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Sports

March Madness Strikes Lindbergh Gym

Locals match up on basketball court and raise $1,635 for the tornado survivors fund, Sunset Hills Mayor Bill Nolan tells us.

The cause: Firefighters, police, teachers and local celebrities hit the basketball court Tuesday night at Lindbergh High School to raise money for their neighbors recovering from the fierce tornado that struck Sunset Hills on New Year’s Eve. Local Final Four organizer Bill Eydman said the fundraiser sprang from a chat with Kevin O’Leary, owner of O’Leary’s Restaurant, and he hoped to capitalize on college basketball’s March Madness.

Sunset Hills Mayor Bill Nolan said Thursday that $1,635 was raised Tuesday night for the 14 families helped by the Sunset Hills Tornado Assistance Fund.

Eydman said other donations made it all possible. He explained how he came up with the makeup of the teams.
“Those are the people who responded first to the tornado,” Eydman said. “It’s the whole idea behind the shooting match."

Who hit the court: In the first match, Mehlville firefighters attempted to douse the hot shooting police officers from the departments of Sunset Hills and the Affton Precinct with St. Louis County. The cops were too hot to handle, though, and firefighters officially went down in flames 51-23. However, with a little help from former KMOX announcer Jim Holder over the speaker system, the firefighters learned they had an amazing run scoring 29 points in merely four seconds for an unbelievable come from behind victory.

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Mehlville firefighter Jake “Big Jake” Lickteig said afterward that he hoped the game wouldn’t be reported in the obituaries because of the killing his team endured. He added it was nice to see the police officers in a basketball jersey instead of a police uniform.

“It’s nice to see these guys outside of responding to a call,” Lickteig said. “I told them we should do this more often.”

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In the second matchup, faculty from Lindbergh High School tried to teach the All-Stars (our own local celebrities) the finer points of the jump shot, but the local personas didn’t need no stinkin’ education.

The All-Stars came out 14 points ahead at the buzzer winning 54-40. Sunset Hills Alderman Scott Haggerty coached the All-Stars to victory and said overall fundraising efforts for the tornado survivors have topped $226,000. 

Best trash talk of the night: While the firefighters may not have pulled away with an official victory, they certainly won the Trash Talk Award for the evening. The team decorated their bench with posters razzing the opponents. Amid one-liners talking donut shops, the signs proclaimed: “If firefighting were easy, cops could do it!”

Who riled up the crowd: The excitement was contagious in the gym with Fredbird ruffling feathers, the Blues Towel Man lofting shots through the uprights, and even Wil “The Thrill” Stelzer showcasing Globetrotter-esque skills to the throng of fans.

Miss the game? Those sports fans who missed the games, but still want to lend a hand to their neighbors need only to contact Enterprise Bank or Sunset Hills City Hall to donate to the Tornado Assistance Fund.

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