Think Win-Win in Isolation

ST. LOUIS - Hope everyone is taking some time to re-energize, lay low and look at life through a different lens. This Coronavirus situation has everyone hitting the reset button. Everyone is feeling caged in, isolated and flat out bored of just sitting around waiting. Waiting for answers of what to do next. 

Ironically, I was in this same situation at the end of last summer. It was not a case of the Coronavirus but a small case of the “Victimitis Virus.” A lot of people get infected with this contagious virus and they believe that everyone has it in for them and that the world owes them something. Believe it or not that was me.  

Last August, I had a real heart to heart with myself about what would happen if basketball was taken away from me. For the first time in my life I was without basketball because at the tender age of 38 I ruptured my Achilles tendon and it required surgery. 

All I could think of was why me? What would I do next? Who would I become after the long stretch of rehabbing and physical therapy? How would I get through these days? What type of father would I become, what type of husband, Coach and friend would I be after having to sit and wait, and wait, and wait on my body to finally say it’s time for you to get up and get back moving?   

I hope by me suffering from the “Victimitis Virus”, some young people can view my situation and know how to handle themselves if they start feeling ill from sitting around over these next couple of weeks bored without the things they love. First things first, the world owes us nothing. It was here first. Don’t be a victim, be proactive. 

The same approach I took with my Achilles, I’m taking with being isolated and self-quarantining. I hope that you guys can take the same approach and understand we can’t control everything that happens to us. We can’t control whether or not our sports seasons were cancelled. We can't control when we will be able to return to school or work. We can't even control whether or not things will go back to being the same. But there is one thing that we can control and that’s how we respond to our situations. That’s really all that matters.

With this situation, just like so many others that we will face in our lifetime; proactive people are frequently rewarded for their efforts. They take control of their lives and have more freedom to do what they want. Proactive people draw others to them with their positive, can do attitude. 

For the next couple of days visualize what you want to do for the next five-ten years. Picture a background, where are you and who are you with? What are you guys doing? This exercise was very helpful to me because it started to evoke inner peace and had me equipped for whatever came my way. I've trained myself to live with many things that I can't do anything about. And you should too. Turn this setback into a triumph. 

To all the families out there, take care of one another and hold the next person close to you accountable. Don't let them become a victim and just sit around and waste this very important time. It starts with the person in the mirror. 

I have attached a list of basketball drills that can be done while isolated and home after you have completed all your school/home tasks. All you really need is a ball and some space in the backyard, basement, and or outside. Remember to be careful. Make sure that you properly take care of your hygiene like washing your hands and washing up after performing some or even all of these drills. Continue to strive for greatness in everything you do.  

• Coach Bryan Turner  

Ball Handling

Exercise

Reps

Pound dribble

90

Alternate dribble

90

1 low/ 1 high right

85

1 low/1 high left

85

Front to Back

70

Windshied Wiper

70

Broken Wiper

65

Hand to hand Right

50

Hand to Hand Left

50

Right over left

50

Left over right

45

Alternate

45

2 ball figure 8

45

Back to front between-R

45

Back to front between-L

35

Alternate

35

Behind back

50

Back to front behind-R

35

Back to front behind-L

35

3 cone pull back

2 ball shadow

Westminster knocks off St. Mary's

CEDAR HILL — The young guard tandem of sophomore Casen Lawrence and freshman Jakobi Williams combined for 33 points Tuesday to spark the Westminster boys basketball team to a 72-50 victory against St. Mary's in a Class 4 sectional at Northwest High.

Lawrence led the way with 19 points and Williams added 14 for Westminster (24-4), in its first sectional since 2015.

Two other Wildcats scored 11 points each — senior Brennan Orf and senior Matthew George — and sophomore Samuel Vestal contributed 10 points.

"I thought we competed really hard," Westminster coach Dale Ribble said. "We were fortunate to come out with a win. We were pretty well-balanced, but I think we've played better this year. I have to credit St. Mary's because they made it hard on us. They pressured us.

"I hope we can take care of the basketball better in the next game. We're glad we get to continue playing."

The Wildcats advanced to play Cape Notre Dame, a 59-36 sectional winner Tuesday against Park Hills Central, in a Class 4 quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Jefferson College. 

The Bulldogs beat the Wildcats in a Class 4 quarterfinal in 2015.

St. Mary's (11-17) was the Class 4 state runner-up last season.

"That team is pretty good," St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said about Westminster. "Credit Coach Ribble. They have shooters. They have bigs. They have it all. We came with a game plan, but we didn't execute it to the fullest. I think we missed 10 shots in the first half and if you're not knocking down shots, you'll get in trouble. Hats off to Westminster."

Westminster led 27-17 at halftime.

"I didn't think we played that well in the first half," Ribble said. "We turned the ball over and you have to credit St. Mary's with that. They were running their press and trapping out of their half-court stuff and that bothered us some."

The Wildcats committed 12 turnovers in the first half. That helped keep the Dragons in the game.

"It was definitely a rough first half," Lawrence said. "We cleaned that up and did a better job in the second half. Coach told us we weren't playing like we were capable of playing. We all knew that. We came and played better offensively."

Indeed.

The Wildcats scored the first eight points of the third quarter. Lawrence's 3-pointer, one of five he made, capped the run, giving Westminster a 35-17 advantage.

St. Mary's came back behind the play of two seniors. Sofara Rasas led all scorers with 25 points and nine rebounds. Noah Hamilton added 11 points.

"He's been our bellcow all year," Turner said about Rasas. "But we need to have multiple guys in double digits to get wins like we did during the season. Those guys just kind of ran out of gas. You need role players to step up and have some big moments."

The Dragons trailed 45-38 heading into the final period.

But Westminster was not to be denied. The Wildcats employed a zone defense and the Dragons had trouble with it.

"We worked on zones all year," Turner said. "In the heat of the moment, we try to control the tempo. We tried to push the ball up the court before they could set up in it but we didn't have a lot of success doing that. It just kind of squeezed the life out of us."

Lawrence began the final quarter off to a good start for the Wildcats by draining a long 3. He said that's what he does best.

"I like to shoot," Lawrence said. "It's fun to shoot. I do what I can to help the team."

Williams, his young backcourt teammate, hit several big free throws in the fourth quarter when St. Mary's began to foul.

"Jakobi has been a great player this season for us," Lawrence said. "He's a great defender and he can shoot free throws."

Ribble is excited about having those two youngsters around in the future.

"I think he's (Lawrence) going to be a really good player," Ribble said. "Jakobi played really well. He continues to get better. He's going to be a good player, too. There's hope for the future."

The Wildcats used a 9-0 run to stretch their lead to 64-46 with 3:14 to play.

Shortly after that, Ribble began clearing his bench.

"This was a great win," Orf said. "They played fast paced and got a lot of turnovers but we had to take care of ball more and be more efficient with our scoring chances and we did that. We got everyone involved."

This was St. Mary's fourth consecutive sectional appearance.

"I'm proud of the seniors and for the way they played and their careers here," Turner said. "We won four district championships with them.

By Warren Mayes of the Post Dispatch

St. Mary's Winter Slog Served Its Purpose

Bryan Turner knew life would be different when star point guard Yuri Collins graduated.

But even in his most pessimistic moments, the St. Mary’s basketball coach never envisioned the numerous challenges his Dragons would have to overcome this season.

Four players Turner expected to be a part of the team transferred to different schools prior to the season. Already without Collins, who’s become one of the top freshman point guards in the nation at St. Louis U., the transition was turbulent.

“We had to revamp the whole team,” Turner said. “We were pulling kids up from the junior varsity. Our football team made a run, so we played the first seven games without those guys.”

To say St. Mary’s (11-16) took its lumps is too kind. The Dragons were slayed routinely throughout the cold, dark winter. St. Mary’s finished 0-8 in the Archdiocesan Athletic Association large division. The Dragons didn’t win a home game during the regular season. The schedule did them no favors in the win column because it was cupcake free. Nonconference opponents included Chaminade, McCluer, East St. Louis and O’Fallon, both of which are still alive in the Illinois playoffs. The AAA was particularly good this winter as Cardinal Ritter will play in the Class 3 semifinals on Friday. On Saturday, St. Dominic stunned McCluer for its first district championship since 2010. Tolton was eliminated from the Class 3 tournament on a half-court buzzer beater, and Borgia always is tough to conquer.

The Class 4 runner-up last season, St. Mary’s was tested at every turn.

“It can be tough,” Dragons senior guard Sofora Rasas said. “You have to win or learn. You can’t dwell on a loss.”

