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