Sports
Area Athletes Shine in Final Season For Meramec Basketball
Meramec's basketball program ended its final season in record-setting style, and several Florissant-area athletes played key roles.
The St. Louis Community College at Meramec men’s and women’s basketball teams concluded their historic seasons in record-setting style last week, and several Florissant-area athletes played key roles for the Magic.
St. Louis Community College schools will be consolidated into district squads next year, ending the decades-long run of high-quality Magic basketball.
The women's team finished 25-6 after dropping its two games in the women’s National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Tournament. They defeated North Central College, 73-65, to win the Region 16 championship on March 5 and advance to nationals.
Sophomore guard Sherie Cole from had a team-high 18 points, including 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, in the regional title game. Sophomore forward Chantiera “TeeTee” Johnson from Hazelwood Central added 15 points.
The team’s leading scorer and rebounder this season was sophomore center Kasei Evans (Hazelwood Central), who averaged 16.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Johnson was second at 13.4 points per game. Cole scored 8.6 points per game for Magic head coach Shelly Ethridge
Hazelwood Central went 26-3 in the 2008-09 season, making it to the Class 5 state semifinals. In that season, Johnson scored 10.7 points per game, while Evans added 7.1. Both players were named to the all-Region 16 first team for Meramec this season.
Sophomore point guard Brandi Reed from had 61 assists and 55 steals for the Magic, which set a school mark for wins in one season.
Meanwhile, the Meremec men’s team ended its season last Saturday by winning the seventh-place game in the NJCAA Division II Tournament, 56-54, over Lakeland. Meramec went 29-7 this season and was ranked in the top 10 nationally much of this season.
Freshman center Ryun Davis from McCluer North averaged 10.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He was named to the all-Region 16 first team.
Freshman guard Ollie Roundtree from McCluer North played in 29 games and had 67 assists. Roundtree played a big role in Meramec’s come-from-behind victory over Central College of Nebraska in the NJCAA Tournament with two late steals as the Magic rallied from six points down in the final minute.
McCluer North went 20-9 in the 2009-10 season when Davis scored 10.9 points per game, and Roundtree 9.5 points, along with a team-high 6.9 assists per game.
The 29 wins is also a school record, and marks the final season at Meramec for head coach Randy Albrecht after 34 years. The men’s program finishes with a n amazing 921 wins in 46 seasons, an average of 20 wins per season.
The men’s team went 16-0, and the women’s team 15-0 at home, in the final season of Meramec Magic basketball. Ethridge and Albrecht each earned Region 16 Coach of the Year honors.