The Dragons learned plenty about themselves this season. One of the most important moments came during the holidays. The 6-foot-4 and 180-pound Rasas is by far and away the Dragons' most significant offensive presence. He averages 24.3 points per game and has more than doubled the point total of his closest teammate. He’s also good for 6.9 rebounds and was one of the few experienced returners that saw time during last season’s runner-up finish.

Rasas, 18, was out sick when St. Mary’s traveled to play in the Carbondale Holiday Tournament. He didn’t travel with the team and that did not bode well, the Dragons entered the tournament 2-7.

Without its leader and top scorer, St. Mary’s ripped off three consecutive wins for the first time this season and advanced to play in the tournament championship game. Rasas was disappointed he couldn’t be there but was thrilled at what the team accomplished.

“I hated it,” Rasas said. “I was calling those guys between games. I was excited for them. I’m proud of those guys.”

Added senior guard Noah Hamilton, “The Carbondale tournament was big for us and our younger guys. The guys learned what they could do and got more confidence.”

Hamilton has been critical to the Dragons this season as he’s averaging 9.3 points and nearly four assists per game. He’s become more of a leader after taking on point guard duties.

“I feel like I’ve grown into the role, getting my boys in a position to score,” Hamilton said. “I’m continuing to get better at it.”

The wave of the Dragons rode into the Carbondale tournament title game collapsed in eight minutes. Carbondale outscored St. Mary’s 20-1 in the first quarter and rolled to a 62-28 victory.

The result was disappointing, but the progress was tangible for the young team. St. Mary’s strung together another three consecutive wins when it beat Althoff, Madison and Barstow in mid-January. Madison will play in an Illinois Class 1A super-sectional Tuesday night.

The Dragons are riding a two-game win streak after they defended their home court during the district tournament. St. Mary’s beat Gateway STEM 81-55 on Thursday to win its fourth consecutive district championship and ninth since 1967.

St. Mary’s reward is a sectional game against Westminster (23-4) at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday at Northwest-Cedar Hill. After spending the winter getting battered and bruised, the Dragons are right where they wanted to be all along.

“We kept our eyes on this time of year,” Turner said. “As a coaching staff we never held our heads down. We weren’t playing for right now, we were playing for February and March.”

St. Mary’s is one of two teams that remain in Class 4 with a sub-.500 record. Rolla (12-16) is the other. But records don’t mean anything now. It’s all about who executes and performs at the highest level that night. Westminster has been among the best teams in the area all season and did something St. Mary’s couldn’t — it beat Borgia. The Wildcats defeated the Knights in a district semifinal last week.

Pressure does funny things to teams this time of year. St. Mary’s is about as immune to that bug as a team can be. The trials and tribulations of the winter saw to that.

“We were getting our heads pounded in,” Turner said. “We scored one point in a quarter, what more can a team do to us? We just have to come together and play for each other.”

by David Kvidahl

State Championship Game

SPRINGFIELD, MO. • Yuri Collins' left knee felt better Saturday morning.

So good, in fact, he walked to breakfast with a cane.

The senior point guard for the St. Mary's basketball team, Collins put together an incredible performance but couldn't quite get his team over the hump. Grandview defended its Class 4 boys state championship by surviving the St. Mary's upset bid 69-64 at JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University.

Collins scored a game-high 34 points, grabbed four rebounds, handed out four assists and had two steals. A 5-foot-10 St. Louis U. recruit, Collins injured his left knee early in the second quarter of Friday's semifinal against Ladue. A night of treatment had his balky leg feeling better, but not 100 percent.

“It's been hurting since (Friday). I've been trying to do as much as I can to make it feel better,” Collins said. “I was going to step on that court and give it my all, one leg or not, one arm or not. No matter what I had I was going to give it my all.”

Grandview (29-2), from suburban Kansas City, got everything Collins had and then some. St. Mary's (18-13) raced out to a 10-2 lead and finished the first quarter ahead 21-15.

The Bulldogs found their rhythm in the second quarter. They got a monster performance from senior point guard Deandre Sorrells, who finished with a team-best 26 points and hit 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Bigger and stronger, Grandview went to work with its size, too. Senior center Kamto Eze (6-foot-6, 200 pounds) had 17 points, 14 rebounds and blocked five shots. Freshman forward Taj Manning (6-foot-6, 175 pounds) finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Grandview led 38-30 at halftime and opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run over the first minute and half to take a 46-30 lead, its largest of the night.

But the Bulldogs were wary.

“I knew it wasn't over,” Grandview coach Reggie Morris said. “I knew there was going to be another run.”

Collins put his cape back on and took over. He scored the Dragons' next 11 points. His 3-point play with 2 minutes and 11 seconds in the third trimmed Grandview's lead to 50-48. He found senior center Donavan Parker for a corner pocket 3-pointer with a second left in the third that made it 51-50 Bulldogs.

Parker had seven points and four rebounds while battling foul trouble all game.

St. Mary's junior forward Michael Danser tied the game at 57 when he scored a putback with 3:40 remaining. Grandview senior forward Jermaine Yarbrough hit an elbow jumper for a 59-57 lead on the next possession.

Collins came down and was fouled on a drive. With the chance to tie the game, he missed his first two free throws of the game. But junior guard Noah Hamilton slipped through the trees to grab the offensive rebound and found Collins on the wing. Collins rose up and buried a 3-pointer to put the Dragons ahead 60-59 with 1:57 to play.

The Dragons had come all the way back, but Grandview remained steady. The Bulldogs scored the next six points, four on free throws and a run-out layup after Collins was stripped of the ball at the top of the key and the Dragons trailing 61-60. Sorrells took the ball and went the other way for the clutch bucket that put Grandview over the top.

Morris praised his team's poise and character as it battled through a tough schedule to repeat as state champions. He said that road prepared his team for what it saw Saturday in St. Mary's.

“Those great have a real great leader in Collins,” Morris said. “They have some other athletic pieces and they're well-coached. Most of all they were tough.”

Collins played with a poker face all game. He suppressed his emotions and pushed aside the pain in his knee until the final horn. When he was handed the second-place trophy it all came pouring out of him.

“It really hit me, it was all over,” he said. “I know I have more basketball ahead of me, but high school is over. It hit me, I'm done with it.”

Collins is done, but his legacy will live on. The way he carried the Dragons throughout an up-and-down regular season all the way to their first state semifinal and state championship game appearance is nothing short of remarkable. His teammates were in awe of him every day, but especially this weekend.

“Yuri is the by far the best guard I've ever seen, even outside of basketball,” senior forward Damond Wiley said. “Yeah he's a super star at basketball, but outside of basketball he's a cool person. He lifts you up, he makes you laugh. You want to be around him.”

Collins was a point guard in the truest sense as he led his team on and off the court. In a year where so many didn't believe the Dragons could make this run, Collins never had a doubt.

“I knew I had to step my game up and become a better leader.” he said. “I carried my team to this point and they stayed with me. We went through the good and the bad. Second place isn't what we wanted, but we got it.” - David Kvidahl

Same Spot as Last Year

Donavan Parker was as good as buried.

So were Sofora Rasas, Noah Hamilton, Wunya Brown and the rest of the St. Mary's basketball team. A year after the Dragons made the longest playoff run in school history with a loaded senior class, their replacements were afterthoughts. The sky-high expectations the class of 2018 carried died with them.

The St. Mary's gym rocked throughout last winter with a jam-packed grandstand. When it beat two-time defending Class 4 champion Vashon in a sectional, St. Mary's was crowned next.

Four days later it all fell apart in a 76-50 loss to Sikeston in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs went on to the state semifinals. The Dragons were left to wonder just how talented a team it would take to break through to the school's first state appearance. It certainly wouldn't be this year, not after graduating nearly all of its scoring, rebounding and experience. The new-look Dragons had none of the pedigree of their former teammates. Any hope of carrying the torch for the program that went 27-4 and made the school's first quarterfinal dissipated with a 3-5 start as the newcomers learned the varsity ropes.

“We were playing with first-year players,” St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said. “It was, in essence, a JV team.”

Yet through the haze of inexperience and defeat, Turner saw something. He saw it in the locker room. He saw it at practice. He saw it early and he and his coaching staff nurtured it.

“When we picked this team, I needed guys that would be locker room guys that could fight through losses,” Turner said. “We knew it was going to be hard, can you withstand that adversity early? I think it developed character in these guys. They feel like they've been through everything.”

And now they're headed where no St. Mary's team has been before in the school's 87 years. A year after they were supposed to arrive, the Dragons will make their state semifinal debut against Ladue at noon Friday at JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University. The winner will play either Grandview or Logan-Rogersville for the state championship at 2:40 p.m. Saturday.

