Local teams will get their fill of Maplewood-Richmond Heights this season

Maplewood-Richmond Heights was a nightmare for teams around the state the past two years. This season, they'll make three trips to Southeast Missouri for regular-season games.

The Blue Devils — who won back-to-back state championships with Minnesota recruit Bryant Allen leading the way — are one of 14 teams on the sixth annual Heartland Hoopfest schedule, which was made final last week. That event Dec. 19 in Perryville will pit Maplewood — with head coach and Charleston alum Corey Frazier — against Jackson.

The full Hoopfest lineup: Herculaneum vs. Chester, Ill., at 10 a.m.; Cape Girardeau Central vs. Farmington at 11:45; St. Vincent vs. Valle at 1:30 p.m.; Jackson vs. Maplewood at 3:15; Perryville vs. Saxony Lutheran at 5; Charleston vs. Whitfield at 6:45; and Ballard County (Ky.) Memorial vs. Oakville at 8:30.

Maplewood's trip to Perryville is the first of three intriguing Southeast Missouri stops. The Blue Devils go to Charleston on Jan. 30, a rematch of last season's playoff game that saw Maplewood win 73-58; then go to Scott County Central on Feb. 20 for their first meeting.

The Perryville event is one of three shootout-style events announced so far for the upcoming season; organizers earlier announced schedules for the Pepsi Showcase in Cape Girardeau and the Riverbend Classic at New Madrid County Central.