The Mexico boys were close to having Vashon on the ropes near the end of the second quarter on Saturday.

Mexico vs Vashon State Quarterfinal Photo Gallery

The Bulldogs cut into No. 1 and defending state champion Vashon’s lead, trailing 32-28 with around 3:30 left despite being down 25-15 after one quarter. The Wolverines then amped up their play to defeat Mexico 87-51, bringing an end to the Bulldogs’ 16-game winning streak and 27-4 season — their best since a 28-1 campaign two years ago.

Mexico’s team from two years ago set a school record 28 straight victories to begin the season before running into Vashon, who was the state champion of that season. The Wolverines (24-6) displayed state championship banners from the previous five years and are heading back to their sixth straight Final Four with an 11-game winning streak so head coach Darren Pappas didn’t want his team to feel too distraught.

“There's a reason why they've won so many state titles, there's a reason why they're ranked No. 1 in Class 4 and nationally ranked too so we don't want to hold our heads down,” Pappas said. “We've had a heck of a season. Eventually we'll get over the hump."

Vashon’s variety of athleticism and skill was apparent in the first quarter, which saw the Wolverines nail three of their 10 3-pointers and Nassir Binion throw down one of his four dunks. Vashon led 25-15 after the first quarter to put Mexico in a tough spot early.

Despite that, the Bulldogs found open looks off some cross-court passes that gave players like Kaden Benne, who finished with 10 points, and Charlie Fisher, who added five points, some points. Senior point guard DJ Long, who led the team with 22 points along with five rebounds, hit two 3-pointers and knocked down a couple of free throws after aggressively going into the lane and then Benne added two more free throws after a technical foul for a much rosier 32-28 Mexico deficit. The final few minutes, though, proved costly.

"That was a momentum shift," Pappas said. "We couldn't sustain a run or get a stop when we needed it or get a bucket when we needed it. I thought we were attacking and putting pressure on the paint, finding open guys and hitting shots and keeping them off the glass as much as possible. And then they ramped up their pressure. Their pressure was getting to us too much, we were trying to make too many long passes and they were getting deflections and getting steals.”

Pappas said Mexico has quite a bit of speed to fit its tendency to score in transition, but Vashon has a lot of it too. Whenever mistakes are made against a team that has great speed and athleticism across the board, those hurt and make it tougher to stay close through four quarters.

“You do have to be pretty perfect because, eventually, those mistakes, those turnovers, will catch up to you,” Pappas said. “They will capitalize off of them, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Pappas said Mexico talked about finding backdoor scoring opportunities in its preparation for Vashon and also discussed what the Bulldogs should do, not if, but when Vashon ramps up the pressure. Despite Mexico throwing out “as many defenders” as possible in practice, he admitted it is difficult to simulate what Vashon does on defense and how well it executes it.

Binion scored his fair share of 25 points after Mexico went in expecting he would be a problem. Following Binion’s total was Christian Williams’ 14 points and four 3-pointers, Dehrio McCaskill’s and Trey Williams Jr.’s 13 points each, and Jordyn Richard’s 10 points. McCaskill made his presence felt during that Vashon run into halftime, soaring high above the field for rebounds to eventually finish with six boards, which is something Pappas thought he could do.

“He was the one on the scouting report that I said is the most athletic kid on the team,” Pappas said. “I knew that coming into it and knew he could get hot really quick. (Binion) can play inside, he can play outside and he plays that flex 4 for them. They’re a hard matchup. If you don’t have size, it’s hard to match up with them, and obviously, you have to have athleticism.”

Pappas, however, didn’t want his players to feel too bad after the loss as the Bulldogs this season made their mark in history. Mexico went undefeated in the North Central Missouri Conference to win that championship, won its third district title in four years and proceeded to advance to its third state quarterfinal game in that same length of time. 

Two of the best seasons in Bulldog basketball history have been the two seasons that ended early because of perennial state champion Vashon, with the 28-1 Mexico squad from two years just edging out the current 27-3 team. This season’s Bulldogs finished with a winning percentage of 90 percent, giving the program its third-highest winning percentage and third in the 90s in at least 16 years.

Pappas said none of that happens without the contributions of the seniors, starting with the floor general and career 1,500-point scorer Long. This group also includes starter Donye Nunnelly, who had four points and three rebounds, and reserves Aidan Knipfel and Grant Broeker.

“Those four guys left their mark and their legacy on our program,” Pappas said. “We can’t say enough about what they did for Mexico basketball.”

Long has been a big part of Mexico’s success since transferring from Van-Far after his freshman season, Pappas said, and he has just gotten better with his defense this season and believes he can play in college. Nunnelly has roots in the Mexico program, through his family in the past and currently with his uncle and assistant coach Dion “Bosco” Nunnelly, and has responded well after being given bigger roles and being asked to guard the biggest opposing player. Pappas said Broeker is a “high-character kid” who is a great role model, team player, and regularly brings high effort and a smile into practice. He wishes Knipfel had one more season because of the improvement in various areas, including being “crafty with the ball in his hands.”

Pappas said there is plenty to be excited about for next season as Jaydon Eldridge brings a scoring average of around 14 points back, PJ Perkins added eight points and four rebounds to his averages around 12 points and 9, and Kaden Benne ended this season with two double-digit scoring outings for a sophomore season hovering around a double-digit average. Off the bench, Charlie Fisher averaged around seven points per game and came through in big postseason moments, including a crucial block in the sectional victory against No. 2 St. Francis Borgia that won’t be blocked out of Bulldog fan’ minds anytime soon.

“We’re only losing two starters and two reserves off this team,” Pappas said. “That’s a huge, hopefully, momentum boost into next season. We have to put in the work in the offseason to get back here and hopefully further next year.”