WEBSTER GROVES – Symon Ghai is relatively new to the sport of basketball.
The 7-foot-3 Vianney sophomore, who grew up in South Sudan playing soccer, decided to try another sport during his freshman season in high school.
Initially, he struggled to catch passes cleanly, develop proper footwork or defend without fouling. Despite his early frustrations, he worked diligently at becoming a better basketball player.
In the second half Saturday, he became the best player on the floor.
Ghai scored 13 points, controlled the defensive glass, and rejected several shot attempts in leading Vianney to a 68-59 victory over Webster Groves in a Class 5 District 2 semifinal Saturday at Roberts Gymnasium on the campus of Webster Groves High.
“This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Ghai said of the district semifinal. “Last year I couldn’t help my team, but this year I came back and did what I had to do to help us win.”
Vianney (22-6), which advanced to its third consecutive district championship game, will face St. Mary’s (26-3) for the District 2 title at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Roberts Gymnasium. Both teams average over 70 points per game.
“Bring your track shoes, it going to be up and down, that’s for sure,” Vianney coach Kevin Walsh said.
In front of a packed house with a massive Webster Groves student section primed to avenge a district semifinal loss to Vianney last season, the Griffins found a way to execute their gameplan flawlessly at the outset.
Ghai (pronounced ‘Guy’) parked himself with two feet in the lane on defense and challenged anyone who entered the paint. While the Statesman struggled to find available shots, a pair of three-point lasers by senior Luke Walsh and sophomore Eddie Smajic helped Vianney jump out to a 10-0 lead.
Walsh scored 25 points and Smajic added 24 to pace the Griffins.
“We talked in the locker room that Webster was going to come out with a lot of energy, especially since we got them last year, so we had to up our energy too,” Smajic said.
But after Ghai picked up his second foul at the 2:52 mark of the first quarter, he sat on the bench for the next eight minutes and his absence changed the game.
Webster Groves senior Iziah Purvey backed into the paint and scooped in a pair of baskets. With Vianney needing to provide help against Purvey, junior Carl Whitehead Jr. found open looks on the perimeter. His fourth triple of the first half tied the game at 19 just four minutes after Ghai’s departure.
“We found a good rhythm, and Whitehead was fantastic,” Webster Groves coach Justin Mathes said. “Early on we missed a couple (shots) and he got us going,”
Vianney calmed the Statesman momentum with high-difficulty baskets from Walsh and Smajic. Additional scoring contributions from freshman Chase Duke and sophomore Ben Karsten put the Griffins in the locker room with a 32-30 lead.
“When (Ghai) goes out, we definitely become a different team,” Vianney coach Kevin Walsh said. “The best part was that we got to halftime and he only had two fouls, so we knew we could ride him a little more in the second half.”
And in the second half, Ghai became half Lamborghini and half Monster Truck.
On offense, he slammed down three dunks in the third quarter, two off alley-oop passes as Walsh and Smajic made a concerted effort to enter the paint.
“No one in the state or probably the country has a 7’3” kid like him,” Smajic said. “Last year, he couldn’t do this, but this year, it’s really fun to get downhill and have someone to just throw it up to.”
On the defensive end, Ghai was a ball-masher. His block of a Purvey shot attempt led to a bucket in transition for Walsh. He added a pair of steals, dominated the defensive glass and scored eight points in a decisive third quarter that saw Vianney build a 56-44 lead.
“I thought Symon was tremendous in the second half,” Mathes said. “He kind of eliminated the paint for us and when it turns into a three-point shooting contest, that’s not ideal for us. It limits us offensively.”
The defensive excellence for Vianney was not limited to Ghai. Luke Walsh played outstanding man-to-man defense on Webster Groves freshman Scottie Adkinson, who entered the game averaging 16 points per contest. Walsh held him to just nine – with five coming in the final two Statesmen possessions after the game had already been decided.
Even though Adkinson and Purvey were held in check, Whitehead was still scorching hot. He drilled his eighth 3-pointer to complete a 7-0 Statesmen run and slice the deficit to 58-54 with 2:36 remaining.
Whitehead, who averages 7.6 points per game, scored a career-high 24 on 8-of-10 shooting from long range.
“We made it a priority to stop Adkinson and Purvey, and when you do that, you kind of have leave other guys open, and to his credit, he was ready and he made big shots,” Kevin Walsh said. “It felt like we couldn’t pull away because every time we felt like we would, he would come back and make another three.”
Sensing a chance to steal a possession, Webster Groves employed a Hack-a-Ghai strategy, intentionally fouling the Vianney 7-footer in the low post as he stood without the ball with 2:28 remaining.
Ghai shot 30.2 percent from the free throw line as freshman.
He stepped to the line, sent his left-handed shot towards the rim and went 2-for-2, with neither attempt even grazing the rim on its way through the net.
“I got my form from him,” Ghai said with a smile as he gestured towards sharpshooting teammate Luke Walsh.
Ghai was the catalyst for an 8-for-10 performance by Vianney at the free throw line in the final 2:28 as the Griffins kept Webster Groves at arms length for the remainder of the game.
For Ghai, the road from complete newcomer to dominant force was paved through hard work and joy.
“He has grown so much as a player. He works super hard and continues to get better every day,” Kevin Walsh said.
Ghai added, “I love playing with this team and I love this game.”