St. Mary's (17-12) made its historical run in a season that could have been defined by adversity but instead rewarded its faith. The Dragons had an ace up their sleeve as the losses mounted early. They had one of the best players in the state resting, recovering and preparing to show what he was capable of when fully healthy.

Yuri Collins is that dude.

A senior point guard and St. Louis U. recruit, Collins had surgery in July to address a balky left shoulder that would dislocate when pushed too far. The 5-foot-10 Collins played his entire junior season with a large brace to protect it but had to adjust what he could and could not do.

“Last year with the dislocated shoulder it limited me to do certain things. Going to the hole, I couldn't finish with the left as much. If I extended too far it'd pop out,” Collins said. “Now that I got the surgery I can extend as far as I want to. I don't have 100 percent full motion, but I have enough of it to do I want to do.”

What Collins has done is everything Turner hoped he would and then some. A dynamic ball handler, passer, defender and scorer, Collins was indispensable with one good shoulder. With the full arsenal of his abilities, he's turned the Dragons from afterthoughts into contenders.

“He's a true point guard. A lot of kids at this level love to score, but he's a true point guard. He can dominate a game without even scoring,” Turner said. “If you're going to double team him he's going to find somebody and that's when he's at his best. If you're not, he's at an ability right now where he's scoring the ball and shooting at a high level. He commands so much attention out there.”

Collins didn't draw much attention when he made his debut Dec. 21 against North Catholic out of Pittsburgh at the Marianist Basketball Classic at St. Vincent-St. Mary's in Akron, Ohio. North Catholic had film from the Dragons' first eight games with no Collins and figured it knew what it was in for.

It did not. Collins finished with 33 points and seven assists. He hit a halfcourt buzzer-beater to send the game into overtime and then dominated the extra time as St. Mary's won 83-78.

Since Collins returned, the Dragons are 14-7. They won the consolation bracket at the Carbondale Holiday Tournament, stunned Chaminade at home 68-62 and are currently riding a seven-game win streak.

With its point guard in place, all of St. Mary's pieces fit.

“His leadership and talent holds us all accountable,” Parker said. “Without him there was a missing piece that was visible. Since his return he was a jolt of energy.”

Even with Collins the Dragons were still counted out. They had to beat a good Hillsboro team in the sectional round, and that was not going to be easy. At least it wasn't supposed to be, but the Dragons rolled to a 95-46 win anyway.

Cape Central would be their undoing. Among the top two teams in Class 4 all season, Cape Central would be the team to end the Dragons' dream season — until it wasn't. Behind Collins' heady play and some outstanding defensive work by Parker who put his 7-foot wingspan to use for nine blocks, St. Mary's won that quarterfinal showdown 68-62.

“My talk going into the season was to motivate these guys to make an attempt to get back to the same game. I seemed a little crazy at the start,” Turner said. “I looked at the landscape, with the schedule we put together by the time we get to the districts we'd be battle tested to make a run.”

At every turn St. Mary's has been counted out only to rise again and remain in the championship hunt. The players heard the chatter in the winter. They could see it in the gym when the grandstand wasn't filled like last year. All of it was turned into fuel.

“That's kind of a chip on our shoulder we've had all year. Coach has been harping on how people have thrown dirt on our name all year,” Parker said. “There was less pressure on us to do well. We went out there, played our game and it got us here.”

A place no one outside their own locker room thought they'd reach.

A Chance at the Chip

SPRINGFIELD, MO • The legend of Yuri Collins grew Friday.

The senior point guard for the St. Mary's basketball team, Collins solidified his Dragon bona fides as a sophomore after he set the school record for career assists. When St. Mary's defeated two-time champion Vashon in a sectional last year to advance to the school's second quarterfinal, it put him in rarefied air. This season he returned from off-season shoulder surgery and lifted St. Mary's to its first state semifinal appearance.

His latest performance is one the Dragons will talk about when he's inducted into the school's hall of fame.

Collins played on one leg in the second half to lead led St. Mary's to a 57-46 win over Ladue in a Class 4 state semifinal at JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University.

St. Mary's (18-12) advanced to play Grandview (28-2) for the state championship at 2:40 p.m. Saturday.

St. Mary's wouldn't have the opportunity without Collins. The 5-foot-10 St. Louis U. recruit scored a game-high 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists despite missing nearly the entire second quarter after suffering an injury to his left knee. Less than a minute into the second, Collins drove to the basket when he collided with Ladue junior guard Jaylen Boyd, who was tagged with the foul. Collins hit the deck and was slow to get up. He hobbled off on his own but was not himself.

“I couldn't really stand on it,” Collins said.

When Collins went to the bench, St. Mary's held a 17-11 lead. Without their floor general, the Dragons continued to battle. Junior forward Sofora Rasas scored six of his 16 points in the second quarter. Senior forward Donavan Parker had a big bucket as St. Mary's clung to a 27-22 lead at halftime. Parker proved large as he scored eight points, hauled in seven rebounds and blocked seven shots.

St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner knew that Ladue wouldn't wilt in the second half. The Rams have thrived in tight situations during their own historic postseason run. The Dragons had to be ready to answer the bell.

“We watched film and studied this team and knew they have some fight and some dog in them,” Turner said. “It was about keeping the guys focused.”

Ladue (20-9) wasn't able to take advantage while Collins worked with the trainer to get back in the game. The Rams didn't have injury troubles but two of their best players weren't able to contribute much. Both Boyd and junior forward Evan Schneider were on the bench for large chunks of the second quarter with two fouls apiece.

Ladue coach Chad Anderson said he wasn't all that concerned whether or not Collins was on the court. He was focused on his team.

“Honestly, as a coach I didn't think too much about it,” Anderson said. “I knew we had to play better and continue to compete.”

The Rams competed but struggled mightily shooting the ball. They hit just 4 of 18 3-pointers, 15 of their 48 total field goals and 12 of their 25 free throws. Some of that was St. Mary's defense. Some of it was getting used to the bigger background in the arena.

“Adjusting to the gym was kind of hard,” Ladue senior guard Bryce Bussard said. “It was difficult for shooters.”

Collins checked in with a little over six minutes to play in the third quarter to thunderous applause from the raucous St. Mary's student section. The Dragons had their man back.

But Ladue had its mojo working.

The Rams went on a 10-5 run to start the second half. Junior guard Xavier Hadley gave Ladue a 33-32 lead when he canned one of his two 3-pointers with 2 minutes and 36 seconds to go in the third.

Less than a minute later, the Dragons regained the lead. Collins found junior guard Noah Hamilton for his only 3-pointer to put St. Mary's ahead for good, 35-33.

“It's a game of runs. We're going to make a run, they're going to make a run,” Turner said. “Who's going to have that last run at the end of the game? I kept telling the guys we had another run left in us.”

The Dragons picked their spots to attack in the fourth. They were content to sit and wait for the Rams to come out of their zone early. When Ladue extended its defense, St. Mary's played keep away. Collins hit a dagger 3-pointer to extend it to 43-35 with 6:31 to play. It took the edge off as Ladue was unable to come any closer than seven.

The Rams were led by senior post Moses Okpala, who scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Schneider had 10 points and eight rebounds. Boyd finished with seven points.

After surviving nip and tuck postseason games with Westminster, John Burroughs and Jennings, the Rams run came to an end. But it doesn't have to end with a loss. Ladue faces Logan-Rogersville (24-6) in the third-place game at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“These guys have bounced back all year. This isn't our first loss,” Anderson said. “It's not the situation that we wanted or came down for, but at the end of the day my message would be let's end on a winning note. We're going to come out and compete.”

St. Mary's will play for the team's first state championship against Grandview, the defending state champion. Collins' status is up in the air but he said there was zero chance he was missing any game action once he was given the green light to return.

“I knew my team needed me so I went back out there,” Collins said. “It was very painful. I'm hurting right now. I wanted to get back out there so pain or not I was going back out there.”

It's highly likely he'll gut out his final game in a St. Mary's jersey, growing his legend with every play. - David Kvidahl

Peer Pressure

Focus on Emerging Young Athletes

The Argus All-Metro Basketball Team

Despite a crash and burn ending at the hand of the powerful Sikeston Bulldogs, the St. Mary’s Dragons had a banner campaign at 27-4, which included decisive victories over the likes of Cardinal Ritter, Chaminade, CBC, St. Louis University High, Northwest Academy, Confluence Academy, ultimately the defending two-time Class 4 champion Vashon Wolverines. “This is a group where you have a junior point guard Yuri Collins that’s seasoned," remarked Soldan Coach and former SLUH assistant coach James Washington after St. Mary’s rolled past SLUH team on Martin Luther King Jr. Day Shootout Night. “It’s so many players who are used to that system that it almost doesn’t make a difference who is coaching them. They are so talented and they know the system so well. You can almost just roll the ball out there and let them play. But BT (Coach Bryan Turner) does a great job with that group.”  

