Bayless Ends Year Chaminade Tourney Loss

LADUE – The final week on 2011 won’t go down as one of the best for the Bayless High boys basketball team.

The Bronchos had been having a fantastic first half of the basketball season, with six wins in their first seven games against similarly-sized Class 3 opponents.

But stepping up in class against a field full of large-school opponents at the Chaminade Christmas Tournament this past week proved quite a difficult task, as Bayless lost all three games it played this week, including a 55-46 decision Friday night against Mehlville.

The Panthers, who had won just one game prior this season, led throughout Friday’s ballgame and pulled ahead in the final minutes of the third quarter, with an 11-2 run that gave them a 43-32 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

But Bayless answered with an 11-3 run of its own to start the fourth quarter that made the score 46-43 Mehlville.

Sophomores Edin Mehmedovic and Excell Harris were key figures in that run, with Mehmedovic dropping in two sensational layups, and Harris adding a deep three-pointer that made it a one-possession game with 2:10 left on the clock.

Unfortunately though, that was as close as Bayless would get, as Mehlville closed out the game with a series of free throws that put the game away.

Following the game, the Bronchos spent nearly 20 minutes in their locker room listening to coach Pat Triplett talk about improvements, both on the court and off, the team needed to make in order to prevent any other three-game losing streaks.

Bronchos fans will get the chance to find out rather quickly whether or not those improvements were made, as Bayless will be back on the court Wednesday night, with a South Central Athletic Association matchup against league-favorite Maplewood Richmond Heights.

MRH is 5-4 this season, and will be coming into Wednesday night’s showdown at Bayless High, after taking second-place in the Poplar Bluff Tournament down in Poplar Bluff (MO).

Bayless will also host a home game against Brentwood on Friday night, with both games scheduled for 6:30 p.m. starts. 

BAYLESS BRONCHOS REMAINING BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

1/4                   vs. Maplewood                        7 pm

1/6                   vs. Brentwood                          7 pm

1/9-1/13           at Washington Tournament        TBA

1/17                 vs. St. Mary’s                           6:30 pm

1/24                 vs. Crossroads                         7 pm

1/26                 at Trinity                                   6:45 pm

1/31                 vs. Hancock                             7 pm

2/3                   at Brentwood                           7 pm

2/7                   vs. Valley Park                            7 pm

2/10                 at Maplewood                          6:30 pm

2/14                 at Crossroads                           7 pm

2/17                 vs. John Burroughs                   6:30 pm

2/23                 at Whitfield                               6 pm

2/20-2/24         MSHSAA Districts                   TBA

                         @ Crystal City High School