By Pat Dailey (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
MT. VERNON — Work in the classroom has always come relatively natural for Kyle Bushman, as evidenced by his incredibly exceptional score of 33 on the ACT. Work on the hardwood, though, for the Mt. Vernon 6-foot-7 center hasn’t been so easy.
Bushman has had to wait until his senior year to enjoy a breakout season. But better late than never.
Bushman scored 20 points to power Mt. Vernon past Lamar 71-58 in the Class 3 District 12 championship game Saturday.
“He’s the most improved player in our league and he might be the MVP in our league,” Lamar coach Tyler Ryerson said. “He’s made huge strides as far as shooting with his back to the basket or facing up and shooting or even shooting the 3. And, he protects the rim at a level we haven’t seen.”
Bushman collected 19 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots in semifinal action versus Seneca on Friday.
Over the years, Mt. Vernon fans might have wondered if they would ever see Bushman be so dominant.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“Kyle went to a small, private school for junior high with only 4-5 kids in his class and he didn’t get to play much basketball,” Mountaineers coach Mike Ray said. “In high school, he was injured his freshman and sophomore years. Last year was really his first year to get to play. His experience is starting to pay off. He has become very valuable to us offensively and defensively. “
“Now is the time do it,” Bushman said. “I feel like I’ve become a presence inside.”
Mt. Vernon (21-8) beat Lamar (17-11) 61-59 two weeks ago and the Tigers outlasted the Mountaineers in double overtime at Districts a year ago. It appeared the teams were in for another tight tussle early on.
They were tied at 23-all, before Mt. Vernon ran off 14 unanswered points over the final few minutes of the second quarter and the opening two minutes of the third quarter. Suddenly, the Mountaineers were up 37-23 and in complete control.
“We came alive,” Bushman said.
“Kyle is so good that he demands your attention,” Ryerson said. “You have to pack the paint on him. What you give up when you do that is some open 3s. They made them. They shot the heck out of the ball. We didn’t make enough stops or plays and they made a whole bunch of them.”
Mason Bailey made a trio of 3s and added 7-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter to cap his 16-point night. Kelly Vaughn provided steady ball-handling and 13 points.
Ian Moore poured in 37 points in his final game with the Tigers.
“Ian is so skilled offensively,” Ryerson said. “They did a good job of making him take some tough shots and he made them.”
Mt. Vernon has now won five district championships this school year. In addition to the boys and girls basketball teams winning district titles, the girls tennis, golf and football teams claimed district championships in the fall.
The boys basketball team has only two players who also suited up for football.
“We were watching from the outside looking in during football season, so we were hungry for it, too,” Bushman said.
“We’ve had a very successful school year,” Ray said. “It put a little pressure on us. We wanted to keep it going. Our guys have put in a lot of time in and hard work. They’ve earned it.”
Mt. Vernon moves on to meet Springfield Catholic in Sectionals on Wednesday at Willard. They split their two regular-season meetings.
Lamar 16 7 11 24 – 58
Mt. Vernon 17 16 16 22 – 71
LAMAR (58) — Chase Davey 2, Landon Hardman 6, JD Bishop 8, Ian Moore 37, Garrett Morey 5,
MT. VERNON (71) — Kelly Vaughn 13, Cale Cornell 6, Cale Miller 8, Chance Fenton 3, Ty Boswell 5, Mason Bailey 16, Kyle Bushman 20.