Indeed, the Dragons brought a vibe to the inner-city private school arena this year that hasn’t been there since the dominant glory days of Cardinal Ritter in the mid 1990’s with the likes of future college stars Jahidi White (Georgetown), Chris Carawell (Duke), Loren Woods (Arizona). Fittingly two of St. Mary’s players comprise the second team All-Metro in guards Collins (13.6 points) and 169 (assists) and senior Antonio Burks (14 points) who are joined by 6-7 senior forward Jericole Helms of Chaminade (22.6 points), 6-2 DeAndre Campbell of Parkway Central (24 points), and 6-3 Courtney Ramey of defending Class 5 champion Webster Grove (21 points). - By Lonnel Cole of the St. Louis Argus 

A Look Forward

Coach Bryan Turner: “Just Not Enough”

St. Mary’s Coach Reflects on Its Near Championship Season

The old axiom ‘to be a champion, you have to beat a champion’ can often be misleading, or premature, if that conquest actually transpires before the ultimate championship. The letdown, or the consequent physical and mental recovery of that process, doesn’t always go according to form. Just ask St. Mary’s boys basketball coach Bryan Turner, whose club may have been the popular favorite to dethrone the Vashon Wolverines as Class 4 state champions last month especially after the Dragons throttled them 83-70 in the sectional championship. But St. Mary’s went on to get throttled by Sikeston 76-50 in the next round in the state quarterfinals to have an unceremonious end to its season at 27-4. 

“It was sort of hard to get us to refocus and forget about sectionals because the turnaround for the next game (four days) was so soon,” said Turner, whose club had finally experience a dramatic postseason breakthrough after being eliminates by the Wolverine the past three seasons. “For my seniors, it was a bit of fulfillment tackling and accomplishing one of their goals that has haunted them for four years. But bitter sweet losing to a great Sikeston made things a bit difficult because we didn’t play our best. 

In the waning moments before all of the Vashon’s players and coaches had cleared out of Parkway West  High School, which was the site of the much anticipated Vashon-St. Mary’s game, former Vashon star and current assistant coach Jimmy McKinney congratulated Turner with a closing remark: “You finally got me.” That was in reference to the fact that when Turner was a star at the now defunct Beaumont his Bluejackets were never able to get past McKinney and the Wolverines, who captured three straight state titles from 2000-2002.

“Being a coach, an educator and a leader of young men I have to do a good job in educating them on history,” said Turner. “Legacy was a word that was used often to motivate these guys into doing something great. With all the trophies and banners around the school very few are of the basketball teams (at St. Mary’s). We wanted to change that. So we did things around the school and churches during the summer months. We ran miles up Grand to Carondelet Park “Rocky Style” to be more visible with their support added to the mystique of playing at home. I feel like we have the best student section around town with the Rowdy Gentlemen and it makes for fun times at school events.”  

Junior point guard Yuri Collins, who averaged 13.6 points and nearly seven assists, the only returning starter from that potent Dragons squad, as fellow guard Antonio Burks (14.1 points per game) and remaining starters Yahuza Rasas, (12.6) Dominic Mitchell (10.4), Miles Jones (9.0) and even rotation player Donanvon Austin will all graduate. 

Even though we didn’t win the state championship, these student athletes-athletes played like champions all year,” said Turner. “I’m proud to be apart of something special going on here on the South Side.”  By Lonnel Cole of the St. Louis Argus

Nothing Could Stick

Shooting woes plague St. Mary's in Class 4 quarterfinal loss to Sikeston

St. Mary's seniors Donovan Austin and Dominic Mitchell had their jerseys covering their faces and their heads down as the final seconds of the Class 4 boys basketball quarterfinal counted down Saturday at Jefferson College.

Austin, Mitchell and eight other seniors realized their high school careers were over as the Dragons picked the absolute worst time for one of their poorest shooting games of the season.

The Dragons converted just 21 of 60 field goals, four of 22 3-pointers and 4 of 13 free throws. That was the recipe for defeat against Sikeston, which never trailed and won going away, 76-50.

Sikeston (27-2) moved to the state semifinals at JQH Arena in Springfield. The Bulldogs take on Grandview of Kansas City in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday. Grandview defeated Logan-Rogersville 81-46 in another Class 4 quarterfinal.

"It was simple," St. Mary's senior Yahuza Rasas said. "They made their shots and we did not. We wanted this so badly. It was our goal since our freshman year, but we let it slip away."

Sikeston had four players in double figures led by Kevin Jones, who had 18.

The Dragons (27-4), who were looking for their first state semifinal appearance, were cold from the outset.

St. Mary's scored just two points in more than five minutes to start the game but did come back and trailed 9-8 late in the first quarter.

Sikeston went on a 10-0 run encompassing the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second quarter, increasing a 14-10 lead to 24-10.

St. Mary's didn't get the deficit to single digits the rest of the way.

Yuri Collins had 12 points in the first half for the Dragons but the rest of the team combined for just 10 and the Dragons trailed 33-22 at halftime.

The Dragons continued their poor shooting and Sikeston turned numerous defensive rebounds into easy layups on the other end.

Things went from bad to worse for St. Mary's, which trailed by as many as 27 points.

St. Mary's had a pair of players in double figures Saturday. Collins led the way with 16 while Rasas had 12. 

"In the end it comes down to developing winners in life," St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said. "It doesn't always show on the scoreboard. We did not win on the scoreboard today, but these guys are winners. They are fabulous kids and I enjoyed this journey with them. At this point of the year there are going to be tears of pair and tears of joy. I am very proud of these guys. We just picked a bad time when we couldn't hit a free throw or a jump shot.

"Sikeston is a good team and they have been in these situations before. This was unchartered waters for us. I feel bad for the 10 seniors that it had to end like this." - Bill Heste of the St. Louis Post Dispatch 

Southside's Revenge

St. Mary's gets revenge win over Vashon, draws Sikeston in quarterfinals

Tony Burks ignored the crowd.

The crowd that lined up outside Parkway West High School at 3:30 p.m. The crowd that spilled over behind the baskets in rows that went nearly five people deep. The crowd that waited through overtime in a girls sectional game to see what it came for.

A senior guard for the St. Mary's basketball team, Burks ignored nearly 3,000 people.

“It was just another game to me,” Burks said. “We don't worry about the crowd.”

The Dragons don't have to worry about another heartbreaking finish at the hands of their nemesis.

St. Mary's exorcised three years of demons as it beat Vashon 83-70 in a Class 4 sectional Tuesday at Parkway West.

The No. 4 small school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, St. Mary's (27-3) advanced to play Sikeston (26-2) in a quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Jefferson College. The No. 1 team in Class 4, Sikeston slipped past Hillsboro 57-56 Tuesday.

This will be the second quarterfinal appearance for St. Mary's and the first since 1967. The Dragons have never played in a state semifinal.

They're looking to change that.

“We're here to make history and that's what we're doing,” Burks said.

It only comes after St. Mary's ended a three-year losing streak to Vashon. The No. 1 small school and two-time defending Class 4 champion, Vashon (21-6) beat St. Mary's in the district tournament twice and last season escaped the sectional with a thrilling overtime victory.

That loss, painful at the time, ignited a fire in the Dragons that burned for the better part of a year.

“We've been waiting on this game since last March,” junior point guard Yuri Collins said. “It was a big game for us. Getting this 'W' was big for us.”

Collins is the most dynamic player on the court for the Dragons. He's what makes them go. Vashon's defense was designed to take Collins away in the first quarter. The extra defensive attention would force someone else to bring the ball up and initiate the offense.

Donovan Austin was up to the task. The senior guard filled in when Collins missed the first four games of the season with a shoulder injury. When called upon to do it again he answered the bell.

“I needed to step up, be a point guard and get my team involved,” Austin said.

Austin finished with seven points, six rebounds and six assists. Burks had 23 points and seven rebounds.

“Donovan has been the ultimate team player all year,” St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said. “When (Yuri) came back (early in the season) it was a lot to ask a kid that played four games that we won to come back off the bench. He took it in stride. He got inserted back into the lineup. It was a luxury to have two point guards.”

Austin and Burks did enough against Vashon's long and dangerous trapping zone defense that Collins wasn't worn out in the second half. With fresh legs Collins showcased why he's among the most sought after junior guards in the area. He routinely beat defenders off the dribble for high-percentage shots for his teammates and occasionally himself. Collins finished with 19 points, 11 assists and five steals.

