(Columbia, Mo.) – McCluer North won its second Missouri Class 5 boys state championship with a 63-53 victory over Troy on Saturday night at the Mizzou Arena on the campus of the University of Missouri.
The Stars (28-4) utilized their quickness and athleticism to turn in a stellar defensive effort. They limited a very hot Troy team to only 16 field goals and 30 percent shooting from the field. The Stars also had 10 steals and six blocked shots.
Meanwhile, McCluer North shot a very toasty 60 percent from the field, including a sizzling 71 percent from the field in the second half.
Senior guard B.J. Young completed a spectacular senior year with a game-high 21 points. The 6’4″ Young also contributed four assists and three steals.
Senior swingman Akintoye Okunrinboye had a big performance with 15 points on seven-of-nine shooting from the field. Junior center Jordon Granger was a force inside with 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
McCluer North won its first state championship in 2007 and came back to finish second in 2008. The road to the Stars second state title was much more difficult as they had to defeat Suburban North Conference rivals Hazelwood Central, McCluer and No. 1 Chaminade on the way to Columbia.
All three teams defeated McCluer North in February.
“This is the most proud I’ve been of any group – even the ’07 team that won a title,” said McCluer North coach Randy Reed. “It’s special because of what we went through to get here. We really went through the gauntlet.”
Troy (21-10) was led by its guard tandem of Derek Deters and Neil Branham with 13 points each. Guard Ben Chaney came off the bench to score 12 points.
Soldan defeated St. Joe’s Lafayette 53-45 in the Class 4 boys third-place game. Junior forward Randy Holmes scored 12 points to lead the Tigers.
The 6’4″ Holmes was Soldan’s leading scorer in the Final Four. Junior forward Kawan Griffin added 10 points and junior guard Paul McRoberts added nine. Soldan finished the season with a 23-7 record.
(You can follow Earl Austin Jr’s daily basketball reports on
www.earlaustinjr.com or at twitter.com/earlaustinjr).
