Drae Vasser propels Trinity to season-opening boys basketball win in OT against DeSales
AAU teammates earlier in their careers, Drae Vasser and Damone King have established themselves as two of the top senior guards in Kentucky.
Both put on shows Tuesday night, with Vasser coming out the victor.
The Trinity High School star scored 40 points, including two free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining in overtime to seal the Shamrocks’ 75-71 victory at DeSales.
Vasser scored 29 points over the second half and overtime as Trinity — ranked No. 3 in the state in The Courier Journal’s preseason poll of coaches — won its season opener.
After the game, Vasser said he’d likely go home and call King to discuss the game. Vasser and King were once teammates on the Louisville Magic.
“It was just two guys trying to get the win for their team,” Vasser said. “All love, just two kids trying to win.”
King, a transfer from Manual, scored 37 points. The No. 14 Colts dropped to 1-1 after opening their season with a victory over a squad from Australia.
“He’s just a great player and a great kid,” DeSales coach Damien Anderson said of King. “He makes me a better coach, that’s for sure. He can make tough shots, and it’s fun to have him.”
Trinity played without two projected starters in juniors Julius Edmonds and Josiah Lawson. Both transferred from Western during the offseason and have not been ruled eligible by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.
But led by Vasser, Trinity showed it still has plenty of talent.
“When you have a couple of guys down and you have other guys step up and you find a way to win, that just does a whole lot for the character of your team,” Trinity coach Mike Szabo said. “It also shows me who’s ready to be a part of this, who’s going to step up and make smart plays and who’s not.”
Buoyed by its rowdy student section in a loud and warm gym, DeSales jumped to a 21-10 lead early in the second quarter on a King dunk.
But Trinity found its stride and responded with a 14-2 run, taking a 24-23 lead on Alex Johnson’s 3-pointer at the 3:57 mark of the second quarter.
“Drae started scoring, and they were able to set up their press a little bit,” Anderson said. “We didn’t really attack the press like I’d like us to, and that gave them the momentum for a little while.”
It was a back-and-forth battle from there, with Trinity taking a 55-46 lead early in the fourth quarter before DeSales rallied for a 63-61 lead on King’s two free throws with 37 seconds left.
Trinity’s Avery Frasher scored with four seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 63. King missed a runner in the lane at the buzzer, leading to overtime.
Vasser’s 3-point play gave Trinity a 69-66 lead with 1:35 left, but King answered with a 3-point play to tie it at 71 with 15.8 seconds left.
Vasser hit two free throws for a 73-71 lead, and King missed in the lane with three seconds left before Vasser’s two free throws sealed it for Trinity.
Szabo said Vasser has assumed more of a leadership role during his senior season.
“He’s that kind of kid,” Szabo said. “He has great leadership skills. He can play through the good and the bad and stay focused and lead our team, whether he makes shots or not. … He had some plays tonight that were unlike him, but he bounced back from those mistakes pretty well. And we needed him to, so I’m proud of him for that.”
“He was the steam engine. He just kept us going, and the rest of the team went with him.”
More: Cooper uses stout defense to stifle Butler in season-opening girls basketball victory
TRINITY 10 21 20 12 12 - 75
DESALES 17 17 10 19 8 - 71
Trinity (1-0) – Drae Vasser 40, Jayden Johnson 10, Alex Johnson 9, Avery Frasher 8, Lance Chandler 5, Rocco Pfeifer 3.
DeSales (1-1) – Prince Kahnplaye 16, Brady Cummins 3, Logan Tharp 7, Landon Thompson 2, Damone King 37, Will Gibson 6.
Reach Jason Frakes at jfrakes@courier-journal.com and follow him on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA boys basketball: Guard Drae Vasser lifts Trinity past DeSales