“I thought they had multiple guys once we had a trap going they'd be able to break it and make a play for somebody else. It was huge,” Vashon coach Tony Irons said. “It shows the difference in them from last year to this year.”

St. Mary's took a 34-25 lead at halftime when Austin grabbed a rebound and dropped in a putback as the buzzer sounded. Senior post Yahuza Rasas scored a layup on a nice feed from Collins for the first points of the third quarter to give the Dragons a 36-25 lead. They wouldn't lead by less than double digits the rest of the game.

Rasas finished with 15 points, three rebounds and blocked two shots. Senior guard Dominic Mitchell had eight points.

St. Mary's played its top seven players and they all contributed across the board. That type of effort and cohesiveness can not be simulated.

“When you get to a point you haven't accomplished a goal and you have a common goal you're going to sacrifice ego, you're going to sacrifice personal things to make sure you get it,” Irons said. “The way they moved the ball shows they have no ego. They don't care who scores it. They don't care who shoots it. They are all contributing.”

Vashon trailed 9-0 midway through the first quarter but by the time it ended had drawn even at 14 to start the second quarter. The Wolverines had the lead twice in the first two minutes of the second but never for more than a possession as the Dragons answered and then took the lead for good.

Standout junior guard Mario McKinney Jr. had 21 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and a block for Vashon. Junior guard Donyae McCaskill had 21 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Kobe Clark had 15 points and was crucial to the first quarter turnaround.

The Wolverines, who did not have a senior on the roster much of the season, are immensely talented but needed seasoning. Irons took Vashon to Chicago, Topeka and Maryland to get it ready for what it would see Tuesday night.

Turns out Tuesday night might be the seasoning it needs for next year.

“I felt like, at some point, we'd have to taste this. I don't think you can have success without experiencing failure at some point and to be able to respond to it and bounce back from it,” Irons said. “It's going to start with them being hungry and getting to work. How they respond to it is how it's going to be.” -By David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

City Championship Preview

St. Mary's Ready for Rematch with Two-Time Defending Champ Vashon

Tony Irons went to the well this winter.

On Tuesday night he'll find out if it worked.

The Vashon boys basketball coach, Irons exhausted his substantial bag of coaching tricks to accelerate the growth of his young Wolverines.

The No. 1 small school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, Vashon (21-5) has no seniors on its roster. It didn't return a single starter from its back-to-back Class 4 championship teams.

The Wolverines talent is not in question. With junior standout guard Mario McKinney Jr., sophomore swingman Cam'Ron Fletcher, junior guard Donyae McCaskill, sophomore guard Phil Russell, sophomore Kobe Clark and so many others, talent is not the question.

The question is, are the Wolverines hungry?

Everyone will know the answer when Vashon takes on No. 4 small school St. Mary's (26-3) in a Class 4 sectional at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Parkway West High.

Tickets will be on sale at the door starting at 5 p.m.

It's a rematch from last year's sectional when Vashon rallied late and escaped with a 72-68 victory in overtime. It was the tightest game the Wolverines played on their way to their second straight championship.

It's the game that fueled St. Mary's. Senior-laden and focused, the Dragons aren't hungry, they're ravenous. Vashon and St. Mary's have met the last three seasons and the Wolverines have come out victorious each time.

St. Mary's spent the better part of a year preparing to reach this point so it could take the next step. There's nothing a coach, even as one as decorated as Irons, can do to mimic how driven St. Mary's will be when the ball goes up.

“You can't simulate the desire they have to play us,” Irons said. “You try to get your kids to understand the magnitude of this game.”

Of St. Mary's nine seniors, center Yahuza Rasas and guard Tony Burks have been varsity staples since they were freshmen. Coach Bryan Turner said they were critical in spearheading the Dragons through a grueling offseason.

“It's been a commitment to the end goal,” Turner said. “They were there for camps, workouts, open gym. The leaders engaged and kept it together. We felt everyone had to be back on board.”

The Dragons returned nearly everyone from last season including standout point guard Yuri Collins. The only junior that starts and sees regular action, Collins can affect the game in so many ways. He scored a team-high 19 points in St. Mary's runaway win over Confluence in the district title game. He averages more than six assists per game and is a tough defender with quick hands that can start a fast break at any given moment.

He does for the Dragons what Daniel “Peanut” Farris did for Vashon during its two title runs. Farris was the heart and soul of those Wolverine teams before continuing his career at Central Missouri.

Irons sees a lot of his old point guard in the one he'll face Tuesday.

“He's someone that makes winning plays,” Irons said. “It's weird preparing for someone like that (after having Farris). You can take one thing away and he does something else. You definitely have to respect his game.”

Neither team will suffer from stage fright when they take the court. Both programs spent the winter in high profile games against top notch competition. Both dropped hard-fought matchups with Hazelwood Central. Both lost to Chaminade on a neutral court, but St. Mary's did bounce back and beat the Red Devils 88-46 at home on Feb. 6.

All the games, all the practices, all the extra hours spent in the gym were in preparation to win this matchup and march on. Last year Vashon won this game and went on to win state. It's not a reach to suggest these were the top two teams in Class 4 then. The same could be true now.

“We had it in our head that this could be the state championship game,” Turner said. “We have to prevail in what I'm calling the 'city championship.'”

St. Mary's didn't spend 365 days grinding to win the city championship. The Dragons are ring chasing. They've made one quarterfinal appearance and they've never played in a state semifinal. They want to change that. 

It's bigger than just beating Vashon.

“We took it hard last year after the loss. We learned from last year,” Rasas said. “Our goal the whole season is to win state and they're a team in the way.”- By David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

Hard Work Pays Off with Hardware

St. Mary's Rolls Past Confluence Sets Up Rematch Date with Vashon

Tony Burks had a good time. 

Yuri Collins did, too. 

The sellout crowd that lined up more than 90 minutes before tipoff? 

Not so much. 

In front of a packed house, St. Mary's turned the most highly anticipated district championship game in the area into a blowout as it beat Confluence 91-64 to win the Class 4 District 3 title Thursday at St. Mary's.

The No. 4 small school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, St. Mary's (26-3) has won back-to-back district titles for the first time since 1976-77. It advanced to play nemesis and No. 1 small school Vashon (20-5) in a sectional at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday at Parkway West.

The two-time defending Class 4 champion, Vashon beat St. Mary's 72-68 in overtime in the same game last season.

Not that the Dragons were worried about that Thursday.

“We think about it, but Coach (Bryan Turner) tells us one game at a time. Out here on this court we're not worried about that,” said Collins, St. Mary's junior point guard. “We're worried about what's in front of us. Now we're thinking about it. Now we're going to prepare for them.”

St. Mary's gets the game it waited a year to play because it steamrolled Confluence. The No. 3 small school, Confluence (23-5) hadn't lost to a Missouri opponent this season. It nearly took out No. 2 large school Belleville West at the Centralia Tournament. The Titans played every opponent they could get on the schedule this season and handled nearly all of them.

Senior point guard Brandon Fredrick was the catalyst for Confluence all season. The area's second leading scorer with a 28 points per game average, Fredrick has seen every kind of defense this season and found a way to thrive.

That was not the case Thursday. Fredrick was held to a season-low nine points before he exited the game with an injury with 1 minute and 40 seconds to play in the third quarter.

Donavanne Austin had primary defensive responsibilities, but the Dragons threw bodies at Fredrick all night to force him to take a contested shot or pass the ball.

“We had Donavanne pressing him up the court. He didn't leave him, he didn't help off him,” said Burks, a senior guard. “We just tried to trap him and keep the ball out of his hands.”

The night ended badly for the Titans, but it started well. They had a 5-0 lead and the Dragons came up empty on their first four possessions. In front of a packed house, a good portion of which was pulling for Confluence, Collins and St. Mary's remained stonefaced. By the midpoint of the first quarter the Dragons had the lead.

“We kept our composure. They got up on us quick but we're at home. We have home court advantage and our fans kept that going,” Burks said. “We had a big crowd out here. We kept playing.”

Burks was strong as he had 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Senior post Yahuza Rasas was all over the place with 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals and six blocks.

Collins was the best all-around player on the court as he finished with 19 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals. The 5-foot-11 Collins was a force Confluence couldn't contain.

“They're a very good team and they played very well,” Confluence coach Brian Karvinen said. “That's the best I've seen them play in awhile. Yuri is special. Tony was good tonight.”

Senior guard Lavel Harris had 14 points and senior guard Miles Jones had nine points.

