KIRKWOOD • Mike Lewis passed the praise around like a card dealer.
The Chaminade basketball team’s sophomore guard was dynamite as the Red Devils took out host Kirkwood 75-61 to win the Denver Miller Tournament on Saturday at Kirkwood.
“He’s got some point guard in him, but he has some instincts to score the ball, which is extremely valuable for us,” Chaminade coach Frank Bennett said.
Lewis lit Kirkwood up for 15 first-half points and finished the game with 22. He knocked in four 3-pointers, which helped the Red Devils build a cushion they never relinquished despite the Pioneers' best efforts.
“The goal today was to come in, play defense, rebound and limit their transition points. Kirkwood is a very good team in the open court,” Lewis said. “I felt pretty good with my shot. My teammates were getting me open with down screens, and I was knocking them down.”
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The No. 3 large school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, Chaminade (14-1) got a game-high 29 points from standout guard Jayson Tatum. He finished with a flourish as he scored 21 second-half points and went seven-of-eight at the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Chaminade led 39-26 at the half and appeared on its way to an easy victory. But Kirkwood (9-5) found another gear as it slapped together a 15-6 run to cut the Chaminade lead to 45-41 with 1 minute 52 seconds to play in the third.
The Pioneers came all the way back to trail 53-52 when Eric McWoods dropped in a transition layup with 6:09 left in the game. But the Red Devils had the answers. Tatum laid a nice pass off to Tyler Cook for a monster jam then scored five points, and Lewis knocked down a 3-pointer and a jumper to push the lead to 67-59 with 1:49 left in regulation.
“We cut it to one. Even when we cut it to one, I thought we had some opportunities,” Kirkwood coach Bill Gunn said. “That is a very good basketball team with very good players, and I think our guys are figuring out we’re a pretty good basketball team, too.”
Kirkwood spread the scoring around as David Haring and Antonio Weston both scored 11 points. Evan Booker finished with 10.
The Pioneers could have made things even tighter had they converted their free throws and bunnies. Kirkwood went 11-of-24 at the free throw line and missed an abundance of layups and putbacks. Even Booker, one of the more polished players on the court, missed a transition dunk that could have cut the lead to six with two minutes remaining.
Booker, who has battled back from chronic knee injuries during his high school career, went down in the first quarter when his leg was rolled up on by Cook, Chaminade’s 6-foot-8 monster post. Booker was off the court for a few minutes but eventually returned after getting looked at by the Kirkwood training staff. Booker, a Maryville recruit who averages 12 points and eight rebounds, is a huge piece of the Pioneers’ puzzle.
“The most important thing is he’s such a great kid. He’s exactly what you’d want your son to be. He’s had such tough luck over the last couple years,” Gunn said. “The biggest thing in that situation was getting him to relax. It’s happened so many times, I think his stress level is really high. I thought he came back and gutted it out on a gimpy ankle.”
The victory was a big one for Chaminade. A young team with a first-year head coach, the Red Devils picked up their third tournament championship of the season. They won the Pattonville and Chaminade Tournaments the first half of the season. Finding a way to best the field at Kirkwood, including the host, is big heading into the final phase of the regular season.
“Kirkwood is very well-coached, a seasoned team with hard-nosed, tough kids. We have the utmost respect for them,” Bennett said. “Coming into the game, this was a big game for us. This is the type of team we have to beat to go deep into the playoffs. It was a good test.”
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jayson Tatum, Chaminade
Grant Hollander, Chaminade
Mike Lewis, Chaminade
Lens McKeown, Hazelwood West
Tarrick Blair, Normandy
Melvin Johnson, Riverview Gardens
Brandon Hollins, Jennings
Sam Briscoe, Duchesne
Ryan Tune, Duchesne
Jordan Brown, Kirkwood
Antonio Weston, Kirkwood
