STEELVILLE — Steelville High School’s boys basketball team competed in the 12th Annual FCNB Bank-It Championship Tournament beginning on Dec. 2 with a matchup against Warrenton at Sullivan High School.

The tournament was postponed a day due to snow in the area.

Steelville fell to Warrenton, defeated Sullivan and fell to the St. Louis Patriots to finish the tournament with a 1-2 record. Each game is detailed below. The Cardinals (1-3) returned to Sullivan on Dec. 9 to take on the Eagles which will be detailed in next week’s edition. Steelville will then play at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 13 at West County and at Valley on Dec. 16 beginning at 5:30 p.m. with JV action.

Dec. 2 vs. Warrenton

The Cardinals battled throughout against Warrenton, but weren’t able to overcome 19 missed free throws throughout the contest, leading to a 60-54 loss. 

Warrenton scored the first 9 points of the game before Hunter Starbeck got the Cardinals on the board with a layup with 2:35 left in the first quarter. Steelville then fought back to make it a 13-7 game after the first quarter and trailed 28-21 at halftime. 

The Cardinals attacked the basket throughout, and took an impressive 33 free throws. But Steelville made just 14 of them, finishing at a porous 42% from the line. Those misses seemed to stifle any momentum that the Cardinals were starting to gain. Steelville’s lack of size also showed as they were outrebounded throughout the game.

Steelville head coach Josh Pritchett stayed positive but brought up his team’s slow start along with its rebounding and free throw issues when reflecting on the game.

“Besides the first five minutes of the game, I thought we were pretty solid,” Pritchett said. “We struggled with some rebounding. We’ve got to fix that up, and be more physical, more tough. If we want to win some games, then we’ve got to hit some free throws.” 

Senior Nate Gambill came off the bench to give Steelville a much needed offensive outburst. Gambill hit three three-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep the Cardinals in the game and bring the deficit down to five. But that was as close as Steelville would get, as they couldn’t hit free throws or get stops down the wire.

Gambill, who’s working his way back from a leg injury, hit four shots from downtown throughout the evening, and finished with 14 points. Pritchett spoke about Gambill’s impact on his team. 

“Nate (Gambill) could really help us out. It’s just all going to come down to whether or not he feels confident with his leg,” Pritchett said. “But he’s working his way back, and I think once he gets back to full speed and full health, I think he’ll really help the team.”

Malakai Bruno led Steelville with 17 points. Jackson Woods was the only Cardinal to have success at the free throw line, making five of six, and finished with seven points. Trentin Garrison added six points, Hunter Starbeck chipped in four, and Landon Rutledge and Will Bailey scored three. Deadrick Forrest scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter for Warrenton. 

Because the tournament was pushed back a day, the Cardinals had a quick turnaround and played on the next night against Sullivan, who Pritchard said would be a challenge due to their physicality. 

“We need to forget about this one, and get ready to play tomorrow. Sullivan is a big, physical team, and we’re just gonna have to be ready to match that physicality if we want to win.”

Dec. 3 vs. Sullivan

The Cardinals were indeed ready for Sullivan’s physicality on Nov. 3 when the two teams tipped off. The game was close early and Sullivan led 21-18 at halftime. But the Cardinals turned on the defense intensity and found their shooting stroke in the second half. Steelville outscored the Eagles 17-8 in the third to take a 35-29 lead heading into the fourth. The Cardinals kept their foot on the gas and outscored Sullivan 18-8 in the fourth to win comfortably, 53-37, and earn their first victory of the season. 

Gambill’s shooting touch continued and he knocked down another four shots from distance to finish with 12 points. Woods also scored 12 on three shots from downtown, a two-point bucket and a free throw. Trentin Garrison battled taller Eagles throughout the evening and scored seven of his nine points in the second half. 

Pritchett inserted freshman Chace Grayson, who’s the Cards’ tallest player at 6-foot-4, to combat Sullivan’s size and the move paid off. Grayson saw his most significant varsity playing time so far this season and scored nine on three field goals and three free throws while keeping the Eagles’ size at bay. Bruno knocked down two shots from deep and finished with eight. Starbeck chipped in three on a field goal and a free throw.

The win propelled Steelville into the tournament’s consolation final on Nov. 5 against the St. Louis Patriots.   

Dec. 5 vs. St. Louis Patriots

Steelville faced another height disadvantage when they faced off against the St. Louis Patriots who boasted 6-foot-9 Dominic Keys, 6-foot-5 Peter Clayton and 6-foot-4 Connor Parker in the consolation finals. The Cardinals had a hard time scoring against the Patriots’ length and found themselves in a 28-13 hole in the second quarter. But Steelville kept fighting and after a Woods three-pointer and a layup from Grayson, the Cardinals went into the halftime break down 30-18.

Steelville then went on a 5-0 run to start the second half and played a competitive third quarter. Grayson made a shot to trim the deficit to six points and make it 32-26, but a last second heave at the end of the third quarter from Patriot guard Armon Cables made it a 35-26 game heading into the fourth to stifle the Cardinals’ momentum.

The Cardinals climbed back to make it a 40-34 game with five minutes left in the game, but that would be as close as they would get. Keys threw down a thunderous dunk to make it 42-34 and multiple three-point attempts from the Cardinals fell short in the final minutes and the Patriots emerged victorious with a 49-40 victory.

Bruno led Steelville with 10 points on a shot from downtown and seven made free throws. Woods knocked down a three-pointer, made three from the free throw line and added a two-point bucket to finish with eight points. Starbeck also scored eight, Rutledge and Grayson added five and Garrison chipped in four. Gambill was held scoreless and played limited minutes after his strong performances in the first two games of the tournament. Cables scored a game-high 17 points and Keys added 12 in the winning effort for the Patriots.