Local Basketball Players Enjoy ‘Curtain Call’

By ERIC X. VICCARO

EVICCARO@STEGENHERALD.COM

PARK HILLS — Four Ste. Genevieve County basketball players enjoyed one last scholastic-level game on Saturday, April 17.

Longtime Dragons Maci Reynolds and Sydney Bumgardaner participated in the Mineral Area Activities Association versus Jefferson County Activities Association girls’ all-star game.

“It was cool to see them play together one last time,” said Ste. Genevieve head girls’ coach Jordanna Walk-Robison. “These girls have been playing since they were little, and share a special bond.”

Sneakers squeaking on the hardwood at Mineral Area College’s Sechrest Field House was music to the ears of the crowd who watched the best play the best.

Bumgardaner recently signed her NCAA Letter-of-Intent to play for NCAA Division III Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.

Reynolds has decided her athletic career ends with the current track and field season. She reportedly will enroll at Arkansas State in Jonesboro.

Both Reynolds and Bumgardaner played on the winning squad — as Mineral Area whipped up on Jefferson County, 91-34.

In the boys’ game, Ste. Genevieve’s Logan Trollinger joined forces with Valle Catholic’s Carter Hoog — with Dragons’ coach Robert Coleman on the MAAA coaching staff.

“It was an honor to coach those guys,” Coleman said. “It was probably the easiest game I have ever coached. I was proud of how hard they worked and played.”

For Hoog, it was a game of “beat the clock,” and he was lucky the game was played using a 10-minute running clock in all four quarters.

“I’m happy for Carter to experience playing in an all-star game,” Valle Catholic head coach Tyler Search said. “He definitely deserved to represent our conference.”

Time was of the essence for Hoog, also having played in two baseball games earlier in the day for the Warriors at the Cape Notre Dame Showcase.

Hoog will next play for Missouri University of Science and Technology, an NCAA Division II school based in Rolla.

The boys’ game was certainly more competitive, but Mineral Area still came out on top 65-57.

“Even though it was an all-star game, the guys were determined not to lose, and they took pride in their defense,” Coleman added.

Arcadia Valley’s Gracee Smith was the girls’ game most valuable player, with Farmington’s Jacob Jarvis taking honors in the boys’ game.

Before the games, Park Hills Central’s Sophia Horton — who has signed with Lindenwood in St. Charles — defeated Windsor’s Sonny Amabile in the 3-point shooting contest.

The all-star games were played under the energetic direction of event organizer Stephon Martinez from Dig Deep Productions.