In a season that’s had its fair share of heart-ache, the Mehlville Senior High School boys’ basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 51-48 double-overtime loss at Ladue Friday night.
“We had a couple of chances to win, but just couldn’t get it done,” Mehlville head coach Andy Guethle said. “It was one of those games where you’ve just got to figure out how to win.”
The Panthers (7-12, 0-5 Suburban West) found themselves down 22-17 at halftime, but outscored Ladue 29-24 in the second half to tie the game 46-46 at the end of the fourth quarter. Mehlville then mustered two points in the first overtime period, but went scoreless in the second overtime period as Ladue nailed down a three-point shot for the victory.
“We had our chance to win in the first overtime, but we didn’t set the screen on a play and ended up turning the ball over,” Guethle said. “In the second overtime, we were on defense for the first two or three minutes. We also only had eight guys dressed and played just six in the second half.”
Alexis Reedus led the Panthers with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The senior guard also recorded two steals and two assists in the loss to Ladue.
“Alexis is a real aggressive player that really attacks the basket,” Guethle said. “I give him a lot of credit because he practices hard every day and is having a pretty solid senior year.”
Mehlville’s Aaron Alexander also scored in double figures with 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Panthers outrebounded Ladue 41-18 as the junior forward had one steal and one blocked shot.
“When Aaron gets down low, he scores a majority of the time,” Guethle said. “The trouble is getting him the ball because teams key on him so much.”
The Panthers return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they play host to conference opponent Marquette.
Marquette (13-5, 3-1 Suburban West Conference) is coming off a 53-50 road win at Francis Howell as the Mustangs’ Chad Haley led all scorers with 25 points.
“Marquette’s got some nice players and are well coached,” Guethle said. “They’re having a good season, but if we play well, I think that we can beat them.”
