Resiliency and mental toughness have been trademarks of the young Chaminade College Prep boys basketball team throughout the 2009 season.
Despite fielding a team with six sophomores, the Red Devils displayed a steely resolve which resulted in the school’s first ever state championship over the weekend.
Chaminade completed a dream season with a 80-70 victory over Grandview in the championship game of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 5 state tournament in Columbia. Grandview entered the game as the No. 1 team in the state.
The victory capped a dramatic weekend for the Red Devils, who on Friday afternoon, rallied from deficits of 21 and 18 points to shock Columbia Rock Bridge 66-65 in the semifinals. They trailed 27-6 at the end of the first quarter and 55-37 at the end of the third quarter before mounting its last rally. Sophomore guard Bradley Beal’s last-second free throw gave Chaminade the heart-stopping victory.
Big comebacks were nothing new to the Red Devils this season. They trailed CBC by 16 points with four minutes left in the third-place game of the Pattonville Tournament, only to come back and win the game in overtime. In the sectional playoffs against Kirkwood, Chaminade trailed by 14 points late in the first half before coming back to win.
“This is the way we’ve done it all year,” said coach Kelvin Lee. “Our guys have great character and they never quit. The mental toughness comes from practice because they go hard at each other every day.”
In Grandview, the Red Devils met the challenge of a bigger, more athletic team that thrives in the transition game. They were able to get the best of Grandview in the end thanks to the efforts of its three-headed monster of Beal, Brandon Lockhart and Brandon Hannah, who combined to score 67 of the team’s 80 points.
Beal, a talented 6’3” sophomore guard, added to his growing reputation by scoring a team high 30 points in the finals. He was able to match the offensive firepower supplied by Grandview star Alec Burks, who scored a game-high 33 points. Beal scored 19 points in the first half to stake Chaminade to a 38-37 lead.
Lockhart, a 6’1” senior guard, took over in the second half as he scored 14 of his 21 points while dishing out five assists and going through Grandview’s pressure defense like a hot knife through butter. The 6’3” Hannah added 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals while battling a much bigger Grandview front line.
Other locals at state
Girls basketball teams Miller Career Academy and Hazelwood Central came home with third-place trophies. Career Academy defeated Dexter 54-50 to win the school’s first ever trophy in girls basketball and finish the season at 25-5. Senior guard Ciara Leak scored 16 points to lead the Phoenix, while Rashonda Willis had 13 points. Forward Paris Williams had 11 points and six rebounds against Dexter and 16 points and 13 rebounds in Career Academy’s 62-50 loss to Platte County in the semifinals.
“We’re proud to be the first team from Career Academy to make it to state,” said Willis. “We just try to set the standard for the next group of young girls to follow.”
Hazelwood Central’s girls’ finished third after defeating Nerinx Hall 58-28 on Saturday. Sophomore Jasmine Crawford scored 12 points for the Hawks while BreAnna McLaughlin added eight points and 11 rebounds. McLaughlin had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the Hawks’ 58-47 loss to Blue Springs in the semifinals.
Career Academy’s boys finished in fourth place in their first ever appearance in the state tournament. The Phoenix were defeated by Kearney in the semifinals and Jefferson City Helias in the third-place game. Career Academy finished the season with a 17-13 record.
