Our Visit to the Class 6 District Semifinals at McCluer North

On Thursday night, Prep Hoops Missouri paid a visit to McCluer North to check in on the two semifinals games in Class 6, District 3. In the first game, it was No. 1 seed McCluer North vs. No. 5 seed Ladue. In the night cap, host No. 2 seed McCluer North took on No. 3 seed Hazelwood East.   Top seeded MICDS looked every bit the part of one of the state's top Class 5 teams as they defeated Ladue 61-29 in dominating fashion. The Rams halfcourt defense was smothering as the built a 30-15 halftime lead and kept it going in the second half.   In the second game, McCluer North raced to a 10-2 lead, only to see East battle back and take a brief lead. However, North was able to take control of the game as their speed and quickness sped the game up and forced many turnovers. McCluer North posted a 61-44 victory which set up a championship matchup against MICDS on Saturday at 3 p.m.   Here is a look at 10 players who caught our at at McCluer North on Thursday night.   [player_tooltip player_id='2348242' first='Tyler' last='Ray'] (MICDS): The 6'4" 2027 forward had another dominant performance as he had a game-high 17 points and 15 rebounds. His strength and versatility along with his motor makes him a formidable player. He gets deep post position to score and he also slashes in the lane for easy layups. He controls the boards and he can also handle the ball and facilitate offense.     [player_tooltip player_id='1790003' first='Brandon' last='Clemens'] (MICDS): The 6'2" 2026 Missouri Southern recruit scored 15 points on the evening. He is a three-level scorer who plays well with and without the ball in his hands. He also does a good job of getting others involved; and then when he asserts himself, he gets buckets in a very smooth manner.     Mekhi Owens (McCluer North): The 6'3" 2026 scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Stars. He was in attack mode throughout the game as he scored most of his points on physical, straight line drives to the basket. He was also dangerous in the open court when he had a running start to get to the rim.     [player_tooltip player_id='2528023' first='Paul' last='Crawford'] (Hazelwood East): The 6'3" 2027 guard scored a game-high 19 points. I was impressed with his aggressiveness from start to finish. When his team fell behind early 10-2, he brought the Spartans back with eight points to tie the game. He showed some athleticism and tenacity as he attack North's pressure defense to get to the rim.     [player_tooltip player_id='2617579' first='Deven' last='Williams'] (McCluer North): The 6'4" 2027 forward scored 15 points as he played a nice steady game. His first basket was a 3-pointer from the corner off the catch. He did most of his damage     [player_tooltip player_id='1666704' first='Keshon' last='Mims'] (MICDS): The 6'3" 2026 guard scored nine points on the evening. He is an excellent athlete who played his normal tenacious defense. He also knocked down a couple of 3-pointers. It was the second time that I saw him hit two 3-pointers in a game. He did so in a victory over Vianney last month.     Trent Johnson (Hazelwood East): The 6'4" 2027 forward scored nine points as he played a very solid game inside. I really like him because he plays hard and he stays around the basket to collect offensive rebounds for putbacks. He also scored on a nice spin move in the lane.     [player_tooltip player_id='2699499' first='Preston' last='Clemons'] (MICDS): The 5'10" 2028 point game scored six points and provided a nice spark off the bench with his quickness. He hit a 3-pointer in the first half on one of his first touches. He also used his speed to get downhill on the drive; with one resulting in a smooth reverse layup in traffic.     Gabe Weaver (MICDS): The 6'6" 2026 Minnesota football recruit scored eight points as he continues to be a pillar of strength in the paint. He uses his power and footwork to be a offensive weapon in the low post. He can also drive it from the high post area. His emergence this season as raised the ceiling of the Rams.     Koby Anderson (Ladue): The 2027 guard scored eight points as he was one of the few bright spots for the Rams. He has a good combination of strength and quickness and he also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.

On Thursday night, Prep Hoops Missouri paid a visit to McCluer North to check in on the two semifinals games in Class 6, District 3. In the first game, it was No. 1 seed McCluer North vs. No. 5 seed Ladue. In the night cap, host No. 2 seed McCluer North took on No. 3 seed Hazelwood East.