All good things must come to an end, right?
Well, don't tell that to the Webster Groves boys basketball team, which just keeps churning out win after win after win.
With Friday's 84-66 triumph over rival Kirkwood, the Statesmen ran its streak of winning the Suburban South Conference to 11 seasons and earned its 79th straight league victory with one more still to play this Friday.
In fact, the last season Webster didn't win a conference title (2000-01), Bill Clinton was President.
For more on the Statesmen and other area large-schools boys basketball happenings, check out Nate Latsch's latest notebook.
QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT
Cameron Biedscheid has had a stellar high school basketball career at Cardinal Ritter and the 6-foot-7 standout recently added to his list of impressive accomplishments.
The Notre Dame recruit recently dropped in his 2,000th career point and now stands at 2.106 points. Not a bad feat for a guy who scored just 13 points as a freshman.
Biedscheid and the Lions have some bigger fish to fry, though, as the No. 3 team in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings will try to wade through a tough Class 3 district coming up in a couple weeks and, if they survive that, will try to eventually make their way to Columbia.
For more on Biedscheid and other area small-schools boys basketball news and notes, check out David Kvidahl's latest notebook.
BLACK AND GOLD-BOUND
Aarion Penton went to the Missouri football program's Junior Day festivities on Saturday not quite knowing what might come of it. What came of it was an offer and a verbal commitment to be a Tiger starting in 2013.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound CBC junior standout got a scholarship offer from Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel and didn't take long to say yes, informing the coach of his decision at halftime of that afternoon's men's basketball game between then-No. 4 Mizzou and then-No. 6 Baylor.
Penton was the leading receiver on a Cadets team that reached the Class 6 championship. He had 40 catches for 842 yards and 13 touchdowns. Overall, he racked up 1,144 total yards and 18 scores. He also had 51 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
Penton has the ability to play wide receiver, running back, defensive back, kick returner. ... you name it. And he said he doesn't have a position preference, just as long as he has a chance to play for a winning team.
For more on Penton's decision, check out Nate Latsch's story.
MONDAY REWIND
• The Nashville girls basketball team traveled to the Illinois Class 2A Sesser-Valier Sectional for a semifinal game and pounded the host squad to advance to Thursday's sectional final.
• Oakville skated to a 1-1 draw with Lindbergh, but that was all the Tigers needed to win the teams' Mid-States Club Hockey Association quarterfinal series and clinch a berth in the Challenge Cup semifinals.
• Several other Mid-States playoff series were in action Monday night and more teams punched their ticket to the semifinals.
ON THE TOWN, TUESDAY STYLE
Readers can come back to the site late Tuesday to catch up on all the game action. Here's what we're covering.
• A pair of area girls basketball titans will square off when St. Joseph's (20-5, No. 2 LS) travels across the Missouri River to take on Fort Zumwalt West (20-4, No. 4 LS). Tip-off is 6:30.
• The top two boys hoops teams in the Southwestern Conference will tangle when Edwardsville (17-4, 8-2, No. 5 LS) visits Collinsville (21-3, 9-1, No. 4 LS) for a 7:30 game at Fletcher Gym.
• Another large-school girls top-10 matchup will take place at Webster University when rivals Ursuline (18-6, No. 9 LS) and Nerinx Hall (16-8, No. 7 LS) tip off at 6:30.
• In a game postponed from Monday, a pair of top-10 small-school boys teams will square off when No. 7 Imagine (18-6) pays a visit to No. 1 Soldan (16-5). Tip-off is 6:15.
• The second berth in the Illinois Class 2A Sesser-Valier girls sectional will be decided when Breese Central (26-5, No. 3 SS) takes on Massac County at 7:30.
• Edwardsville and Granite City always have spirited battles on the ice and it should be another barnburner in the winner-take-all Game 3 of their MVCHA 2A North Division semifinal playoff series. The puck drops at 8:30 at East Alton Ice Rink.
THE VIEW FROM ELSEWHERE
• Howard Bell knew he had friends, but he probably never dreamed he had this many. The Glendale baseball coach was diagnosed with ALS in late December and, as Matt Schoch of the Springfield News-Leader reports, some 557 of his closest friends showed up at the south Springfield Applebee's for an ALS fundraiser and, in the process, shattered the record for fundraiser attendees at that location by more than 200 people.
• With coach Kevin Kelley on the verge of his 500th career victory, the St. Joseph Central girls basketball team twice fell into sizable holes against Senior Night foe Park Hill only to nearly climb out both times. But, as Sam Robinson of the St. Joseph News-Press shows us, the Indians still weren't quite able to pull out the milestone win for their coach.
