What a difference a year made for the Maplewood-Richmond Heights boys basketball team.
Last season, Maplewood won its first Missouri Class 3 state championship in surprising fashion. The Blue Devils won both games by one point, defeating a heavily favored Kansas City Hogan Prep in the semifinals and mounting a dramatic rally from a 19-point deficit to defeat Lutheran North in the finals.
The 2008 Blue Devils were a small and scrappy team that relied on star guard Bryant Allen to do most of the scoring. Starting center Calvin Belts Jr. was a skinny freshman whose knees were knocking at the opening tip because he was so nervous. Meanwhile, head coach Corey Frazier took off on a Jimmy Valvano-like run around the Mizzou Arena after his Blue Devils shocked Hogan Prep in the semifinals.
Fast-forward the clock to this season and you have Maplewood celebrating another state championship. This time, the Blue Devils were business-like in winning both games in convincing fashion. There was very little suspense this time around. After defeating Blue Eye 64-46 in the semifinals, the Blue Devils accomplished the repeat with a 73-55 victory over Whitfield in another all-St. Louis championship game. From the opening day of practice in November, the Blue Devils were the team to beat in Class 3 and they came through like champions for the second consecutive season.
“This one feels just as good, but it was different,” said Frazier, who has built the Maplewood program into one of the state’s powers. “Last year, nobody expected us to do what we did. This year was more of a maturity thing. All of us knew what to expect and we took care of business.”
Bryant Allen closed out his tremendous high school career by scoring a team-high 15 points in the championship game. However, the superstar guard had plenty of help in Columbia as three other players scored in double figures. One of those players was Belts, that skinny freshman who has grown into a bigger and more confident sophomore. He had 14 points and nine rebounds while 6’6” senior Charles Brooks added 14 points and 10 rebounds. They gave the Blue Devils a low-post presence that was missing last season. Senior Les Williams added 14 points in his last high school game while junior guard Bryton Hobbs scored nine points.
“We’ve been waiting for a game like this all season,” said Allen. “Everyone played great. Charles and Calvin are like a machine that cannot be stopped when they’re working together.”
Whitfeld played the Blue Devils even for the first half as they battled to a 28-28 tie at halftime. Maplewood erupted with a 25-point third-quarter to take control as they stepped up the defensive pressure and created many fast-break opportunities.
“It was a game of two halves,” said Whitfield coach Mike Potsou. “We had the tempo the way we wanted it in the first half, but they got a lot of layups off of transition and put-backs in the second half.”
The Warriors, who finished with a 20-13 record, made a remarkable recovery this season after starting off the season at 1-6. Junior swingman Julian Johnson was one of the most impressive players in Columbia. The 6’3” Johnson had 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the Warriors’ 56-53 victory over Lee’s Summit Community Christian in the semifinals. In the championship game, Johnson had 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against Maplewood.
“Julian Johnson is a flat-out winner,” said Potsou. “Our team had a fun ride this year. It’s a credit to our kids to get from 1-6 to this point. We have enjoyed an experience that a lot of players and coaches will never get to experience.”
Whitfield will be one of the teams to watch next season with the return of Johnson, Maurice Burns and Mike Gallagher for their senior seasons as well as exciting freshman guards Zach Ellis and Darrion Harris. The Warriors will also get back 6’6” forward Alex Rudd, who missed the entire season with a knee injury.
