month at Marquette. Eureka is 4-0 in conference games while Marquette is 1-2. This tourney matchup is not included in conference records. "It was a good comeback," he said. "But Eureka came right back and made all the right plays during a two-minute segment. That was the difference." Eureka junior center Alex Hillyer was outstanding as usual. But it took a pair of fourth-…

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Marquette Girls Rout Seckman, Reach Semifinals

The Mustangs force 33 turnovers and defeat Seckman, 62-47, in the the Lindbergh Tournament.

Marquette girls basketball coach Scott Cleer wasn’t upset with his team’s defense in the first quarter of their first-round matchup against Seckman on Monday night in the Lindbergh Tournament. Heck, he thought it was pretty good. But a pair of 3-pointers and several outside shots had Seckman trailing just 19-14 with 1:14 left in the first quarter of what was expected to be a lopsided win for Marquette. That eventually came, as Seckman began to miss shots and Marquette began to clean up on the offensive glass en route to a 62-47 win over the Jaguars in a game that was much more one-sided until late in the fourth quarter. The win moves No. 3 seed Marquette (11-6) into Thursday’s semifinals against No. 2 seed Pacific while Seckman, the sixth …

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Marquette Scores 75 Points in Rout of Mehlville

Marquette breaks a four-game losing streak in a 75-53 home win against Mehlville.

A dominant performance by Marquette left its opponent bewildered. Mehlville girls basketball coach Laura Bishop looked at the scoreboard at the end of her team's game at Marquette and saw 75 points on the board for the home team. "That was a killer," Bishop said after the Panthers fell to the Mustangs 75-53. "I really thought we played some good defense. But the put-backs just killed us." Marquette was able to score time and again on offensive rebounds as it reached the 70-point mark midway through the fourth quarter. "It was an up-and-down kind of game and we like to play that way if we are under control," Marquette Coach Scott Cleer said. "We were a lot more balanced on offense tonight. We got some good outside shooting from Alexis (…

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Martin's Big Night Carries Lafayette past Marquette

In a Suburban West Conference rivalry game, the Lafayette and Marquette girls varsity basketball teams battled closely into the game’s final minute.

In a Suburban West Conference faceoff between rival girls basketball teams, Lafayette and Marquette battled closely into the game’s final minute. But it was the Lafayette Lancers who found the way to win, with five free throws in the last 30 seconds for a 54-49 win. The boys game followed, so a much larger home crowd than usual was on hand to see Lancers junior Jordynn Martin nail two foul shots to break a 49-49 tie. The win lifts Lafayette to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Mustangs are now 9-5 and 0-2. “When it’s a rivalry game,” Lafayette head coach Jennifer Porter said, “it doesn’t matter what your records are or what the previous scores were. Whoever digs deeper, finds some energy, finds some heart, and can make that extra…

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Marquette Girls Fall Short in Tournament Title Game

Fort Zumwalt South holds off the Mustangs, 58-47, in the championship game of the McAllister's Classic Tournament at Parkway West High School.

Marquette girls basketball coach Scott Cleer was certainly aware of the shooting prowess of Fort Zumwalt South players Shannon McKenzie and Julie Hlinak. But there was a third Bulldogs player who Cleer knew very little about, and with good reason. Sophomore Allie Riggs was not listed on the Zumwalt South roster in the program at the McAllister's Classic Tournament at Parkway West High School. Riggs had spent the season on the Bulldogs junior varsity team and was brought up to the varsity for the tournament. She came off the bench in the first two games and contributed enough to earn a starting spot in the championship game Friday against Marquette. All she did was hit four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the game. Most of those came …

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Marquette Girls Rally Past Kirkwood in Overtime

Marquette overcomes Kirkwood, 61-57, in overtime after trailing for four quarters.

As the cold weather brought ice and difficult conditions on the roads for drivers on Wednesday night, the Marquette girls' basketball team made things difficult for the Kirkwood Pioneers in overtime after not leading through four quarters of regulation, manufacturing a 61-57 victory. Coming into Wednesday's game, both teams had 5-1 records and were coming off wins earlier in the week. The Pioneers (5-2) defeated Pattonville on the road Monday, 42-40, and had only lost to Lindbergh prior to playing Marquette. The Marquette Mustangs (6-1) earned a 20-point victory over Parkway West on Tuesday night, 56-36. Kirkwood took control from the jump, with a 13-2 run to start the game led by senior guard Kalah Martin, who had seven points in the …

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Preview: Marquette Girls Basketball Expecting More Scoring, Wins

The Mustangs did not have a single player average in double figures, yet managed to finish .500 in the Suburban West Conference and 12-14 overall last season.

Marquette girls basketball coach Scott Cleer admits that he had a team last year which was offensively challenged at times. The Mustangs did not have a single player average in double figures, yet still managed to finish .500 in the Suburban West Conference and 12-14 overall. "It's tough when you only have one or two girls who you can count on to score," Cleer said. "We did enough good things defensively to stay in games and win our share." This year looks a lot more promising for Marquette (2-1), which has an interesting mix, including an all-conference senior point guard along with some very good young players. "This is the first time in a while in which I can roll players in and play a certain tempo," Cleer said. "I can go big with four…

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