LADUE – It did not take long for freshman Brandon Clemens to impress MICDS coach Travis Wallace.
“Day one,” Wallace recalled. “I thought, ‘He’s a freshman.’”
And with a district championship on the line against a fierce rival, Wallace confidently handed Clemens the keys to the offense and watched the freshman drive the Rams to the finish line.
Clemens scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half to help MICDS break open a tight game and defeat John Burroughs 63-50 Friday in the Class 4 District 4 championship game at McConnell Gymnasium.
MICDS (22-6), which won its second consecutive district title, will face Sullivan in a Class 4 sectional game at 7:45 p.m. Monday at Farmington Civic Center.
Tied at 38 in the third quarter, Clemens began a torrid stretch that ultimately decided the outcome.
He drove into the lane, reverse pivoted and sunk a nifty, fadeaway jumper from just inside the foul line to give the Rams a lead they would not relinquish.
“I hit the first one, and I got into a little rhythm,” said Clemens, who did not start the game but played the entire second half.
Moments later, he swiped a Bombers pass at midcourt and cruised in for a breakaway layup to make the score, 42-38.
“I knew it was my night when I got that steal. The crowd was into it, I was into it. I could feel it,” Clemens said.
On the next offensive possession, Clemens found a crease along the baseline and converted a tough layup between shot blockers. He swished two free throws to close out the third quarter, then drained a deep 3-ball to open the fourth to give MICDS a 50-39 lead.
“Once Brandon got going, I said, ‘Let’s just call a bunch of sets for him,’ and he kept it going,” Wallace said.
And Clemens’ teammates willingly refrained from putting up their own shots until he cooled off.
“That’s how we got better. We know now that if a player is going, we feed that person the ball,” junior Jayden Banks said.
Early in the fourth quarter, MICDS spread the floor and let Banks use his quickness and creativity. He ran off time, found open cutters and made 11 out of 12 free throws to close out the game.
“When I see the clock going down and we’re ahead, that’s my time to shine,” said Banks, who finished with 16 points.
Players from both teams shined in a see-saw opening half.
MICDS built an early lead by using the long ball to mount a 13-0 run near the end of the first quarter and into the second. Banks, senior Marcus Coleman and junior Mason Swartz drained threes in rapid succession to build a 24-12 advantage for MICDS.
But John Burroughs (21-7) utilized the high-low chemistry of brothers Trevor and Tristan Reed and the smooth stroke of junior Ramzi Salem, who led all scorers with 18 points, to close the deficit to 28-27 by halftime.
“I went into the locker room and told them, ‘When we play our style of basketball, we’re pretty good, but when we don’t, we’re not good,” Wallace said. “And we came out in the second half and played MICDS basketball.”
And that style is rooted in unselfishness. The Rams, which have now won eight consecutive games, have five players averaging between 8.5 and 11.5 points per game.
On Friday, they cleared the way and allowed the freshman Clemens to take center stage.
“That’s the thing I love about our team, they don’t care who gets the spotlight, they just want to win,” Wallace said.