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