Rubels help return St. Vincent's girls to elite status

The St. Vincent girls' basketball team is only two years removed from a 24-4 district championship-winning season that was on the backs of underclassmen.

With the arrival of the Rubel twins, Kate and Brie, the Lady Indians are back to being one of the best teams in Class 2 and also in the Southeast Missouri area.

"It's been a blessing to have both of them with us because they all play together," St. Vincent head coach Mel Kirn said. "I mean, it's not a selfish bone in anybody's body."

On the surface, all a 63-22 win over rival Perryville in the Mayor's Cup on Saturday, Feb. 1, did was improve St.Vincent's record to 16-2. In reality, it was a chance for seniors Haley Emmendorfer, Alivia Ellis, Mallory, and Alli Patrick to make up for the Indians losing last year.

"They wanted to go out on the winning note since they couldn't get a play last year because they've all injured," Kirn said. "They've stepped up so much. They've worked so hard to be where they are, and we gave them a lot of playing time today."

While none of them scored in double digits, the seniors played a major role in the Indians shooting 10-of-30 from the three-point line.

"They're all leaders," Kern said. "I don't care who you put in there, somebody will step up and take the leadership role."

Much like how the volleyball team shot up to the Class 2 final four this past fall, the Rubel sisters helped the Indians establish themselves among the local elite by filling a role they were previously missing.

"It's changed so positively having Kate inside because we never had a tall girl inside," Kirn said, "and then Brie helps take the pressure off of our guards when she's in there."

Kate Rubel scored 10 points with a team-high six rebounds against the Pirates and Brie Rubel scored seven with a team-high five assists. Despite being twins, their games are quite different, maximizing their impact on the St. Vincent roster.

"You got Kate, that's got the lengthy body, she's in there fighting for the rebounds and putting them back up," Kirn said. "You got the ball handler in Brie that'll drive and dish, and she's a good three-point shooter. So they each got their best things going for them, but they just gel with our other girls to make our other girls better."

The MVP of the Mayor's Cup was junior Lana Adams. The Missouri soccer commit led the Indians with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 4-of-7 from the three-point line. She was a star during her freshman year in 2023 but her maturity has led to her improvement and allowed her to stand out among a star-studded cast.

"She takes charge out there," Kirn said. "She don't fear nothing. She's one of our Bulldogs. She'll get down and she'll play tough, and she's a go-getter. She'll get on the defense and play defense. If we need a drive, she'll drive. She's really grown up a lot."

The defense was the key to St. Vincent's win over Perryville. The game was only close in the first quarter after St. Vincent led 18-11. The Indians proceeded to hold the Pirates to 11 points over the next three quarters.

Starting with Tuesday's matchup against Kelly, the Indians have a very favorable schedule throughout the month. Their final home games will be against Crystal City (Feb. 6) and Herculaneum (Feb. 10), where they can secure a conference championship with those wins.

"We hope we win both of those games, then we could be conference champs," Kirn said. "We got our work cut out for us. Nobody's gonna take it lightly."

It's not until the final two games at Delta (Feb. 18) and Chaffee (Feb. 20) that things get interesting. The Indians defeated the Ladycats 68-31 in the Holiday Classic but the road tilt against the Lady Devils serves as a Class 2 District 3 title game preview before the tournament.

Kirn acknowledges that anything can happen in the postseason, which is why he's confident in his depth eventually winning the day.

"It's tough to have a cold night when you have eight players and all eight of them can score," Kirn said.

As for Perryville, the Pirates were led by Abby Amberger's 12 points in a loss, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

Coming off an 18-9 season in 2024, the Pirates are clearly in rebuild mode, led by Amberger and the sophomores. At 7-10 with nine games to go, mostly against teams with similar records, February's slate will either make or break Perryville leading up to the Class 4 District 2 Tournament.

That slate will start on Tuesday as the Pirates host DeSoto.