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