Confluence was led by senior forward Will Howard's 22 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Mike Clark had 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Perry finished with 10 points, six rebounds and fouled out a minute into the fourth quarter. He picked up his third foul with a minute to play in the first quarter. When he had to sit in the second quarter, the Dragons extended their lead from 18-17 at the end of the first to 43-32 at halftime.

Karvinen didn't want to leave Perry on the court that early with two fouls but felt he had no choice.

“It wasn't by accident, we were rolling the dice. We couldn't get ourselves into a hole,” he said. “The second quarter it got away from us with Leon on the bench. I think Brandon at that point thought he had to score.”

Fredrick couldn't get into a groove and Confluence couldn't keep up with the Dragons. At the end of the third quarter St. Mary's led 72-42.

“Give St. Mary's credit, they were the better team,” Karvinen said.

After building toward something special the last four years the St. Mary's seniors finished their careers at home with a performance they'll never forget.

“Us at home, we're unstoppable,” Collins said. “Going out with a bang like this, with a district championship at home, it was big for me and the team.” By David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

Battle Tested

St. Mary's, Confluence Face Off in Highly Anticipated District Final

Brian Karvinen circled the date nearly a year ago.

Bryan Turner began preparing his team for this game the day he was handed the keys to the St. Mary's basketball team in May.

The waiting is over.

Time to get it on.

St. Mary's and Confluence meet for the Class 4 District 4 championship at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Mary's.

Tickets were expected to be sold out by Wednesday evening. The game will be streamed live on Prepcasts.com.

It's a rematch of last year's district title game. St. Mary's won that matchup 89-73 for its first district championship since 2009. The Dragons went on to the sectional, where they lost to Vashon in overtime but not before giving the two-time defending state champions their toughest game on their title run.

The No. 4 small school in the STLhighschoolsport.com rankings, St. Mary's (25-3) returned all its significant players from that matchup. Senior-heavy and hungry, this is the season the Dragons were dreaming about when they were underclassmen. It will be their fourth consecutive district championship game.

“I think experience will be a key,” Turner said.

St. Mary's gets contributions up and down its lineup. Post Yahuza Rasas and guards Dominic Mitchell, Tony Burks and Miles Jones all average between 10 and 13 points per game. Rasas leads the way with seven rebounds per game, but the Dragons collectively crash the glass as well.

The most important player on the court at any given moment for the Dragons is junior point guard Yuri Collins, who set the school's all-time assists record as a sophomore. He's what makes the high-octane attack reach its frenetic pace. If Collins is driving, dishing or finishing, St. Mary's is as hard to beat as anyone in the state. Collins averages 13 points, six assists and nearly three steals per game.

“Your best bet is to make him shoot jump shots,” said Karvinen, Confluence's coach. “He's the motor, the engine and the gas.”

The No. 3 small school, Confluence (23-4) has never won a district championship in any sport. The Titans have only had a varsity program since 2010. But they enter Thursday's matchup with the distinction of being the only area team to not lose a game to a Missouri opponent. The Titans lost to Belleville West, Sam Houston Math and Science (Texas), Montgomery Carver (Alabama) and Mundelien Carmel (Illinois).

Confluence doesn't have the extreme depth of St. Mary's, but it does have high-end talent. Senior point guard Brandon Fredrick averages 28 points per game, the second-highest total in the area. He's made 112 3-pointers, just better than half of the 223 he's taken.

Fredrick has no conscience and can burn the house down from behind the arc. He'll pull up from anywhere, anytime in any situation.

Senior swingman Leon Perry is right there with him at 23 points and 13 rebounds per game. Senior guard Mike Clark averages 12 points per game but has shown he can score 20 on the right night.

“We're just as good as St. Mary's,” Karvinen said.

Karvinen knows the Dragons inside and out. The Titans have been preparing for this game all season – literally.

“I've seen St. Mary's on TV more than Shawshank Redemption,” Karvinen said. “It's going to come down to who plays better Thursday night.”

As if there wasn't enough motivation headed into this postseason battle, Turner has another log to add to the fire.

No matter what, this will be the last game the St. Mary's seniors play on their home court. They want to use it to launch them into a brutal playoff bracket that could potentially bring them a rematch with Vashon in the sectional.

“You don't want to go out and lose at home,” Turner said. “It's an extra thing to put on the chalk board. I think the home court is an advantage.” - by David Kvidahl of St. Louis Post Dispatch 

Hats Off To You Guys

ST. MARY'S SENDS SENIORS OUT IN STYLE

St. Mary's has the most elaborate pregame introduction in the area. The gym lights go dark, faux green flames shine behind the bench and green dots swirl across the walls as AC/DC's “Thunderstuck” blasts.

It's an experience unlike any other. One coach Bryan Turner wanted all of his seniors to experience this season.

The No. 4 small school, St. Mary's (23-3) switched up its starting lineup on senior night Friday against No. 10 Cardinal Ritter. Gus Dattoli and Asa Prograis got to experience their names being called and taking the court to a raucous home crowd.

“It was a reward for those guys. They've busted their butts all year,” Turner said. “They got to go out under the lights. Basketball and sports is about memories. I wanted them to have that. This was special.”

St. Mary's rolled to its eighth consecutive victory with a 78-62 win over Ritter. The Dragons have one more regular-season game before opening up postseason play in the Class 4 District 3 tournament at St. Mary's, where the Dragons are the top seed and No. 3 small school Confluence (21-4) is the No. 2 seed.

But that one regular-season game will be no picnic. St. Mary's travels to Borgia (12-11) for a 7:15 p.m. tip Wednesday. What will make this one challenging is the Dragons will be short-handed. A school-required retreat is the same day. The seniors have the option to participate in the retreat in the first or second semester. The basketball players who were on the football team in the fall elected to go on the retreat in the second semester. St. Mary's will be without center Yahuza Rasas, guard Tony Burks, guard Lavell Harris, forward Darius Houston, forward Cliff Teague, Dattoli and Prograis.

“It's a chance for other guys to step up,” Turner said. “We're still trying to win a conference championship. We're going to go out there and play to win the game.” David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

A Night to Remember

St. Mary's returns home, earns revenge with runaway victory against Chaminade

Yahuza Rasas wasn't surprised. A 6-foot-7 senior center for the St. Mary's basketball team, Rasas acted like it business as usual.

Business was good Tuesday night. 

Better than its been in a long time for the Dragons.

St. Mary's ran Chaminade out of the gym with an 88-46 romp in a nonconference matchup at St. Mary's. The No. 4 small school in the STLhighscholsports.com rankings, St. Mary's (20-3) beat Chaminade for the first time since at least 1999.

These two met in the semifinals of the Belleville East Classic on Jan. 19 and Chaminade rolled to a 97-77 victory. Before that their last meeting came in February of 2006, when Chaminade won 50-16. 

The loss in Belleville did not sit well with this version of the Dragons. Not that night or any night since.

“They beat us by 20. We were coming back with revenge,” St. Mary's senior guard Tony Burks said. “We couldn't come in here and take a loss on our home court. We had extra energy. We came out and pushed it to them.”

This home game would have meant more no matter the opponent. St. Mary's beat Borgia on Dec. 15 the last time it played at home, a span of 52 days. That it was Chaminade on the docket only made it better.

“We came out with a chip on our shoulder,” junior point guard Yuri Collins said. “We'd been waiting on this since that day. This game came and we knew it was ours.”

Collins was electric on both ends. He scored a game-high 28 points and came up with six steals. Known for his adept passing and vision, Collins spent much of the game breaking off multiple defenders and finishing at the rim. Collins will be the first one to lay the ball off to a teammate, but the high-quality looks just kept coming.

“Last game I watched film and I had a couple of turnovers. I wasn’t picking my head up as much,” Collins said. “I was getting right past them, feeding my teammates the ball and when I had a chance getting easy buckets.”

The No. 2 large school, Chaminade (16-4) got on the board first when senior swingman Jericole Hellems stole the ball after the tip and raced the other way for a dunk 12 seconds in. It was the only time the Red Devils led.

Collins buried a 3-pointer on the next possession and St. Mary's buried Chaminade in an avalanche of layups.

Layups off turnovers. Layups off defensive rebounds. One after another until they led 21-8 at the end of the first quarter.

The lead grew to 37-10 when Chaminade coach Frank Bennett emptied his bench with 5 minutes and 45 seconds to play in the second quarter.

“We were getting no effort, we trying to find guys that would give effort,” Bennett said.

A minute later he reinserted his starters but the damage was done. St. Mary's led 54-24 at halftime.

Burks scored 22 points. He was strong defensively as he took on the challenge of guarding Hellems much of the game.

