Private High Schools Compete in UST Basketball Classic

The University of St. Thomas hosted the 9th Annual Celt Basketball Classic, a tournament for private high school boys and girls basketball teams, on Nov. 1-3. More than 160 athletes from 10 Texas schools participated in the event.

The St. Agnes Academy Tigers took first place by winning the Girls Gold Division with a score of 64-37 over the Christian Homeschool Association Wolverines.  St. Agnes had three members make the All-Tournament Team including Crystal Ike, Ava Ring and Michelle Nwokedi.  Nwokedi, a junior forward, earned the tournament MVP title for the second consecutive year. 

Other members of the All-Tournament Team included Jessi Mueller and Katy Quinones of the Christian Homeschool Association, Cary Truesdale of Westbury Christian School, and Maggie Pesek from Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, Texas.

In the Boys Division, The Village School Vikings took first place by winning the Boys Gold Division with a score of 69-60 over the Homeschool Christian Youth Association Warriors. The Village School had three members make the All-Tournament Team including Josh Butler, Dylan Jones and Isaiah Taylor. Taylor earned the tournament MVP title for his outstanding point guard play throughout the tournament. 

Other members of the All-Tournament Team included TJ Rhodes and Justin Jackson of the Homeschool Christian Youth Association, John Griffin of St. Pius High School, and Jaime Keating from St. Thomas High School.

The Girls Silver Bracket Champion was Westbury Christian School and the Boys Silver Bracket Champion was St. Pius X High School.  St. Pius X won a spirited matchup over St. Thomas High School, 54-43.

Matt Prasifka, assistant vice president for Campus Life at UST, served as the tournament coordinator. 

"The first weekend in November is a great time to be on the UST campus," Prasifka said. "From a basketball perspective, the tournament always has a high level of play.  From a recruitment perspective, it is a chance for us to showcase the campus to prospective students and their families."

For more information on visiting the UST campus, visit the Campus and Student Life website. Also, check out the men's and women's basketball teams at UST.

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Pictured:
Photo One: St. Agnes Academy Tigers
Photo Two: The Village School Vikings

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The University of St. Thomas, dedicated to educating leaders of faith and character, is a private institution committed to the liberal arts and to the religious, ethical and intellectual tradition of Catholic higher education. St. Thomas is Houston’s only Catholic University and was founded by the Basilian Fathers.