It has been a long time since the McCluer North basketball team lost a game.
Coach Randy Reed's squad lost its third game of the season — 48-46 against Borgia at the season-opening Borgia Tournament on Nov. 26 — and hasn't lost since. The Stars' 16-game win streak began with their first game in December and has stretched into February.
"We've been working under the radar," Reed said. "State champs working under the radar."
The defending Missouri Class 5 champions went 29-4 a year ago, including winning eight straight games to capture the title. Standout guard B.J. Young has moved on to Arkansas, where he is the Razorbacks' second-leading scorer, but McCluer North (18-1) has continued its winning ways.
"They know how to execute. They've been in the program and they know what winning is all about," Reed said. "We're not the most talented team, but we play together as a team. We work hard. We don't really have a bonafide superstar. ... We just play team basketball, play smart and execute. We're experienced, more than anything."
Auburn signee Jordon Granger, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, leads the Stars, averaging 13.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. Senior guards Galen Brown (10.3 points), Bryon Ray (10.0) and Tremayne Garrett (7.8) contribute in different ways.
The Stars, who moved into the top spot in the STLhighschoolsports.com large-schools rankings this week, will host No. 7 Hazelwood Central at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in a Suburban North Conference showdown.
McCluer North is 18-1 overall and 4-0 in league play. Hazelwood Central, which has won 10 straight, is 14-4 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
"It's going to be a heavyweight fight," Reed said, "just like the McCluer game was a heavyweight fight. It's just the nature of the beast in the Suburban North. It's like that every year."
The winner of Thursday's game is likely to be the top seed in the Class 5 District 8 tournament. McCluer North, Hazelwood Central and McCluer (16-3) are among the contenders to win state, but only one will get through the district gauntlet.
"A state championship team is going to lose in February," Reed said. "Us, McCluer or Central can easily just walk to Columbia. I hate to say that. I've seen Vianney, De Smet. No put down of them, but a lot would have to go wrong for a Suburban North team to lose."
COCHRAN BREAKS VIANNEY SCORING RECORD
Vianney senior guard Tony Cochran did everything he could to try to lift his team to a comeback victory against Cardinal Ritter at the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout on Thursday.
He knocked down two of his five 3-pointers in the final 16 seconds and finished with a team-high 21 points but couldn't prevent a 69-66 loss.
Cochran's last 3-pointer, from the right wing with 2 seconds left, gave him 1,391 points for his four-year career and broke the school's career scoring record of 1,389 established by Dave Stewart from 2003-07.
"I think it's a testament really to him," said Vianney coach Kevin Walsh, whose team dropped one spot to No. 2. "I think he's had a heck of a career, and he's really just a kid that has expanded his game every year. From as a freshman being a catch-and-shoot guy standing on the perimeter to Thursday night playing the point for us, creating shots off the dribble and handling pressure. He's really become a complete player."
Cochran, who had two older brothers play for the Golden Griffins and has a younger brother at Vianney and another in seventh grade, is having a strong senior season. He is averaging a team-high 17.4 points, has made 94.9 percent of his free throws (56 of 59) and 42 percent of his 3-point attempts (55 of 131).
SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE RACE HEATING UP
Collinsville took over the top spot in the Southwestern Conference standings with its 51-42 victory at East St. Louis on Saturday afternoon, but the Kahoks (19-3 overall, 7-1 SWC) still have six league games remaining in an ultra-competitive league.
Edwardsville (14-4, 6-2) has won seven straight and is having a nice rebound season. The Tigers went 13-15 a year ago after winning 116 games, and no less than 19, in the previous five seasons.
East St. Louis (16-6, 6-2) has lost three straight but is a dangerous team. O'Fallon (16-4, 5-3), which plays at Collinsville on Friday, has won five in a row. Belleville West (10-9, 3-5) has won four in a row and gets standout junior guard Nick Van Osdale back soon from injury.
WEBSTER GROVES HAS TWO STREAKS
Webster Groves has lost back-to-back games against ranked opponents -- 67-57 to McCluer at the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout, and 65-60 to Edwardsville at Pinckneyville on Saturday -- and has a big game Tuesday at Parkway North.
The Statesmen, who have won 10 straight Suburban South Conference championships, will put their 75-game win streak in league play on the line against the Vikings. Webster is 16-4 overall and 2-0 in league play, while North is 15-3 and also 2-0 in the conference.
