Many people wondered about the St. Mary’s Dragons after they received the No. 1 seed at the powerful Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament in their first year in the tournament.
After a little tough sledding in its first round victory over Lafayette in which they trailed in the fourth quarter, the Dragons lived up to their seeding by winning the championship. St. Mary’s defeated SLUH 60-57 in a thrilling overtime championship game.
Junior forward Yahuza Rasas had 20 points, six rebounds and eight blocked shots to lead the Dragons. Sophomore guard Yuri Collins added 19 points, including five big points in overtime while junior guard Tony Burks added 15 points.
St. Mary’s improved its record to 11-0 on the season with two tournament championships to their credit. The Dragons also won the Alton (IL) Tip-Off Tournament title to begin the season. The Dragons were 21-6 last season and played for a Class 4 district championship, losing to eventual state champion Vashon. A possible postseason rematch with the Wolverines could take place in March in the sectional playoffs.
Mark Smith’s stock on the rise
In the world of high school recruiting, one of the most popular terms of the business is that of “stock riser.” That would be the player who elevates his play so much to a different level and jumps from the local to the national radar. That would describe what Edwardsville High senior Mark Smith has accomplished during the first month of the season.
A 6’4” senior point guard, Smith was coming off an excellent season in 2016 in which he led the Tigers to a 25-5 record and a Class 4 regional title. A one-time University of Missouri baseball recruit, Smith changed his mind about playing baseball and decided to become a full-time basketball player. Some low to mid-major college basketball programs immediately pounced and offered scholarships to Smith after a summer grassroots season with the SW Illinois Jets.
Since the beginning of the high school season, Smith has been simply brilliant for the 11-1 Tigers, thus his stock has exploded through the roof. Now, major college programs such as Kansas State and Illinois have come forward with offers and more are sure to be on the way.
There is good reason for all of the sudden attention that Smith has been getting. In 12 games, he has posted some eye-popping numbers. Smith is averaging 21.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.1 steals in leading the Tigers to a couple of tournament championships.
In the championship of the Collinsville Tournament last week, Smith had 35 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in an 83-75 victory over Althoff in a battle of metro east powers. In an earlier meeting against Althoff for the Highland Tournament championship, Smith had 37 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in an 81-78 Edwardsville victory.
With Smith leading the way and a supporting cast that includes Iowa football recruit A.J. Epenesa and sharpshooter Oliver Stephen, Edwardsville has a chance to make a serious run in the Illinois Class 4A playoffs this season.
MICDS Girls continue to roll
The MICDS Rams have finished second in the Class 4 state tournament the past two seasons. Despite the graduation of All-State performers Taylor Baur (Princeton) and Rachel Thompson (Colgate), the Rams have continued to be one of the area’s elite girls’ programs. The Rams won their own MICDS Holiday Tournament championship last week to run their record to 10-0. The Rams defeated Fort Zumwalt North 48-30 in the championship game. MICDS also won the championship of the Lutheran St. Charles Tournament in early December.
Without the 20 points a game of Baur and the all-around point guard excellence of Thompson in the lineup, the Rams are more of a well-balanced unit with several players capable of being the leading scorer on a given night. MICDS is led by 5’8” junior forward Jordyn Brooks, who is averaging 12.8 points a game. Senior forward Lauryn Hughes averages 10.6 points while 5’10” junior forward Lindsey Parks averages 9.6 points. Sophomore guard Raevyn Ferguson averages 9.3 points while junior guard Landys Hughes averages 7.4 points. Junior guard Kayla Work comes off the bench to provide excellent 3-point shooting.
