ALTON - Alton High's boys' basketball team faced some top-notch Missouri competition in the Alton Tip-Off Tournament this past weekend.
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Alton High Athletic Director Chris Kusnerick was excited to host the tournament and open the new season. The turnout for this year's Redbirds boys basketball team was more than in recent years and the talent level appears stronger on the varsity team, the athletic director said.
New head coach Eric McCrary, a former player and coach at Belleville East High School has been appointed as the new head boys basketball coach at Alton High School and appears to sparked enthusiasm in the Redbird squad.
McCrary is a graduate of Belleville East, Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, and Missouri Baptist University in West St. Louis County, and replaced Dana Morgan, who stepped down after two seasons as head coach of the Redbirds.
SATURDAY NIGHT ALTON TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT
CONFLUENCE ACADEMY (ST. LOUIS) 71, ALTON 48: Confluence Academy won its final game of the Alton Tip-Off Classic on Saturday night, defeating the host Redbirds at the Redbirds Nest.
Byron Stampley, Jr. led Alton with 13 points, while Blake Hall added 10 points, both Ihzel Brown and Jeremiah Van Zandt had six points each, Adrian Elliott had five points, Roger Elliott added four and both Hassan Elliott and Kam Burnett scored two points apiece.
Confluence goes to 2-1 on the year, while the Redbirds are now 0-3.
In other games on the tournament's final day, O'Fallon won over Bishop DuBourg Catholic of St. Louis 63-23 and Belleville East defeated Hazelwood East 80-28.
FRIDAY NIGHT ALTON TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT
BISHOP DUBOURG CATHOLIC (ST. LOUIS) 75, ALTON 63: In the final game of Day Two of the Alton Tip-Off Classic, Bishop DuBourg came back from an eight-point first-quarter deficit to win over the host Redbirds at the Redbirds Nest.
Alton led after the first quarter 18-10, but the Cavaliers bounced back to take a 34-24 lead at halftime and extended it to 58-37 after three quarters, but the Redbirds outscored DuBourg 24-17 in the final quarter, with the visitors taking the win.
Roger Elliott led Alton with 21 points, while Byron Stampley added 15 points, Adrian Elliott, Jr. had 13 points, Ihzel Brown came up with nine points, Kam Burnett had three points and Tyrius Jones had two points.
The Cavaliers are now 1-1, while the Redbirds drop to 0-2.
In the other games of the second day, O'Fallon won over Hazelwood East 60-26 and St. Louis Confluence Academy defeated Belleville East 82-75.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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