Top-seeded Briarcrest Christian impressive in opening day of Mater Dei tourney
Senior Cedric Henderson made sure a long day ended in a good way for the Memphis (Tennessee) Briarcrest Christian Saints on Wednesday at Mater Dei High School.
An athletic 6-foot-5 forward, Henderson scored 12 of his 17 points in the final two quarters as the top-seeded Saints held off Nashville 52-42 at the 57th annual Mater Dei Christmas Tournament.
Bryson Bultman led Nashville (7-3) with 16 points, while sophomore Carson Parker added 11.
Briarcrest Christian 76, Metro East Lutheran 31
Freshman Kennedy Chandler scored 21 points as the Saints opened tournament play with a lopsided win over the Knights. Junior Richard Hunt added 10 points for Briarcrest, which held the Knights (5-6) to 15 points over the final three quarters.
Carlyle 48, Highland 30
Junior Luke Boatright scored 26 points and the Indians’ defense held a sluggish Bulldogs in check throughout as the Indians posted the first upset of the tournament. Senior Tyler Siever added nine points and 10 rebounds for the Indians (4-6), who held the second-seeded Bulldogs to eight points or less in each quarter.
Senior Stephen Schniers led Highland (7-3) with 10 points.
Central 63, Mascoutah 60
Tyler Joest was too much for the Indians in the paint as the 6-9 senior scored 28 points and added seven rebounds in a narrow win for the Cougars (5-4).
Malik green led a quartet of Indians in double figures with 21 points and Blake Weiss added 11. Mascoutah fell to 6-5 for the season.
Mater Dei 61, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 52
Senior Devin Rensing scored 15 points and Drew Tonnies added 11 as Mater Dei defeated the Cyclones in the morning session at Mater Dei High School.
Okawville 45, Riverview Gardens 17
Eight players put points on the board for the Okawville Rockets in a 45-17 win. Audrey Jansen led the way with 10, while Kymberly Schmitt added nine.
Okawville (11-1) moves on to play Cahokia at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Cahokia 68, Jacksonville 45
Four scored in double figures for Cahokia, which improved to 5-2 and will advance to a 4 p.m. game against Okawville on Thursday.
Tarkeyia Wells scored a game-high 16, Makayla Brownlee added 14, Macheala Jeffries scored 11 and Davionna Jennings added 10 for the Comanches.
Nashville 51, Althoff 37
Libby Ahlers and Paige Kasten scored 17 points each to lead the Hornets past Althoff.
The Crusaders (6-8) got 12 points from Katie Wernhoener and nine from Addie Burris.
Nashville (5-2) moves on to a 4 p.m. game against O’Fallon on Thursday.
O’Fallon 50, Triad 33
Sydney Thurwalker scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Panthers into the next round. O’Fallon also got seven each from Amelia Bell and Kayla Gordon.
O’Fallon (10-1) next faces Nashville on Thursday at 4 p.m. Triad is now 6-5.
This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Top-seeded Briarcrest Christian impressive in opening day of Mater Dei tourney."