Valmeyer sophomore Jacob Rowold drives to the hoop against Marissa earlier this season. He is averaging 12 points per game for the Pirates. (Corey Saathoff photo)

Basketball season is kicking into gear as local teams look to build momentum heading into the Freeburg Holiday Tournament.

Dupo (6-3) won 55-23 over Lebanon on Friday and won 48-38 over Red Bud on Saturday.

Kelvin Swims scored 20 points and made nine steals for the Tigers in Friday’s win. Tyler Kyle added 19 points.

Swims led Dupo with 16 points on Saturday. The Tigers played at Steeleville on Tuesday and host Valmeyer this Friday.

Dupo defeated Grandview last Wednesday, 73-30. Swims scored 26 points to lead the way again. Swims is tops on the Tigers in scoring at 20 points per game.

Last Tuesday, Dupo dropped a 56-43 contest at Marissa despite 23 points from Swims.

Gibault (3-4) lost 59-53 at Metro-East Lutheran on Friday and dropped a 54-21 contest Saturday at undefeated Nashville.

Karson Huels scored his 1,000th career point as a Hawk in Friday’s loss. He is averaging 17 points per game to lead Gibault, including 85 percent shooting from the free throw line.

Gibault won last Tuesday night at New Athens, 67-56. Huels scored 22 points and Logan Doerr added 19 points for the Hawks.

Gibault hosts Mater Dei on Friday and will play at cross-town rival Waterloo this Saturday night.

Waterloo (1-6) lost 75-47 at Triad on Friday and dropped a 64-31 contest at home to Carbondale on Saturday. 

Jake Wade and Austin Balabas scored 12 points each to lead the Bulldogs on Friday. 

Last Tuesday, Waterloo lost 59-23 at Freeburg. The Bulldogs shot just 20.6 percent from the floor in defeat. 

Waterloo hosted Staunton on Tuesday, hosts Jerseyville on Friday and hosts Gibault on Saturday.

Tre Wahlig leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 7.4 points per game.

As a team, head coach Dane Walter’s Bulldogs are shooting just 23 percent from the floor this season. 

Columbia (3-4) lost 70-47 at Belleville East on Saturday. Jacob O’Connor scored 16 points to lead the Eagles, who hosted Salem on Tuesday and will play at Freeburg on Friday.

Columbia dropped a 60-50 contest Thursday night at home against Granite City. Jon Peterson scored 19 for the Eagles.

Last Tuesday, Columbia won 63-26 at Roxana. Jackson Holmes, the younger brother of former Eagles hoops greats Jonny and Jordan Holmes, led Columbia with 16 points. 

Peterson leads the Eagles with averages of nearly 13 points and nine rebounds per game. Cole Khoury averages 12 points per contest.

Valmeyer (2-5) lost 61-49 at home to rival New Athens on Friday. Riley McCarthy scored 15 points for the Pirates.

Following a loss to Steeleville last Monday night, the Pirates pulled out a 50-47 victory at home over Lebanon last Tuesday. 

Philip Reinhardt scored 17 points and Conor Greer added 14 points for Valmeyer, which plays at Dupo on Friday and hosts Red Bud on Saturday. 

Reinhardt leads the Pirates at 15.4 points per game, followed by Jacob Rowold at 12 points per game.

The Freeburg Holiday Tournament takes place Dec. 26-29, with all five local teams participating. See a full tourney schedule in next week’s paper.