On January 26, the Scholar Knights traveled to Metro East Lutheran High School (MELHS) for matches with MELHS, East St. Louis and Jerseyville. In the opening match against MELHS, Mater Dei converted five of the first six toss ups to jump out to a 140-30 lead. Maintaining the lead throughout the match, Mater Dei went on to win 350-190. In the second match, the Knights faced the Jerseyville Panthers. In the first half, after the Panthers kept pace with the Knights through eight questions, Mater Dei slowly forged ahead and led 150-90 at halftime. In the second half, however, the Knights took command and cruised to a 310-200 victory. In the final match against the East St. Louis Flyers, Mater Dei led 180-30 at halftime and held the Flyers scoreless in the second half, winning 320-30. Ethan Schumacher led the team with eighteen toss ups, followed by John Hund (6), Amber Litteken (4), Alex Rivera (2), Nick Toennies (2) and John Hilmes (1).
Next, on February 7, the Scholar Knights competed for the Catholic Schools Tournament crown at Althoff. In the opening match against Gibault, Mater Dei wasted no time grounding the Hawks, as the Knights led by the maximum score of 120-0 after three questions. Mater Dei continued to dominate throughout the match, leading 210-40 at halftime and winning with a final score of 360-120. In the second match, Mater Dei faced the Althoff Crusaders, who looked to close the gap on the Knights in the Metro East Quad League standings, as the second-place Crusaders trailed the Knights by three games. After Mater Dei led 190-50 at halftime and extended the lead to 330-50, Althoff went on a four-question run to close the gap, which resulted in Mater Dei winning with a final score of 340-140. In the final match, the Scholar Knights faced the Marquette Explorers. After leading 220-60 at halftime, Mater Dei marched to a 320-150 victory. By virtue of their 3-0 performance, the Scholar Knights were awarded the Catholic Schools Championship! Ben Logullo led the team with sixteen toss ups, followed by Ethan Schumacher (8), Nick Toennies (6), John Hund (3), Drew Potthast (2) and Alex Rivera (1). Ethan Guillot, John Hilmes, Mackenzie Horstmann, Minh Lĕ, Anthony Lepore and Jaden Meadows also contributed to the wins.
Finally, on February 9, the Scholar Knights concluded their regular season play in Columbia. In the opener, the Knights faced Metro East Lutheran High School (MELHS). MELHS kept the match close early, as Mater Dei lead 90-80 through seven questions. But in the end, Mater Dei had MELHS outmatched and won 320-120. In the second match against the Fr. McGivney Griffins, after remaining tied after six questions, the Knights found their groove and won 450-110. In the final match, the Knights faced the Columbia Eagles. The Eagles flew out to an early 110-70 lead after six questions, but by halftime, the Knights managed to claim a 150-110 advantage. The Eagles kept within striking distance for much of the second half, but a four-question run sealed the win 330-150 for the Scholar Knights. Ben Logullo led the team with ten toss-ups, followed by Ethan Schumacher (9), John Hund (9), Alex Rivera (3), Jaden Meadows (3) and Nick Toennies (2). Mackenzie Horstmann, Anthony Lepore, Alex Norris and Drew Potthast also contributed to the victories.
The Scholar Knights’ record is now 50-1, which includes a record of 26-0 in Metro East Quad League play. They will attempt to continue their winning streak at the Masonic Tournament on February 18, the Metro East Quad League Championship on February 23, the Clinton County Tournament on February 28 and IHSA Regionals on March 6.
