Holt Hangs Tough, But Falls In Championship Game Loss At St. Dominic Tournament

O’FALLON – For the first half at least, of Friday’s St. Dominic Tournament championship game, the Holt High girls basketball team seemed in perfect calm and control as it took on the defending state champion and tournament host Crusaders.

The Indians even led St. Dominic by a point at halftime, and seemed perfectly primed to pull off what would have been one of the biggest upsets of the entire area girls basketball season.

But then came the second half, and away went Holt’s calm nerves and patience, which allowed St. Dominic to take full control and pull away for a 47-35 win over the Indians.

“We just got a little frustrated,” Holt head coach Rich Binning said. “But that’s a credit to St. Dominic. They were composed, and they’re really well coached. They knew what they were going to do and we didn’t counter it very well.”

The entire gym knew what the Indians were going to do—try to get the ball to 6’2 senior Brianne Rigg—which worked brilliantly in the first half, but didn’t go so well in the second.

“We just talked about playing better defense,” St. Dominic head coach Suzie Mennemeier said. “There was no anger or panic in the locker room. The girls just asked what they needed to do to win the game, and then they went out and did it.”

The inspired defensive effort helped St. Dom surge into the lead in the third quarter, which at one point was tied 25-25.

But the Crusaders closed the quarter with an 8-3 spurt that gave them the lead for good at 33-28.

“We got into a little foul trouble, and that led to some inconsistencies,” Binning said. “We made the mistakes, and St. Dominic plays real tough defense. We just didn’t get things clicking.”

In the fourth quarter St. Dom really showed off its defending state champion mettle, allowing just two Holt field goals the entire period, while outscoring the Indians 14-7 to close out the win.

Seniors Lauren Needham and Kelly Schnieders each had 12 points to lead the Crusaders to their sixth straight St. Dominic Tournament title. 

This season though, St. Dom is now 7-3 and riding high, after closing out the 2011 portion of their schedule with six straight wins.

“I told them after the game I was proud of them for being patient,” Mennemeier said. “A lot of teams panic when they get into a hole like that, and they start to struggle. I really envisioned in my mind the game going just like it did. I knew we were probably going to be down early, we just had to stay calm.”

The Crusaders will be back in action on Tuesday, with a home game against Duchesne High, before stepping back on the big stage next Saturday, with a highly-anticipated state title game rematch against Smithville (MO).

That game will be part of the Prepcasts Elite Girls Shootout IV, a terrific day-long girls basketball showcase at CBC High School that will feature some of the best girls hoops teams in the area taking on other top teams from around Missouri and Illinois.

Holt’s Rigg finished with game-high totals of 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Indians, who despite the disappointing finish to 2011 are still 8-3 on the season, and definitely enjoying a remarkable turnaround year, after going just 5-21 last year.

Teammates Riley Reddin and Kami Taouil, who combined for nine points, nine assists, and eight rebounds on Friday, have also been key contributors for Holt this year.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Following the game, 10 players from the competing St. Dominic Tournament teams were named to the all-tournament team. Here is that list:

Riley Reddin, Jr. – G                            Holt

Brianne Rigg, Sr. – Forward                 Holt

Lauren Needham, Sr. – Guard              St. Dominic

Abby Niemeyer, Sr. – Guard                St. Dominic

Madeline Bathe, Sr. – Forward             St. Dominic

Natalie Fleming, Jr. – Guard                 Silex

McKenna Kelly, Sr. – Guard                  Ft. Zumwalt North

Sam Smith, Sr. – Forward                    Timberland

Kacy Eschweiler, Fr. – Center               St. Charles West

Jamie Skerston, Sr. – Center                Lutheran St. Charles