Practice lead to tourney title tilt between Delta, Saxony Lutheran

When Notre Dame opted out of the the First State Community Bank Holiday Classic in favor of the Visitation Christmas Tournament in St. Louis, it opened a power vacuum that required 12 teams to fill.

The semifinals on Monday, Dec. 18, decided who would battle for the chance to be the first Holiday Classic champion in four years. Delta and Saxony Lutheran will face off for the title on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 8:30 p.m., at the Show Me Center.

Delta has long been among the powerhouses in Class 1. The Bobcats have won their district for four straight years and played in the state championship game in 2022. This year, they are better than ever. They’re 8-0 and averaging 94.3 points per game while allowing 29 points per game.

Delta entered the tournament having scored over 100 points in four of its first six games. The Bobcats scored 64 points in each of their two wins against Cape Central and St. Vincent, while allowing a total of 55 points, leading up to the final round.

Many players on the Bobcats team rack up points during their string of domination, but the leader during this tournament has been Mya Gillespie, who had 16 points against the Tigers and 17 against the Indians.

“The reason that we've had so much success is the way we practice,” Delta head coach David Heeb said. “We practice so hard.”

Delta isn’t the only team who see the fruits of their practice. Saxony Lutheran is also streaking their way toward the final. After winning four straight games, including against Woodland and Jackson, the Crusaders (7-3) are halfway to surpassing their win total from the previous year (13).

“We train every day, we talk about this next play mentality,” Saxony Lutheran head coach Chris Crawford said. “Our girls are tough mentally. They're tough physically. I'm super proud of the way that they've handled themselves.”

Abby Haley led the Crusaders with 13 points against Jackson in the semifinal round on Monday, while Evie Caruso scored 19 points against Woodland in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

A win for Saxony Lutheran would give the Crusaders a feather in the cap and a leg up on a heavily competitive Class 3 District 2 that also features Kelly, Woodland and Scott City.

“We're a process-based program, and we stick to our process,” Crawford said.

A win for Delta would be a continuation of its mastery of Southeast Missouri.

__Third Place Game: St. Vincent vs. Jackson__

The third-place game on Thursday will be billed as the battle of the Indians. Both squads earned respect of the opponent during their defeats against Delta and Saxony Lutheran.

Cailyn Prost scored 17 points on five three-pointers for St. Vincent (5-4) against Delta. Unfortunately for those Indians, she was the only one on the team with success against the Bobcats.

“St. Vincent, they're so well-coached,” Heeb said. “They came out with a great plan and slowed us down, and their defense was really good in the first quarter.”

Jackson (4-4) was led by Holland Guilliams, who scored 15 points during their loss against Saxony Lutheran. Guilliams also scored 25 points during Jackson’s quarterfinal win over Scott City.

It’s quite the plus for first-year Jackson coach Angela Fulton to have a star player lead the way offensively while the team, coming off a season that ended in the state quarterfinals, is still trying to find their way.

“She's a great athlete, truth be told,” Fulton said on Guilliams. “She's a senior, so she kind of guides us, and sometimes she guides me.”

Tip-off is expected to take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, after the fifth-place and seventh-place game.