Steelville High School’s boys basketball team played a trio of games on Jan. 12, Jan. 14 and Jan. 16 in Potosi and against St. Clair and Owensville, respectively. The Cardinals came into the week with a 4-7 record and defeated a strong Potosi team on the road, before beating St. Clair at home and falling to Owensville on homecoming night. The Cardinals are now 6-8 on the season after winning two out of three. All three games are detailed below.

Steelville will compete in the St. James Invitational beginning on Jan. 19 in a rematch against St. James, who defeated the Cardinals 51-41 on Jan. 9. The Cardinals will also compete in the tournament on Jan. 22 and Jan. 24, but the rest of the Cardinals’ specific matchups and tip-off times are based on the results of the St. James game. Steelville will play in Salem on Jan. 27 before hosting Cuba on Jan. 31 for the Cardinals’ annual Pink Out Game in partnership with the Lady Cardinals’ basketball team in support of locals who are battling cancer.

Dec. 12 vs. Potosi

The 4-7 Cardinals traveled to Potosi to take on the 11-1 Trojans following a tough loss to St. James. Steelville showed no ill effects from the loss and went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the region. The game was close throughout, as neither team led by more than six. Potosi got out to a 19-15 lead after the first quarter before the Cardinals started to settle in. In the final seconds of the second quarter with the score tied at 37, Jackson Woods got to the rim and finished a tough layup to give Steelville a two-point advantage heading into halftime. 

The second half remained a tight, back-and-forth affair as tensions grew in the final minute and free throws proved to be the difference in the game. Potosi pulled ahead and led by four with 40 seconds left when Steelville senior Malakai Bruno sliced to the rim and finished a layup to cut the deficit to two.

After Potosi called a timeout to get settled, freshman Chace Grayson stole the ball near the half-court line, attacked the rim and got fouled. Grayson then calmly knocked down both free throws to tie the game. The Trojans got the ball back and sophomore Rhenn Mapes got fouled and went to the free throw line. Mapes hit the first to give Potosi a one point lead, but missed the second one. 

Woods hustled to grab the miss, got fouled and headed to the free throw line on the other side. He confidently made both shots to give Steelville a one point lead with 10 seconds left. Potosi junior Kanaan Wilson then got a good look at a three-point attempt on the other end as the clock winded down, but his shot went wide right and the Cardinals escaped with a 55-54 upset victory over the Trojans.

Nate Gambill knocked down four shots from three-point land and hit a mid-range bucket in the second quarter to finish with a team-high 14 points. Bruno added 13 on a three-pointer, four baskets at the rim and a pair of free throws. Woods netted 11, including what would end up being the game-winning free throws. Hunter Starbeck chipped in six, Trentin Garrison added five and Landon Rutledge, Will Bailey and Grayson all scored two apiece for the Cardinals. Peyton Rowe paced Potosi with 17 points and Wilson finished with 14 for the Trojans.

Steelville head coach Josh Pritchett spoke the following day about how his team was able to defeat such a strong team on the road. 

“I feel like we’ve started to turn a page. The guys have bought in and are playing extremely hard,” Pritchett said. “Their effort is what won them that game last night. They’re starting to take accountability from the coaches and each other. We’ve grown a lot in these last couple of weeks.”

Steelville’s junior varsity team picked up a 49-46 victory over Potosi in the first of three games between the Cardinals and the Trojans. Steelville’s girls’ varsity team played in between the boys’ JV and varsity games and lost 48-36.

Jan. 14 vs. St. Clair

The Cardinals returned home for the first time in almost two months to take on the St. Clair Bulldogs. Steelville looked energized by its home crowd and was in control for the majority of the game against a solid St. Clair team. Steelville led 12-7 after the first frame and widened its lead in the second quarter, thanks in large part to sharp shooting from senior sixth man Nate Gambill.

Gambill knocked down a trio of treys in the first half and the Cardinals went into halftime with a 28-19 lead. The third quarter was even as Steelville maintained its nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter. But the Bulldogs showed fight and slowly dwindled down the deficit as sophomore Carson Roemer drained three shots from deep in the final frame to bring St. Clair back in contention. The game was suddenly tight in the final minute as Roemer’s shooting made it a two point game.

With Steelville up 53-51 with 40 seconds left, Jackson Woods got fouled while attacking the basket and made both free throws to give Steelville a four point lead. On the other end, Landon Rutledge blocked a three-point attempt from Roemer, which essentially sealed the game as the Cardinals escaped with a 56-51 victory over the pesky Bulldogs.

The Cardinals were led by a balanced scoring attack and had five players score at least eight points. Steelville shot 50 percent from the field and held St. Clair to just 33 percent shooting. Gambill continued to provide a scoring punch for the Cardinals off the bench and led Steelville with 14 points on four makes from deep and a mid-range bucket. Rutledge scored seven of his 10 points in the second half to go along with his clutch block. Woods finished with 10 points and Malakai Bruno and Hunter Starbeck scored eight points apiece. Chase Grayson scored a pair of buckets at the rim in the second half to finish with four and Trentin Garrison knocked down a mid-range jumper to score two to round out the scoring for the Cardinals. Roemer poured in a game-high 26 points to lead the Bulldogs.

Steelville’s junior varsity team fell 38-30 in the first game of the evening. Grayson scored 11 and Andy Riley added nine to pace the Cardinals.

Jan. 16 vs. Owensville

Steelville played its second game in a row at home for the first time this season against the Owensville Dutchmen on homecoming night. Both teams went on runs in the first quarter as Steelville scored the first five and Owensville responded by scoring the next nine points. After each team traded baskets at the end of the frame, the Dutchmen went into the second quarter up 12-7. The second quarter was even, as both teams scored nine points and Owensville maintained its five-point lead heading into halftime. Things went downhill for the Cardinals as the second half went on as shots started to not fall and questionable calls were made by the referees. 

Owensville took a 32-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter before pulling away in the final frame by using continuous ball movement. Frustrations from Steelville reached a boiling point halfway through the fourth quarter when Jackson Woods was called for his fifth foul on another debatable call. The normally poised Steelville head coach Josh Pritchett finally had enough and voiced his frustrations to all three referees. Pritchett received a technical foul and Owensville went on to pull away with a 45-30 win and spoil homecoming night and end the Cardinals’ winning streak.

Woods knocked down a pair of three-pointers and finished with 10 points to lead the Cardinals. Bruno added seven points, Trent Garrison chipped in six, Hunter Starbeck scored three and Gambill and Grayson each scored two points. Chase Crosby poured in a game-high 21 points to lead the Dutchmen. Steelville’s junior varsity team defeated Owensville 54-46 in the first matchup of the evening and were led by Cameron Wallis, who scored a team-high 16 points.