COLUMBIA, MO – The stage was set for an upset.
With Vashon clinging to a three-point lead early in the second quarter, senior Terron Garrett committed his third foul, went to the bench, and Benton entered the bonus with five minutes to play.
Would Vashon abandon its full court press? Would the sharpshooting Cardinals have a parade to the free throw line?
No and no.
As it had all season, Vashon faced adversity and excelled, zooming past Benton 81-45 to capture the Class 4 state championship for the sixth consecutive season at the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
Vashon (27-2), which had five players score in double figures, won its eighth state title in nine seasons and first under new head coach Jimmy McKinney Jr.
“It was already rolling. I just couldn’t mess it up,” McKinney said. “I wanted to keep the standard, the standard, and we did that today.”
Benton (28-4) was making its first title game appearance in 84 years and the Cardinals quickly showed that the moment was not too big.
Myles Bachali hit a jump shot in the paint, Liam Malchose drained a corner three, and when Lincoln Goodwin drove the paint for a tough left-handed finish, Benton led 9-4 after five minutes, prompting a McKinney timeout.
“I thought we came out and weathered the storm a little bit. We knew they were going to play hard and give us their best shot. We just had to relax,” McKinney said.
Benton led 14-10 after one quarter before Vashon made its first run, powered by its bench. Leon Powell scored eight second half points and Armon Aaron deftly ran the point guard position as the Wolverines grabbed its first lead early in the second quarter.
“We got off to a rough start, so when I came into the game, I wanted to bring energy,” Powell said.
That energy briefly turned to deflation when Garrett picked up his third foul and headed to the bench for the final five minutes of the half. The Wolverines clung to a 23-20 lead and the Cardinals, whose top two scorers shoot over 75 percent from the free throw line, were already in the bonus.
The next five minutes became a microcosm of Vashon basketball. The Wolverines found another gear, forced turnovers and ran the floor. A layup by Powell, two hoops by Jimmy McKinney III, and a buzzer-beating triple by Trey Williams punctuated a 30-point second quarter and a 40-24 halftime lead. It was the third time Vashon scored at least 30 points in a quarter during the two games of the Show-Me Showdown.
“We were playing a little fast. We rushed some layups on one end, and we had some turnovers falling over our feet,” Benton coach Jared Boone said. “We got sloppy, and against a team like that, if you get sloppy, they’re going to do what they did.”
Garrett, who scored only four points in the first half, emerged from the locker room hungry, and his teammates let him eat. Garrett scored 10 points and added a steal and an assist as Vashon put up 27 points in the third quarter.
“My mindset was not to get in my head, not to focus on sitting in the second quarter. Come out, be me, and play my best in the third,” Garrett said.
For Benton, the early success was unsustainable once Vashon found its rhythm.
“We had good fight early. We caught them off guard a little bit, and then they settled in and made some unbelievable plays. They are who they are, and they did what they did,” Boone said.
Vashon lost two impactful juniors from last year’s title team and welcomed a new head coach after Tony Irons accepted the head coaching position at Mineral Area College. They had to play home games without fans and were forced to cancel the Vashon Winter Classic, a tournament that serves as a major fundraiser for the basketball program.
“Everything that we went through, the whole year was about adversity with us. It showed the character of this program,” McKinney said.
That adversity, combined with the championship-or-bust expectations of Vashon basketball players, requires a remarkable level of mental toughness.
“Pressure comes with putting on this jersey. If you’re not built for it, you’ll break, but this group has been dealing with pressure all year,” said Williams, a four-time state champion who will play at Missouri State University. “If we’re not sitting here with that trophy, I don’t even want to think about that. I wouldn’t show my face back in school.”
Williams led the way with 19 points, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. Garrett finished with 17 points, including the 1,000th of his career. McKinney III (14), Dorea McCaskill (12) and Powell (11) completed the list of double-figure scorers for Vashon.
“People think this is easy. It’s not easy,” McKinney Jr. said. “Putting on a Vashon uniform comes with pressure. It comes with people talking. The ones who probably get the most scrutiny in the world are Bronny James and Vashon High School. But the thing is, they stuck with it and that shows their character. The hard work they put in is second to none.”
For a Photo gallery from the Class 4 championship game, click this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-Basketball-Photos/Boys-Basketball-2024-25/Vashon-vs-Benton-Class-4-championship
