High school athletes of the week: Dec. 11, 2024

Trey Bass, Lutheran North football

A 5-foot-11 and 188-pound senior receiver, Bass caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Moore on the first play from scrimmage to lead North to a 46-7 victory against Festus in the Class 4 state title game at Faurot Field in Columbia. Bass finished with a career-high 10 receptions for 190 yards — the second-best single-game effort of his career — and four touchdowns, which tied the record for receiving touchdowns in a Missouri state championship game. The state title was the seventh for the Crusaders but their first since 2019 and capped a 13-1 season with the only loss coming in the season opener at Phenix City, Ala. Bass’ other touchdowns covered 4, 7 and 37 yards. For the season, he caught 48 passes for 942 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 295 yards and three scores.

Gracianaelle Ladouceur, Bayless basketball

The reigning South Central Activities Association player of the year, Ladouceur outdid herself — which is no easy feat — while helping the Bronchos to a 62-56 nonconference victory against Crystal City. A 5-foot-11 senior forward, Ladouceur set the program record for points in a single game with 39, breaking the record of 38 she set last season. She also had 10 rebounds, six assists, six steals and two blocks. Two days earlier in a 50-45 loss at Cuba, Ladouceur had 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Ladouceur has scored 30 or more points nine times in her career. She is averaging 28.7 points this season and has scored 1,200 points in her career. In the fall, Ladouceur was the SCAA player of the year in volleyball for the second successive season.

Jayden McCaster, De Smet football

The Spartans captured the third state championship in program history with a 35-20 victory against Nixa at Faurot Field in Columbia, and McCaster helped by scoring on the most electrifying 2-yard run possible. A 5-foot-8 and 180-pound junior running back, McCaster put the Spartans ahead for the first time — and to stay — at 21-14 with 7:17 left in the third quarter by sweeping in from 2 yards out on a Statue of Liberty play. He added a 70-yard TD run with 40 seconds to play to finish the scoring and put the cap on his 200-yard rushing night. McCaster rushed for 1,521 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, including 611 yards and five scores in five postseason games. He also had 33 catches for 451 receiving yards and six TDs for 1,972 total yards. His season high rushing output was 201 yards in a semifinal victory against Liberty-KC.

Izy Prude, Hazelwood Central basketball

A 6-foot and 185-pound shooting guard, Prude helped lead the Hawks to a 4-0 week including three wins and the title in Vianney’s Jerry Boeckman Memorial. Prude’s top game of the week came in the biggest challenge as he had 28 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in a 72-68 victory against host Vianney to close the round robin event. Earlier at the Boeckman Memorial, Prude had 24 points, three assists and three rebounds in a 91-56 win over Lift for Life and 18 points, four assists and three rebounds in a 75-43 win over Lutheran St. Charles. Prude closed the week with 19 points and three steals and was named game MVP after a 60-51 victory against Confluence in the Southern Illinois Classic at Lutheran North. For the season, Prude is averaging 21.8 points, 3.2 steals and 1.6 assists.

Mya Robinson, Troy Buchanan basketball

A 5-foot-5 junior guard, Robinson was named most valuable player for the second consecutive season after helping lead the Trojans to the championship of the 37th annual Troy Buchanan tournament. It is the first time the Trojans have won their own tournament in successive seasons. Robinson averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3.6 steals and 2 blocks across three victories. That included 17 points and seven rebounds as Troy beat Hickman 69-45 in the title game. She had 11 points, eight steals and six rebounds in a 59-17 semifinal win over St. Dominic and opened the tournament with 13 points and four steals in a 59-33 win over Fort Zumwalt South. Robinson is averaging 15.3 points, 5 steals and 4.3 rebounds this season. She helped the Trojans win a district title last season and post a 26-4 record.

Evelyn Shane, Ursuline basketball

The Bears are out to a 5-0 start and captured the title of the Marquette Tournament as Shane, a 5-foot-11 junior guard and forward, was named to the all-tournament team. She averaged 13.7 points, 7 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists across three tournament victories. That included 24 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks in a 65-13 first-round win over Orchard Farm, then 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 61-38 semifinal win over the host Mustangs. Ursuline edged Fort Zumwalt West 38-35 in the title game, with Shane providing 7 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. For the season, she is averaging 17 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4 blocks per game. In a season-opening victory against Hazelwood West on Nov. 26, Shane scored 28 points and went over 1,000 points for her career, the fourth player in program history to do so.

Trey Williams Jr., Vashon basketball

A 6-foot-2 senior guard who has signed with Missouri State, Williams was named the most valuable player after helping the Wolverines win the Hoopin’ on the Hill Tournament championship at Fayetteville High in Arkansas. Williams scored 19 points to go along with 5 assists in a 66-60 tournament-opening win over Bentonville before providing 14 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in a 65-64 semifinal win over Bryant. In a 73-58 victory against Fayetteville in the title game, Williams scored 8 points and had 5 assists. For the season, he’s averaging a team-leading 19.2 points for the Wolverines along with 3.5 assists, 2 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Vashon is off to a 6-0 start under first-year head coach Jimmy McKinney, including three wins the week before at the Tournament of Champions in Washington, Ill.