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Vashon dominates Mules to win Showdown
Twenty years after the Poplar Bluff Mules defeated Vashon for the Class 5 state boys basketball championship, the Wolverines got some revenge Saturday afternoon.
Vashon sprinted out to a big early lead and never let up as it rolled to an 81-28 win over the Mules in the finals of the 37th Poplar Bluff Showdown at Mules Gymnasium. The 53-point margin victory breaks the previous record for biggest margin of victory in a Showdown championship game, set in 2008 by Liberty Tech from Jackson, Tennessee.
Despite the record-setting win, Vashon coach Jimmy McKinney Jr. still saw room for improvement with his Wolverines squad.
“We've definitely got to get better defensively,” McKinney said. “I thought this was one of our best games defensively that we've played all year, but we've got to continue that. We've got to be more consistent offensively. We've got to be more consistent with the small things — the screening, continuing to take good shots and also, we've just got to be able to get the players that's on the bench to buy in and do the same thing when they come in the game.”
But more than that, it is also the Wolverines' sixth Showdown title, the most in the tournament's history. Vashon's other titles came in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005
“Oh man, it's a great tournament,” McKinney said. “I played in it as a player. I've also coached in it as an assistant coach and (now) as a head coach. (This) feels good because it's a great tournament.”
The Wolverines, ranked first in Class 4, raced out to a 27-5 lead after one period and dominated Poplar Bluff (6-4) from wire to wire Saturday.
“I thought it was really good that we came out with the intensity that we did,” McKinney said. “I thought it was really helpful, but the thing is we've got to continue that. We've got to be more consistent and more disciplined (at) being this type of team all the time.”
Vashon shot 61% (31-for-51) in the game and also used a smothering defense to rack up 19 steals for the day.
“They're really good,” Poplar Bluff coach Will Durden said. “There's a reason why they're No. 1 in state (in Class 4). They're a good team. They've got three Division I commits. Their three seniors are good and they're committed somewhere.”
Terron Garrett led the Wolverines with 18 points, while Dorea McCaskill and Trey Williams Jr. each had 11.
Brendan Durden led the Mules with 18 points.
“This tournament's always a measurable stick for our team,” coach Durden said. “We see these other guys and we know where we've got to get. We've just got to work harder in practice to get to that level. We played against a team that was at a higher level than we were (Saturday) and we tried to compete. It just didn't work out.”
Poplar Bluff is off until Jan. 9, when it heads to Joplin to compete at the Kaminsky Classic.
“We've got a young group,” coach Durden said. “We don't have a whole lot of varsity experience, (so) every game is helping us get better, even games like this. We just need to learn from it and keep pushing ahead.”
Notes: Brendan Durden was named to the all-Showdown team, as were Jimmy McKinney III (coach McKinney's son) and Trey Williams Jr. from Vashon, Cedric Jones of Maumelle, Gabe Spray from Izard County, Brayden Waller from Trinity Christian and Avian Webb from Staley. Jones and Spray were unanimous selections. ... In the third-place game, Staley beat Izard County 65-32, while Maumelle beat McCracken County 87-76 for the consolation championship. In the seventh-place game, Trinity Christian beat Urbana 75-43.