HAZELWOOD • Having played in roughly half her team's games, junior guard Alexus Davis isn't typically in McCluer North's rotation.

But the 5-foot-4 Davis came up much bigger than her diminutive stature Thursday to help McCluer North put a squeeze on its fourth consecutive conference title in holding off host Hazelwood West 37-35.

Davis stripped Hazelwood West senior guard Lakeita Chappel as Chappel went up for a 3-pointer just ahead of the final buzzer in a Suburban XII North showdown between STLhighschoolsports.com top-10 girls basketball teams.

“I felt very proud of myself there because I know I am a good defensive player,” Davis said. “Sometimes, I don't have a lot of confidence. I had to have confidence right there because I couldn't let my team down.”

Not only did Davis have confidence, so did Stars coach Pat Daugherty.

He put Davis in during the final minutes specifically for her defense.

“It was a great strip by a girl we threw in from the bench," Daugherty said. "(Davis) was like, 'I'll do it,' and she jumped in and got it done.”

Senior guard Anasha Hurst scored 15 points to lead McCluer North (16-7 overall, 4-0 conference), the No. 9 team in the STLhighschoolsports.com large-school rankings, which won its seventh consecutive game.

With the win in hand, all the Stars have to do is defeat McCluer at home closing out the regular season Feb. 9 to secure the outright conference title.

“These kids work way too hard on the court,” Daugherty said of the Stars. “This is a special group and it's a special win.”

Hazelwood West junior guard Mallory Meeks scored 15 points.

But the Wildcats (11-5, 3-1) only made 10 field goals and stayed in the game because they made 11 of 14 free throws.

“I haven't seen them that cold all season,” said Wildcats coach Kelly Russell, whose team had a five-game win streak snapped. “I hope to never see them that cold again.”

McCluer North held Chappel, one of the area's leading scorers, to roughly half her scoring average at 10 points.

In a game which featured nine lead changes and five ties, McCluer North took the lead for good on a layup by freshman guard Michelle Owens to make it 27-25 late in the third quarter.

Hazelwood West, the No. 10 team in the STLhighschoolsports.com large-schools rankings, led 19-17 at halftime before McCluer North seized a 30-25 lead after the third quarter.

“It was an aggressive game and (West) played very well, too,” Hurst said. “It was great to come away with the big win.”