[wpbvideo id=”873637″]
By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Mt. Vernon Lady Mountaineers might not pass the Eyeball Test. Or, as head coach Grant Berendt referenced, the Airport Test.
“There’s a cliché that if you take your team through an airport, they look like basketball players,” he said. “We are not that. If you take us through the arena, some people might think we have junior high kids or a bunch of freshmen. We don’t look the part, but I told them that looks don’t matter.”
Mt. Vernon makes up for it with relentless determination.
“This team is gutsy as can be,” Berendt said. “They fight.”
Mt. Vernon showed just how much fight it had in Saturday’s Class 4 championship game against Boonville. Despite a 22-point deficit in the second half, the Lady Mountaineers nearly pulled off an improbable comeback but ultimately fell 58-52 in the Show-Me Showdown finals at JQH Arena.
Senior Ellie Johnston led Mt. Vernon with 21 points. Fellow senior Lacy Stokes added 14 points.
“I’ve never played in a game like this before. I was just happy to be out there,” Johnston said. “Even though we got second place, which sucks, I’m happy I did all of this with my team. I love them so much.”
Mt. Vernon was seeking its third state championship in program history. The Lady Mountaineers won the Class 3 championship in 2010 and 2012.
“Obviously, our goal at the beginning was to be No. 1,” Stokes said. “But, I couldn’t ask for anything more. Just getting here was one of our goals. I’m so proud of our girls.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Mt. Vernon proved they were title contenders this weekend by knocking off top-ranked Vashon on Friday night.
“I think last night made a statement that we’re not just here to mess around,” Stokes said. “We didn’t play some scrub teams to get here.”
But unlike Friday, Mt. Vernon spent most of Saturday’s second half rallying from a sizable deficit. The Lady Mountaineers nearly pulled off an all-time comeback.
Trailing 47-34 early in the fourth, Mt. Vernon went on a 13-4 run.
A Johnston trey and a Stokes layup brought Mt. Vernon within 49-44 with 3:31 remaining. The Lady Mountaineers got as close as 51-47 with 1:40 to go but couldn’t get it to a one-possession game.
“I knew that we could make (a comeback), I didn’t know how close we could get it,” Berendt said. “We had a couple of possessions where we got stripped or missed a layup. If we could’ve got within two (points), then we really could’ve put pressure on Boonville.”
A night after shooting 40+ free throws in the upset win over Vashon, Mt. Vernon got to the free throw line only 14 times (making nine) against Boonville.
Boonville coach Jaryt Hunziker said the Lady Pirates faced an opponent similar to Mt. Vernon – Westminster Christian Academy – in the quarterfinals.
“It’s almost like we prepared for this game a week ago,” he said. “Defensively, we knew Mt. Vernon liked getting into the paint. Especially (Stokes). Up on the board, we wrote ‘Keep (Mt. Vernon) off the foul line.’ We didn’t want to let them get into the bonus early.”
Mt. Vernon went down doing what it does best – fighting back – after Boonville threatened to put the game away midway through the third quarter.
The Lady Mountaineers began the second half with a Raegan Boswell 3-pointer, but Boonville countered with triples from Jodie Bass and Kennedy Renfrow to go up 39-21.
Boonville made 8 of its first 15 3-point attempts. The Lady Pirates’ lead grew as high as 22 in the third quarter.
“Our talk at halftime was that (Boonville) can’t keep this up,” Berendt said. “Well, they did in the first part of the second half.”
Addison Brownfield led three Boonville players in double figures with 19 points.
With the win, Boonville earned its first state championship in program history.
Mt. Vernon finishes 28-3 overall. The Lady Mountaineers graduate their top two scorers in Stokes and Johnston, along with reserve Lisa Kruger.
Berendt said the 2021 Lady Mountaineers were a group that thrived on being overlooked. Expectations were low after Mt. Vernon graduated a strong 2019 class.
Mt. Vernon proceeded to win 23 games and a district championship last season, then finished Class 4 runner-up this year.
“I wouldn’t say the girls took offense to (low expectations), but they kind of did,” Berendt said. “We lost them, but we still had pretty good players here.”
Added Stokes: “No one thought we’d get here. Especially not last year. To be here in a state championship game, it’s unbelievable.”
Boonville 58, Mt. Vernon 52
Boonville 11 22 12
Mt. Vernon 8 11 13
Boonville (27-2 overall) – Addison Brownfield 19, Kourtney Kendrick 17, Jodie Bass 11, Kennedy Renfrow 8, Emma West 3
Mt. Vernon (28-4 overall) – Ellie Johnston 21, Lacy Stokes 14, Raegan Boswell 8, Cameryn Cassity 8, Kadence Krempges 1
