Oak Ridge, Meadow Heights ride scoring highs to consolation finals

Oak Ridge and Meadow Heights will face off for the consolation championship in the First State Community Bank Holiday Classic at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

Oak Ridge won a school-high 10 games last year but it is clear this year that the best is yet to come. With a 71-54 win over the Cairo Pilots of Illinois, the Blue Jays (7-4) enter the consolation final against Meadow Heights at 5:30 p.m., with a chance to enter Christmas with eight wins.

The biggest reason behind the two best years in program history is Reagan Howe. The junior scored 31 points to lead the Blue Jays against the Pilots and recently reached the 1,000-point milestone, with a year and a half left in her high school career.

“The fact that she is just a junior and scoring 1,000 is absolutely amazing,” Oak Ridge coach Julie Ward said on Howe. “She is a great kid that is very coachable and is a great team leader for our team.”

Howe also leads the Blue Jays in rebounds consistently, with 14 boards during the recent game. Madyson Ruehling was also there with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Blue Jays will take on a Meadow Heights (4-4) team that snapped a three-game losing streak with a 63-37 win over Scott County Central, led by the duo of Cheyenne Tonjum (22 points) and Rachael Hellebusch (21 points), who scored more than half of the Panthers points.

“This was the best game we played all season as far as not turning the ball over and making silly passes, although we made our share of those. We did a nice job defensively so I’m pleased,” Meadow Heights head coach Tim Winkler said. “In the last three games, we went into the locker room at halftime either winning or tied and we got blown out in the second half, we didn't let that happen.”

Should Tonjum and Hellebusch team up for another stellar performance, the Panthers will exit the Holiday Classic with a consolation championship plaque and a winning record.

Scott County Central will take on Cairo in the 11th-place game at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The Bravettes started the season impressively by going 3-1 before a three-game losing streak brought them down to below .500 on the season. They entered the Holiday Classic confident at 4-4 after a win over Cape Central but lost to Scott City and Meadow Heights to get to this point.