EDWARDSVILLE - A power outage at Edwardsville High School caused by Friday night's storms and tornadoes that passed through the St. Louis area caused the cancellation of the Scott Credit Union Edwardsville basketball Shootout, set for Saturday at Lucco-Jackson Gym.
It was the second consecutive year the shootout was canceled, as the 2020 edition was called off because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. A total of seven games scheduled on the slate were canceled.
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The power was knocked out during the storms Friday night, and had not been restored by Saturday morning, with no reassurances about a specific time when power would be restored. The cancellation of the event paled in comparison to the tragedy of the storm, where an Amazon warehouse was partially destroyed by the tornadoes.
"At the end of the day, the well-being of the community and the citizens are much more important than any sporting event we could hold," said Edwardsville High Athletic Director Alex Fox. "We were having power issues, and that's why we canceled everything."
The schedule was to have started with a pair of girls games - Civic Memorial going against Edwardsville and Nashville playing against Mary Institute-Country Day of Ladue, Mo. - followed by five boys games, with the first being Nashville and MICDS, followed by Ladue Horton Watkins against Collinsville, Kirkwood against Mascoutah, the Tigers' boys team against Bishop DuBourg Catholic of south St. Louis City and Westminster Christian of Town and Country, Mo., meeting Belleville East.
"Everyone's extremely understanding," Fox said, "everyone gets it and we're really happy everyone understands."
There is the possibility of rescheduling the event for a later date, but Fox also knows that it's still early in the season, and if the event can't be rescheduled, the players on all the teams still have plenty of games left and much to play for.
"It's a long season ahead, and there is the possibility of rescheduling," Fox said. "But if not, there are kids who will still have plenty of games to play in."
Fox thanked the teams and administrations for their support and understanding, along with the Edwardsville administration for their help and support.
"We want to thank the teams and administrations for their support," Fox said, "and I also want to thank our superintendent, Dr. (Patrick) Shelton, and our principal, Dr. (Steve) Stuart, for their assistance and their leadership last night."
Fox also had encouraging words for those who were affected by the storms and tornadoes, especially those affected by the Amazon warehouse collapse.
"Thoughts and prayers for all those affected in the Edwardsville community," Fox said, "and we, as the Edwardsville Community Unit District 7 athletic department, hope everyone recovers from this tragedy."
