Father Tolton Catholic withstands late charge to reach Class 4 final

Vashon aims for 13th state title.

Author:
Cody Thorn
Publish date:
Mar 19, 2022 5:23 AM EDT

By Cody Thorn I Photo by Cheap Seats Photography

SPRINGFIELD — A dunk by Evens Appolon, a 6-foot-9 center, gave Father Tolton Catholic a comfortable lead – nine points – with a little more than five minutes to play.

Flash forward a bit and the Trailblazers were defending as Pembroke Hill had the ball with a chance to win in the final seconds.

The Raiders missed a jumper at the buzzer and lost 39-38 in a Class 4 semifinal on Friday night at Hammons Student Center.

The Trail Blazers (22-8) scored only one point over the final 5:07 of regulation but a free throw by Jevon Porter with 16 seconds left provided the winning margin.

“I've said it before that the schedule we've played and then the way that we've played during that stretch prepared us to be here so it paid off in a big way,” Tolton Catholic head coach Jeremy Osborne said. “Not the prettiest game by any stretch of the imagination, but those last 15 seconds not only were nerve-wracking, but also it was good to see our guys step up and make plays when needed.”

The comeback for the Raiders (21-5) started after falling behind 38-29 on the dunk by Appolon. With three minutes of the dunk, Quinton Conley had four points and a layup by Ben Miller’s layup with 2 minutes, 4 seconds cut the margin down to three. With 37 seconds left sophomore Max Sprott from the corner to tie the game.

Pembroke Hill, which saw its seven-game winning streak snapped, took advantage of foul troubles for Appolon and Porter, a 6-11 forward that is headed to Pepperdine.

“I thought we were gonna win the entire game, even down nine,” said senior Quinton Conley, one of three brothers that started for the Raiders. “I know just some of our shooters just hadn't got hot yet. Max is usually hidden in the corners, and he had taken some shots. I thought we were gonna win it the entire way. Especially when we got it down to the end and tied it.”

Father Tolton, ranked No. 4, fell behind early but used a 14-4 run to take a five-point lead after the first quarter. The margin remained though halftime and moved to seven going into the fourth.

Darin Conley, a 6-foot-5 forward, had 13 points, the only player in double figures for the Raiders.

Porter had 14, but only one in the second half. Freshman guard Aaron Rowe had 12 points, two assists and four steals, while senior guard Tahki Chievous scored 11.

Porter and his little brother, Izaak, a junior, will now have a chance to play in a title game, something their older siblings have done. Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay won titles for the Trailblazers in 2016, while Bri and Cierra won titles at Rock Bridge.

“We've been joking around like everybody in my family already got a ring, so I don’t want to be the first to not too, obviously,” Jevon Porter said. “But, I mean, there's no pressure really. It's just like, go out there and do what we've been doing this whole time, just hoop together and then play together and have each other's backs, run our stuff, and do what he (Coach Osborne) says, and we I mean, we should be good.”

Vashon 48, New Madrid County Central 39

The top-ranked Wolverines overcame an early deficit to return to the title game in the first Class 4 semifinal game at Hammons Student Center.

The Eagles led 12-9 after the first quarter before Vashon forged a tie at 14-14 midway through the second stanza on a layup by 6-foot-6 forward Cameron Stovall. That was part of a 14-3 barrage over the final five minutes of the first half.

Central, ranked No. 6, pulled with 19-17 on a free throw by Jadis Jones with 1:01 left but never got any closer. Vashon went up by six at halftime and expanded the advantage to 11 going into the fourth. The Wolverines (26-4) never saw the lead get any smaller than nine points the rest of the contest.

The 39 points scored by the Eagles (20-8) was the second lowest of the season and 16 points below the season average for the team from the Bootheel. Senior Marcelous Phillips had 15, while classmate Shamar Williamson added 13.

Junior post Kennard Davis Jr. led Vashon with 14. Junior guard Jayden Nicholson added 11 and Stovall had 10 coming in off the bench.