“Tony has done a lot for us. He's taken the challenge of guarding the other team's best player. He said 'Let me get him,'” St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said. “He accepted the challenge and that kid made plays early. He got going.”

Collectively the Dragons' helter-skelter defense gave the Red Devils fits. It sped up Chaminade and gave the running Red Devils a taste of what they so often do, and do well, to overwhelmed opponents.

“It wasn't good,” Bennett said. “When you don't match their intensity and dig a hole early, it's a credit to them. They came out ready to play, we came out flat and that's what happens.”

Hellems led Chaminade with 16 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Harrison Vickers had nine points. Senior guard Jadis White and junior guard Keyyaun Batchman had seven points apiece.

St. Mary's has been on a roll since it lost to Chaminade at Belleville East. Senior guard Miles Jones returned to the lineup after missing time with an injury. The Dragons won at St. Louis U. High, Quincy Notre Dame and at Charleston. All the road games and several trips out of town have brought this senior-laden lineup closer.

“We're just learning how to work better as a team,” Rasas said. “This is not a surprise. This is what we do.”

Added Burks, “Districts are coming up and we're just trying to get ready. We're trying to be ready to play any team that comes in here and take it to them." - David Kvidahl By David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

A Sign of Maturity

ST. MARY'S RALLIES PAST CHAMPAIGN CENTRAL

It didn't look good for the Dragons.

The No. 4 small school, St. Mary's (16-3) trailed by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter of its third-place matchup with a talented Champaign Central team at the Belleville East Classic.

But the Dragons rallied in the final minutes of the third quarter and carried it over into the fourth quarter for an electric 70-69 win.

St. Mary's avoided losing consecutive games for the first time this season when senior guard Dominic Mitchell drove the baseline and scored a layup over Champaign Central standout Tim Finke with seven seconds to play. The Maroons last shot attempt missed and the Dragons escaped with the victory.

“Dominic is a guy that I feel has ice in his veins,” St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said. “That's somebody I feel comfortable with drawing up a play at the end of the game and asking him to make something happen.”

The Dragons were without senior guard Miles Jones, who provides a healthy dose of points, rebounds, leadership and defensive toughness. Jones has not played since Jan. 2 as he recovers from a stress fracture. He is expected to return to the lineup in the near future.

A night after St. Mary's was handed a 97-77 loss by Chaminade, its worse defeat of the season, Turner was happy his team found a way to leave that defeat in the locker room and take care of business against Champaign Central, which has lost tough games to Belleville West (twice) and Vashon.

“They just kept fighting it out, that's all you can ask for coming off a defeat like that (to Chaminade),” Turner said.

The Dragons will be back in action at 6:30 p.m. Friday at St. Dominic (10-7) before traveling to Quincy Notre Dame (13-6) on Feb. 2 and to Class 3 contender Charleston (12-6) on Feb. 3. - David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

Hard Pill to Swallow

Chaminade Thumps St. Mary's Draws Belleville West in Tourney Finals

Bryan Turner walked into Belleville East's gym with visions of defense dancing in his head. There would be crisp rotations, dynamite ball denials and full-court pressure that would slow Chaminade's break-neck attack and help his St. Mary's basketball team to victory.

What Turner needed was a speed limit.

Chaminade's high-octane attack blew past St. Mary's for a 97-77 victory Friday in the semifinals of the Belleville East Classic at East.

The No. 4 large school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, Chaminade (13-2) won its eighth consecutive game and advanced to defend its tournament title at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. It'll meet No. 1 large school Belleville West (17-1), which knocked off Champaign Central in the other semifinal.

The Red Devils set up the heavyweight showdown by clubbing the Dragons with their own medicine. St. Mary's (15-3, No. 3 SS) runs most opponents out of the gym with its fast-paced, up-and-down style.

Chaminade is not most opponents. Senior forward and North Carolina State recruit Jericole Hellems led five players in double figures with a game-high 30 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks. The 6-foot-7 Hellems was sensational as he scored in the paint, on the perimeter and when the clean look wasn't there kept the ball moving.

“We followed (coach Frank Bennett's) plan. He told us we had to get the ball moving,” Hellems said. “Just try to get it inside. No settling. Try to finish inside as much as we can.”

When Chaminade finished inside, it opened up the outside where Luke Kasubke once again proved to be lethal. The sophomore sharpshooter scored 18 points and knocked down four 3-pointers. He also had four rebounds.

“Luke is getting better. He's a workaholic,” Hellems said. “He stays in the gym every morning. He just works his butt off. He's going to be a great player.”

Chaminade led 26-22 after the first quarter. St. Mary's was without senior guard Miles Jones, who's nursing a stress fracture. and is expected to return next week. Without one of their key pieces, the Dragons struggled to score in the early going. Behind senior guard Donavanne Austin, St. Mary's trimmed Chaminade's lead to 26-22.

Chaminade junior guard Keyyaun Batchman opened the second quarter with a 3-point play. Kasubke buried his third 3-pointer shortly after to extended the Red Devils' lead to 32-22.

Chaminade sophomore guard Harrison Vickers buried a 3-pointer to make it 41-29 with just more than three and a half minutes to play in the first half. St. Mary's didn't trim the lead to single digits again.

“It was a track meet, but we knew they'd try to run the score up, getting the game in the high 90s. We preached defense. It was going to be a defensive game,” Turner said. “We went out there and lost our assignments a few times and guys got free for threes. That was our No. 1 thing coming was limit their threes.”

Even when St. Mary's got the stop it needed it couldn't get the ball back. The Red Devils grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. Senior post Henry Gladson had seven of them. Gladson finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and three steals before fouling out with just more than three minutes to play.

“He's always a difference maker,” Hellems said. “I love having him.”

Batchman finished with 11 points. Senior point guard Jadis White scored 10 points. Vickers scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds.

“Rebounds are key. You can't give a team second and third chances at a possession and they took advantage of that,” Turner said. “You give a good team like that 12 more shots at a basket, that's an appetite for destruction.”

St. Mary's got a team-high 15 points from junior point guard Yuri Collins. He finished with six rebounds, two assists and six steals. Austin had 13 points, three rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Tony Burks scored 13 points and had five steals. Mitchell scored 14 points and had a team-best seven rebounds. Senior post Yahuza Rasas scored 10 points and grabbed four boards.

St. Mary's and Chaminade will meet one more time. They are scheduled to play Feb. 6 at St. Mary's.

Not that the Dragons can look that far ahead. They have a tough third-place game to get through on Saturday against Champaign Central.

“We have to leave this loss in the locker room and get ready,” Turner said. “I like the way we fought, but I'm not satisfied getting smacked by 20.” - by David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch 

A New Year to Tackle

ST. MARY'S TACKLES LOADED SCHEDULE

Losses stay in the locker room.

The St. Mary's basketball team left its first loss of the season in 2017. It celebrated the new year by hitting the century mark two states away.

The No. 3 small school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, St. Mary's (13-2) powered past Moreau Catholic of California for a 101-76 victory at the Mac Jelks Invitational in Hammond, Ind., outside of Chicago on Monday.

The Dragons didn't get much time to reflect on what ailed them after they let a double-digit lead get away in their 67-61 loss to No. 2 large school Hazelwood Central (13-1) in the Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Tournament championship game on Saturday at St. Louis Community College–Meramec.

Coach Bryan Turner saw his Dragons do the things that make them hard to beat when they bounced back in Indiana.

“Fatigue kind of hit us,” Turner said. “That stage (at Meramec) was a little too big for some of the guys. I went with the guys I trusted. The ball stuck.”

Junior point guard Yuri Collins led St. Mary's with 20 points against Central. That's not the ideal setup for the Dragons. Yes, he can put the ball in the basket, but St. Mary's is at its best when Collins is setting up his teammates. Like he did against Moreau.

“Yuri's best attribute is getting us into stuff,” Turner said.

Collins went for 14 points, three steals and nine assists. He was one of six Dragons to score in double figures Monday. Senior guard Tony Burks tied a season-high with 24 points. Senior forward Miles Jones had 16 points after being limited by foul trouble on Saturday. Senior sixth-man Lavell Harris had 14 points and five steals. Senior post Yahuza Rasas had 12 points and senior guard Dominic Mitchell had 11 points.

St. Mary's was stung by the defeat Saturday, but Turner will take a loss now if it means avoiding trouble come the postseason. What he saw on Saturday reminded him of the Dragons' overtime sectional loss last season to eventual Class 4 champion Vashon.

“That game was a mirror image of the Vashon game,” Turner said. “I'm glad we had that type of game in December.”

