St. Louis area basketball dominance was on display at last weekend’s MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown at Missouri State University’s JQH Arena in Springfield.
Six state championships were up for grabs during the Final Four in Classes 4-6, and St. Louis teams gobbled up five titles.
On the boys’ side, Vashon, CBC, and Webster Groves won state titles and girls’ teams from Incarnate Word Academy and John Burroughs took home state championships.
CBC in a breeze
The CBC Cadets defeated Metro Catholic Conference rival Chaminade 70-52 in the semifinals, then followed up with a 68-51 victory over Nixa in the Class 6 state championship game. It was the third state title for head coach Justin Tatum, who also led the Cadets to the state title in 2014. Tatum, father of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, also won a state title at Soldan in 2012.
CBC was led by outstanding backcourt seniors Rob Martin and Larry Hughes, Jr.
The 5’10” Martin scored 29 points in the semifinals against Chaminade and 18 against Nixa in the state finals. The 6’5” Hughes scored a game-high 20 points in the state championship game. It was 25 years ago that his father, Larry Hughes, led the Cadets to a Class 4 state championship.
Statesmen statement
Webster Groves won its third state title in six years by dispatching Jefferson City Helias 72-53 in the championship game. The Statesmen advanced to the final with a thrilling 60-57 victory over two-time defending state champion Cardinal Ritter in the semifinals.
The Statesmen unleashed a bevy of offensive weapons against Helias in the state championship game. Sophomore forward Iziah Purveyled the way with 19 points, followed by Jalen Purvey with 12 points, Matt Enright with 11 points, CJ Lang with 10 points (and 10 rebounds) and Ethan Chartrand with nine.
In the victory over Cardinal Ritter in the semifinals, Enright scored a game-high 23 points while Iziah Purvey added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Very Vashon
Vashon defeated New Madrid Central in the semifinals 48-39 and Father Tolton 57-49 in the state final to win the Class 4 state title. It was the 13th state championship for the Wolverines and the sixth in the career of head coach Tony Irons.
In the championship game, the Wolverines trailed Tolton 47-44 in the fourth quarter, but outscored the Trailblazers 13-2 down the stretch to take home the state title. Junior forward Kennard Davis led the Wolverines with 15 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Cameron Stovall added 11 points while junior guard Jaylen Nicholson had nine points.
The junior trio also led the Wolverines in the victory over New Madrid Central as Davis led with 14 points. Nicholson finished with 11 points while Stovall added 10 points.
Speak The Word
The Incarnate Word Academy dynasty continues as the Red Knights won their fifth consecutive state championship. IWA defeated St. Joseph’s Academy 71-23 in the semifinals, then came back to defeat Springfield Kickapoo 67-50 in the championship game.
Senior point guard Saniah “Big Game” Tyler concluded a stellar career at IWA by scoring 24 points against Kickapoo in her final game as a Red Knight. Juniors Natalie Potts, Brooke Coffey and Violet McNece chipped in with 15, 13, and 11 points, respectively.
Winning No. 1
John Burroughs made history last weekend by winning the Class 4 state title, which was the first championship in girls’ basketball at the school. The Bombers defeated St. Joe Benton 54-46 in the championship game. Sophomore point guard Allie Turner led the way with 19 points. Also in the mix were sophomore Monet Witherspoon with 16 points and junior Sydney Starks with 12.
*More State Trophies
The Whitfield girls finished second in the Class 5 state tournament while Webster Groves finished in third place. Cardinal Ritter’s boys also took home a third-place trophy in Class 5. Chaminade’s boys finished fourth in the Class 6 state tournament
