After winning the Mid-West Division title of the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL) last weekend, the St. Louis Surge concludes its home campaign this Saturday with an exhibition warm-up prior to its national tournament trek.
Photo Credit: Mick Lite Photography
St. Louis, the WBCBL defending champs, hosts the Flint (MI) Monarchs at 7:05 p.m. at UMSL’s Mark Twain Building (1 University Blvd.)
The Surge (9-1 in the WBCBL and 10-1 overall) raised divisional hardware last Saturday following a semifinal win over Missouri Arch Angles (89-52) and a trophy topper over Nebraska (96-60). During the semifinal, everyone that took to the court posted points. Meanwhile in the finale, six Surge players collected double-digits.
“We play so well together,” said Surge guard Brittany Carter of the team’s solid collective output. “We share the ball and just get excited for each other. The hype of our fans, the hype of our team mates, it’s just such a fun environment and that’s what keeps us going.”
St. Louis now advances to the eight-team WBCBL National Championships in Greenville, South Carolina the first weekend of August. The third-seeded Surge faces sixth-seeded San Antonio in the quarterfinals on Saturday, August 1. (An exclusive preview of the two-day tourney will be featured next week at Arch City Sports.)
Photo Credit: Mick Lite Photography
In preparation, the Surge will compete at Saturday’s home court exhibition finale against the Monarchs, the defending champions of the Women’s American Basketball Association (WABA). Flint (4-0) maintained its spotless record with a 72-63 win over the Milwaukee Aces on July 17.
The Monarchs’ offense is paced by guard Jasmine Thomas (16 PPG) and forward Jasmine McCall (15 PPG).
St. Louis counters with Carter (13.6 PPG), Rebecca Harris (16 PPG), Jaleesa Butler (13.4 PPG), and Leah Cotton (12.9 PPG), Sam Price (9.4 PPG) and Raven Berry (9.2 PPG). Cassie Rochel, Brianna Puni, Bianca Beck, Yelena Rosado, Devonna Smith and Gabrielle Green are also instrumental in the Surge’s successful formula.
Photo Credit: Mick Lite Photography
The rare “champ vs. champ” battle is projected to be a great primer for both squads prior to their respective title defenses.
“They’re the 2014 WABA champions and I know Coach Bill (Schnorenberg) personally,” said Surge Coach Tony Condra of the visitors. “It should be a good game, a real good game, to prepare us for nationals.”
Tickets for the home finale, promoted by the Surge as “Ignite STL Night,” are $8 for adults while students, either college or high school with ID, are $5. Children five and under get in free as well as youth teams sporting their team’s jerseys.
For more information on the St. Louis Surge, go to stlsurgebasketball.com.
