Vashon and DeSmet remain two of the most storied high school boys basketball programs in the St. Louis area.
The two programs have combined to win 22 state championships and a make a combined 41 trips to the Final Four of the state tournament.
The two teams got together on Thursday night for a big non-conference game at DeSmet. Vashon sprinted out to a 11-0 lead and were never threatened as it posted an impressive 74-57 victory over the Spartans.
Photo by Earl Austin Jr. | St. Louis American
Vashon, which is ranked No. 1 in the current Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 4 polls, improved its record to 11-3. DeSmet, the No. 2 team in the Class 6 poll, fell to 15-3. The game was put together on short notice as both teams had a sudden open date after having their respective games cancelled at last weekend’s Quincy Shootout in Illinois due to the inclement weather.
In addition to scoring the first 11 points of the game, the Wolverines also made 11 of their first 12 field goal attempts as they scored 31 points in the first quarter. The offensive barrage continued in the second quarter as Vashon built a 48-29 lead at halftime.
The leader of Vashon’s offense was standout junior guard Jimmy McKinney III, who scored a career-high 31 points. The 6’2” McKinney was on fire in the first half as he scored 25 points and made five 3-pointers. He made four consecutive perimeter jumpers to spark the Wolverines torrid first-quarter onslaught. He also finished the game with five assists and three steals.
Senior forward Christian Potts enjoyed the best game of his season with a career-high 15 points. The 6’8” Potts also added seven rebounds, eight blocked shots and four slam dunks.
Senior guard Kain McCaskill and junior forward Leon Powell Jr. added 11 points each. The 6’6” Powell also had three rebounds and three assists while the 6’1” McCaskill had four rebounds and a team-high eight assists.
DeSmet was led by junior guard Will Foulk with 15 points and senior guard Braden Butler with 14 points.