Talent, teamwork and coaching make the win for St. Louis Surge
Posted July 6, 2017
The St. Louis Surge has emerged as one of the signature franchises of the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League.
In the past three seasons, the Surge has dominated the WBCBL landscape with national championships in 2014 and 2016, three consecutive Midwest regional championships and a national runner-up finish in 2015.
With a dedicated owner in Khalia Collier, a top-flight head coach in Tony Condra and another talented cast of players in the fold, the Surge are in the hunt for another championship this summer. They have developed a culture of winning and teamwork that has made them a dominant team year-in and year-out.
“The culture of the Surge winning is based off of player personality and the environment,” Condra said. “All players get along and the environment is not stressful, which allows players to win on and off the floor.”
Said Collier, “I am incredibly proud of the growth of the Surge franchise over the past six years in terms of the caliber of players, fans and sponsors. Every year, we get better, on and off the court, and this year has been no exception. Tony has continued to grow and evolve over the past five years with this being his fourth year as head coach. He understands the vision for the program and has worked extremely hard.”
The defending champions are off to another great season with an 8-0 record heading into Saturday night’s contest against the Midwest Flyers Elite at Washington University in a 7:05 p.m. tip-off.
Not only are the Surge a winning outfit, they are very entertaining to watch while winning basketball games. They are the top offensive team in the WBCBL, averaging more than 106 points a game. The Surge have five players who average in double figures scoring with two more averaging just over eight points a game.
In their last game, the Surge scored a season-high 121 points in a 41-point victory over the Garland Hoyas on June 26. They have also scored 113 points twice and 109 points on another occasion.
“The key to our offensive excellence is that all the players believe and trust each other, which allows them to share the ball,” Condra said. “Along with committing to defense, it allows us to force turnovers into points.”
Veteran guard Rebecca Harris has been the Surge’s leader once again this season. The former Mascoutah High standout is averaging a team-high 17 points a game while also getting 6.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and three steals a game. She has been a stalwart in the team’s recent run of championship success.
Guard Leah Cotton is second in scoring at 15 points a game while 6’1” forward Kristi Bellock is averaging 14 points while leading the team in rebounding at nearly nine a game. Forward Patrice Butler is averaging 12 points and six rebounds while shooting an impressive 46 percent from 3-point range. Center Michala Johnson is the fifth player in double figures at 11 points a game. Wing players Krysten Crawford and Jaleesa Butler (Vashon/Alton) are both averaging eight points a game to provide even more offensive firepower.
Saturday night’s game against the Midwest Flyers will be a battle between the top two teams in the Midwest Region. The Flyers only loss came to the Surge 90-69 on June 4. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students with a valid middle school, high school or college ID. Children under 5 years of age get in free.
