St. Mary’s vs. Soldan: Evening’s Best
The high school basketball season in St. Louis tipped off last night when Soldan visited St. Mary’s in a battle of talented Class 4 schools. The pace of the game was fast and furious as both teams applied full court…
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Continue ReadingThe high school basketball season in St. Louis tipped off last night when Soldan visited St. Mary’s in a battle of talented Class 4 schools.
The pace of the game was fast and furious as both teams applied full court pressure and looked to push the ball on offense as much as possible. The result was a lot of points, a lot of turnovers and a lot of exciting play. The more experienced St. Mary’s team would create turnovers and manage to pull away to a double digit lead, but the younger Soldan Tigers always reeled them in what was a true ebb and flow game.
In the end, the depth and experience of St. Mary’s was too much as they wore down Soldan and took home an 84-70 victory. Junior guard Antonio Burks of St. Mary’s led all scorers with 28 points while 6’6″ junior center Yazuza Rasas added 20 points. Sophomore guard Jesse Little led Soldan with 20 points.
Now, on to the best of the evening:
Top Offensive Player (St. Mary’s): Antonio Burks – The 6’2″ junior guard was in attack mode from the beginning of the game as he found the fast pace of play much to his liking. Burks was really on fire in the second half when he scored 16 points, which included key buckets whenever Soldan threatened to get close to the Dragons. He was at his best when he was getting to the basket and scoring on twisting drives and fast-break layups.
Top Offensive Player (Soldan): Jesse Little – The 6’0″ sophomore guard shares this status with Burks because he pretty much kept the Tigers in the game by himself. He scored 14 of his team’s 15 points and had all of Soldan’s field goals in the first quarter. Little is a smooth shooting guard with a nice stroke from 3-point range. He also scored on drives and in transition to finish with a team-high 25 points.
Best Inside Presence: Yahuza Rasas (St. Mary’s): The 6’6″ junior was a force in the paint throughout the evening as he scored 20 points and grabbed a bunch of rebounds. He put in a ton of work in the second quarter when he scored 10 of his 20. Rasas is an agile post who runs the court and attacks the offensive boards hard. He also plays the top of the Dragons’ 1-3-1 half court trap.
Best Passer: Yuri Collins (St. Mary’s) – The 5’10” sophomore scored 15 points, but he dropped several nice dimes throughout the game. In a game where the pace is fast, Collins had plenty of chances to display his passing in the open court, where he really flourished. Collins is a traditional pass-first point guard who prefers to give the assist for the bucket rather than score the bucket.
Bench Player: Lavelle Harris (St. Mary’s): The 5’11” junior sparkplug is a real catalyst who really makes things happen when he enters the game. Harris quickens the pace even more with his speed and defensive tenacity, bringing great energy on both ends of court. Harris finished with seven points, but he also did a job of ball-hawking and creating turnovers.
Unsung Player: Eric Rogers (Soldan): The 6’4″ junior forward quietly did a lot of nice things to keep the Tigers competitive throughout the game. Rogers scored 13 points as he did a nice job of driving to the basket and scoring on offensive rebounds. I was impressed with his activity as he made hustle plays on both ends of the court and always seemed to be around the ball.
Turning Point: The game changed late in the third quarter when Soldan’s Jesse Little started cramping and went down while the outcome was very much in doubt. The score was 64-60 when Little went down and eventually had to go to the bench. He had 25 points and the time and had his team in position to perhaps pull off the early upset. Little returned to the game, but was not as effective and did not score in the fourth quarter. The Dragons went to stretch the lead out as they took full control of the game.
Top Underclassman: Elijah Bishop (Soldan): The 6’5″ freshman enjoyed a very nice debut performance with 14 points. The young power forward displayed some nice post moves around the basket, which included a very effective jump hook. He battled the Dragons’ standout 6’6″ post player Yahuza Rasas for much of the night and held his own. The kid has a nice future.
The Atmosphere: The place was rocking for an early season game in Mid-November. The student section was full and the place really was jumping during the announcing of the starting lineups when they turned on the lights, started blaring the loud music and turned the spotlight on the St. Mary’s players as they announced their names. It was a nice touch that really got the kids excited to start the season.
Interesting Tidbit: Both of these teams are shaping up to be good this season, but also for the future. Among the 10 players on both teams that took the floor for the opening tip off, there were no seniors. St. Mary’s started four juniors and a sophomore while Soldan started two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman.
Best Quote: “You can tell we are very, very young, but I was very proud of how hard we fought.” — Soldan coach Darvin Whitley