The Dragons are at their best their offense is getting points from everywhere. In their dismantling of CBC earlier this season, sans Rasas, the ball movement kept the Cadets' defense off-guard and led to a layup parade in transition and wide-open looks in its half-court offense.

St. Mary's will have to play that way if it is going to achieve its goal of a state semifinal run. The path will be rugged as it could potentially face Confluence Academy in its district, Vashon in the sectional and then loaded Sikeston in the quarterfinal. The Dragons are, once again, in the toughest corner of the state tournament bracket.

“We can only do this as a team,” Turner said.

St. Mary's wrapped up its busy schedule Tuesday by dropping a 69-58 decision in an Archdiocesan Athletic Association contest at Duchesne. St. Mary's will be off until Jan. 15, when it plays at St. Louis U. High at 5:30 p.m. on Martin Luther King. Jr. Day. It's a welcome break from what has been a rough and rugged schedule.

“I knew when we set the schedule up this would be our gauntlet,” Turner said. “We've got a break and I know I need it and the kids need it.” - by David Kvdahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

Not Enough

Hazelwood Central Rallies to Reclaim Coaches vs. Cancer Championship

Yuri Collins thought he tied the game. 

Then Cameron Williams showed up. 

The star junior point guard for the St. Mary's basketball team, Collins had just stolen the ball at the mid-court line and was racing in for the game-tying layup. He let the ball go only to see Williams, a senior swingman for Hazelwood Central, fly through the air and blast the ball off the backboard with just more than a minute left to play. 

But Williams was just getting started. In the scrum to recover the loose ball, Williams poked it away, chased it down and went in all alone the other way for a highlight-reel slam. 

Hazelwood Central rallied back from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to beat St. Mary's 67-61 on Saturday in the championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Tournament on the campus of St. Louis Community College - Meramec.

The No. 3 large school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings and No. 2 seed, Central (13-1) avenged last season's semifinal loss to top seed and defending tournament champion St. Mary's. It's the fifth time the Hawks have won at Meramec since 2003.

“I've got some tough kids that never give up,” Central coach Brandon Gilmore said. “They kept battling.”

Senior post Xavier Ball cemented the Hawks rally in the fourth quarter. He buried a 3-pointer from the left wing to put Central ahead 59-56 with 2 minutes and 26 seconds to play in the game. The 6-foot-7 Ball finished with a game-high 24 points and grabbed five rebounds.

“We stayed together. Our coach let us know that we're still in the game and we've got it,” Ball said. “He said, 'Don't let each other down, don't get down on yourself and stay with it.'”

Senior shooting guard Shaun Williams showed his all-around game as he scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out four assists and did well defending Collins in the fourth quarter.

Cameron Williams had nine points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks, none of which meant more than his jaw-dropper in the final minute.

“I was just trying to get back on defense so they wouldn't get any easy layup and my dad always tells me to play hard and good things will happen,” Cameron Williams said.

The No. 1 small school, St. Mary's (12-1) won its semifinal on Friday with Collins and senior guard Tony Burks sidelined by injury in the fourth quarter. Collins was limited by a shoulder injury and Burks by a busted lip that required stitches. Both started on Saturday and appeared fine.

Collins scored 20 points and had four assists and three steals. Burks netted 11 points and had three rebounds. He buried a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter that pushed the Dragons ahead 53-44.

But St. Mary's depth could not sustain its electric pace of play over the course of four games in four days. Senior forward Miles Jones battled foul trouble all night until he picked up his fifth and final foul with 4:08 left in the fourth quarter. He had six points and three rebounds in limited action.

“He's a great free-throw shooter, he can stretch the defense and a lot of times we have guys buried in the corners and let Yuri just penetrate and kick and it keeps the defense honest,” St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said. "We have to be able to finish the game out." 

Burks had 11 points and three rebounds. Senior guard Dominic Mitchell hit four 3-pointers as he scored 14 points and grabbed three rebounds, handed out three assists to go with two steals and two blocks. Senior post Yahuza Rasas had four points and six rebounds. He had three blocks including an incredible one-on-one denial of Ball's dunk attempt to end the third quarter.

“It was the game I expected,” Turner said. “It was a dog fight. It was a great atmosphere.”

St. Mary's led 30-29 at halftime. The Dragons were hitting on all cylinders in the third quarter. Collins attacked with abandon, Mitchell and senior guard Lavell Harris each buried 3-pointers.

But the Hawks stiffened defensively and went to work on the glass. They chipped away as Ball, Shaun Williams and Cameron Williams put the ball in the basket.

“We've been through a lot of adversity this year so we know there's going to be ups and downs in basketball games,” Cameron Williams said. “When it goes up you can't get too high and when it goes down you can't too down. We continued to play hard and came out with the 'W.” - by David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

Feeling Banged Up

Depth Carries Wounded Dragons Past Kirkwood into Title Game

The St. Mary's basketball machine lost two starters and kept right on rolling.

Down starting point guard Yuri Collins and starting shooting guard Tony Burks, the Dragons held off Kirkwood 62-56 in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Tournament on Friday at St. Louis Community College -  Meramec.

The No. 1 small school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings and top seed, St. Mary's (12-0) advanced to defend its tournament title against No. 2 seed Hazelwood Central (12-1) at 8 p.m. Saturday.

The No. 4 seed, Kirkwood (7-1) draws No. 3 seed Jennings (8-2) at 6:30 p.m. in the third-place game.

The Dragons won Friday's battle of unbeatens because of their depth of talent. Few teams can lose their three-year starting point guard and hold on. Even fewer do it without their four-year starting shooting guard.

“We go in with the motto plug in and play,” St. Mary's coach Bryan Turner said. “I still have to see what I've got. There's a trust factor that has to keep coming. We want to give guys an opportunity in big, meaningful game.”

Collins injured his left shoulder during the fall. He missed the season-opening tournament at Alton, but upon returning remained his all-around dominant self despite wearing a brace. Midway through the fourth quarter, he reached in to poke the ball away and his shoulder gave out.

“This is the first time it's popped out. It was a shock,” Collins said. “I've been protecting it, rehabbing it and icing it. It's getting stronger, but it's not fully there yet.”

Before he went to the bench, Collins showcased why he's among the top point guards in the state. He finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. The fast and furious Dragons got up and down in a hurry, but Kirkwood showed it could run, too.

The Pioneers' dynamic backcourt of Damien Loyd and Jaylen Phipps stuffed the stat sheet. A junior point guard, Loyd scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He banked home a half-court heave to beat the buzzer to cut St. Mary's lead to 33-27.

A freshman shooting guard, Phipps scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds. He threw down a monster dunk that put the Pioneers in front 38-37 with 3 minutes and 8 seconds to play in the third quarter. He hit one of two free throws to give Kirkwood a 41-38 lead, its largest of the second half, with 1:55 remaining in the third.

It didn't last long.

Collins scored a layup and then senior guard Lavell Harris knocked down a transition 3-pointer and in the span of 30 seconds the Pioneers went from a three-point lead to trailing by two.

St. Mary's led 47-41 at the end of the third.

“They're very good for a lot of reasons. They impose their will whether it's offense or defense,” Kirkwood coach Bill Gunn said. “They keep you off balance. I thought that we had some really good moments and did some really good things.”

Burks scored eight points and had four rebounds, two assists and two steals before he took an elbow to the nose from Kirkwood's 6-foot-8 senior forward Leondre Clay with just more than four minutes to play in the third quarter. Burks bled so profusely the game was delayed for several minutes to allow for cleanup.

With Burks lost, senior guard Dominic Mitchell went for 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Senior guard Miles Jones had 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Senior post Yahuza Rasas scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds.

“Me and Tony, we're starters but our bench is loaded. We had Donovan and Lavell step up and make plays down the stretch,” Collins said. “I wasn't worried about us coming out. We've got other veterans that have been with us and do what they have to do.”

Collins and Burks are expected to be game-time decisions on Saturday. Collins said if it were up to him he'd play. But it's not up to him.

“I think I'll be able to play, but it depends on what my coaches think,” Collins said.

St. Mary's depth has buoyed it all season as Collins missed time early in the season. Rasas was suspended for the mercy-rule win over CBC after he received two technical fouls the game prior. So far the Dragons have overcome every obstacle in their path. It's impressive but Turner wonders how much stress his players can take as they run the gauntlet of the tournament.

“It's a long stretch for these guys with four games in four days. At some point their legs are going to go. We can't keep playing this style of play and not expect certain things like shooting, rotations, things like that (to suffer),” Turner said. “It's good to know we've got guys we can throw in there, give us good stretches and make plays when it's time to make plays.” - by David Kvidahl of the St. Louis Post Dispatch