All season, the Maplewood-Richmond Heights boys basketball team has been searching for a signature win. The Blue Devils had opportunities early in the season at the Webster Classic and later in the season at the Poplar Bluff Christmas Tournament and at No. 1 small-school Soldan, but couldn’t close the deal.
Finally, on Saturday, Maplewood broke through with a 47-41 come-from-behind victory over Whitfield at the Slam Dunk Heart Disease event at Hazelwood Central.
Only coach Corey Frazier wasn’t there to see it.
Frazier was ejected from Maplewood’s South Central Athletic Association game at Valley Park the previous night. Per MSHSAA rules, any coach or player ejected from a game is automatically suspended for the next game.
But the circumstances around Frazier’s ejection are, to many, curious. Maplewood is 14-0 against Valley Park the last seven years. The Blue Devils have outscored the Hawks, on average, 78-36 in that time. Frazier had no reason for behaving in a way that would lead to an ejection, especially with such a big game the following day. Frazier declined comment for this story, but did clarify that he never used offensive language and never showed up the official who gave him the two technical fouls.
Several eyewitness reports said the official who ejected Frazier behaved in a derogatory way to the coach. At one point, the official stood over Frazier, a two-time Class 3 state championship coach, and screamed at him.
Now the wheels are in motion to find some clarity in this bizarre situation. The Maplewood administration is taking steps to complain to the state association about the treatment of Frazier.
Maplewood athletics director Malcolm Hill said he likes to work with the other school’s administration on these types of things.
"I’m disappointed our coach was treated that way," Hill said.
Maplewood can file a written complaint with video evidence and statements and submit it to the state for review.
This incident comes on the heels of a recent and rather ugly history between Valley Park and Maplewood. Valley Park athletics director and boys basketball coach John Sherman said one technical foul was called on one of his players on Friday and that player sat the rest of the game. The Hawks were also hit with intentional foul calls for flagrant fouls on Maplewood players in two of their last three meetings.
Sherman said he spoke with Hill and Frazier earlier this year when he felt the Blue Devils ran the score up on his team in their 85-17 win at Maplewood. Hill talked to Frazier about it and they worked out a plan that would try to balance Maplewood’s need to prepare for a playoff run and not embarrass Valley Park.
“We have to prepare our team for a state championship,” Hill said. “We’re not trying to embarrass any team or any ball player.”
"Corey and I have talked about how long you keep the dogs on," Sherman said. "Sometimes the dogs stay on too long."
Sherman went on to say that, because of the lopsided nature of the games, players get frustrated. When that happens, hard fouls can result.
"Sometimes that happens when a team is getting pounded to the point of frustration," Sherman said.
Hill went on to say, because of the lopsided nature of their games in the SCAA, Maplewood is making plans to move to the Suburban East as soon the next two-year scheduling cycle is underway. That move should happen for the 2014-2015 season.
“Our goal is to be in the Suburban East for the next two-year cycle,” Hill said. “That’s where we want to go.”
Before that happens, though, Hill wants some explanation for how his coach, on his best behavior, was thrown out of a game his team wasn’t going to lose.
“I’m extremely disappointed in what happened on Friday,” Hill said.
BURROUGHS VAULTS INTO THICK OF ABC LEAGUE RACE
By holding MICDS to nine second-half points on Saturday, John Burroughs pushed itself into a first-place tie atop the ABC League standings with the rival Rams. Both teams have games left at Lutheran North, which has two league losses. MICDS plays there at 7 p.m. Tuesday, while Burroughs closes out the regular season at the Crusaders’ house.
With only a handful of regulars at preseason practice because of the football team’s second straight run to the Class 3 state title game, the Bombers (14-3) began the winter behind schedule. Coach Steve Wilcutt and his staff, however, have done an impressive job keeping the talented, albeit tiny, squad on course for what has all the makings of an impressive season.
Forward Foye Oluokun has been a double-double machine and repeated the feat again when he scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds Saturday night.
MICDS has lost four of its last five games, though to be fair, two of those losses came against Class 5 schools Parkway South and Lafayette.
WHITFIELD WITHOUT ZACH ELLIS
Since losing senior guard Zach Ellis to an injury last week, Whitfield has struggled putting the ball in the basket. Ellis is, far and away, the most skilled offensive player for the Warriors (13-7). He leads the team with nearly 15 points per game and has taken and made more free throws than any one else on the team. He’s their best 3-pointer shooter.
In his absence, the Warriors have dropped games against Jennings and Maplewood-Richmond Heights.
Whitfield coach Mike Potsou wouldn’t comment on the nature of the injury, but said it was not season-ending and he was optimistic Ellis would rejoin the Warriors within a week.
The Warriors have a tough stretch of games ahead as they take on No. 9 small-school Borgia at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Monday) and then travel to Gibault next Tuesday and host Pattonville the following Friday.
Whitfield is scheduled to host the Class 3 District 6 tournament, which includes No. 10 Lutheran North and John Burroughs.
BREESE CENTRAL, MATER DEI MEET (AGAIN)
Will the third time be the charm? Mater Dei certainly hopes so.
Mater Dei hosts crosstown rival and No. 2 Breese Central (24-1) at 7:45 p.m. Friday. The first two matchups have been won by Central. The first was a 15-point victory in the title game of the Mater Dei Christmas Tournament. The second was a six-point win in the title game of the Nashville Tournament.
Mater Dei coach Brian Perkes said after the second meeting he wanted his team to slow down the pace and give itself a chance to win the game, which it did. Central was able to eke out a 31-25 victory.
This time around, though, Central knows Mater Dei wants to slow the tempo and can game plan accordingly.
Regardless of Friday’s outcome, these two teams could meet one more time for all the marbles in the Class 2A Freeburg Regional.
