Jericole Hellems led St. Louis (Mo.) Chaminade to a Group 5 state title game appearance with a string of strong performances, notching double-doubles in all four of the school's playoff contests. He scored 21 points and had 10 boards to go with seven assists in a 79-64 first-round win over St. Charles’s Howell High. Hellems contributed 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 79-72 victory against Florissant’s Hazelwood Central High in the semifinals.
Then Hellems saved his best for last. He scored 31 points, making 12 of 23 shots including 2 of 5 threes, and added 11 rebounds in an 80-77 triumph over Columbia Rock Bridge High. Then in the state title game, he had 32 points on 10-of-23 shooting, including 5 of 9 threes, and added 10 rebounds and five assists in a 101-90 setback to Webster Groves High.
In 29 games played for Chaminade, which finished 25-5, Hellems averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 51.4 percent from the field, including 43.2 percent on three-pointers (54 of 125). He made 75.4 percent of his free throws (150 of 199).
He was named the Metro Catholic Conference Player of the Year.
Derek Funderburk helped Northwest Florida State College win the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8 State Championship, a tournament held March 7-10.
Funderburk had 11 points, four points, two rebounds and two assists in an 80-78 quarterfinal win over Palm Beach State College. Two days later in the semifinals against Florida Southwestern, Funderburk had 14 points and five rebounds before fouling out in an 86-65 victory. In the title game, Funderburk posted seven points and six rebounds in a 92-67 rout of Chipola College.
Northwest Florida State then moved onto the national junior college tournament, where it opened with a 109-91 triumph over Western Nebraska Community College on Tuesday evening. Funderburk had 14 points and three rebounds in the win.
For the season, Funderburk is averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds for 31-2 Northwest Florida State. He is shooting 51.0 percent from the field (131 of 257), 75.4 percent at the line (98 of 130) and 28.4 percent on three-pointers (19 of 67).
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