The girls of Cardinal Ritter College Prep are on an impressive run in advancing to the Final Four of the Class 3 state tournament in Columbia. The Lions (22-5) will face Boonville (29-0) in the state semifinals on Thursday at 8:20 p.m. The winner will face the Buffalo-Park Hills Central winner for the state championship on Saturday at 8:10 p.m.
Cardinal Ritter will be making its third trip to the Final Four under the guidance of coach Darren Wade, who has made Ritter one of the top small-school girls’ programs in the area. The Lions won the state championship in 2009 and finished as the runners-up in 2010. This year’s Lions’ are experienced and well-balanced as they attempt to win a second state championship.
Junior guard Andranae Wash is an excellent all-around talent. Wash is averaging 13.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.9 steals. Senior forward Romekia Wallace is a strong inside player who averages 10 points and 14 rebounds a game. Senior Kadja Brown averages 10 points a game and leads the team in 3-point shooting. Guard Jayla Davis averages 7.5 points and 3.7 assists while guard Cayla Yates is averaging 6.7 points, 3.9 assists and 3.0 steals.
District highlightsÂ
Sophomore guard Brandon McKissic scored on a short jumper at the buzzer to give SLUH a 53-51 victory over host Webster Groves in the Class 5, District 3 championship game. The 6’2” McKissic is one of the most improved players in the St. Louis area.
McCluer North’s girls rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to upend St. Joseph’s 45-42 in the Class 5, District 7 championship game at North. It was the Stars’ first district title since 2010. They have a talented young nucleus that has been building for the past three years. Junior guard Alyzabeth Jones led the Stars with 15 points while sophomores Kortni Collins and Anasha Hurst added 10 points each.
Freshman Carte’Are Gordon of Vianney was dominant in the Golden Griffins’ 63-58 in the Class 5, District 2 championship game at Vianney. The 6’7” 250-pound Gordon had 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in his first district championship game.
The Public High League produced two championships on the boys’ side as Miller Career Academy and Soldan won their respective districts. Career Academy defeated Vashon 65-54 to win the Class 4, District 5 title while Soldan defeated Riverview Gardens 58-44 to win the Class 4, District 6 title. Career Academy has 19 victories under the leadership of first-year coach Steve Hall, a former stellar point guard and assistant coach at Vashon.
Quarterfinals this weekendÂ
The winners of Wednesday night’s Class 4 and 5 sectional contests will advance to the state quarterfinals on Saturday. The Class 5 boys quarterfinals games will be held at Lindenwood University at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Class 5 girls’ quarterfinals will be at Lindenwood at 2:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
One of the sites for the Class 4 state quarterfinals will be Francis Howell with the boys’ game at 1 p.m., followed by the girls’ game at 2:45 p.m. The other venue will be Farmington with the boys’ game at 6 p.m. and the girls’ game at 7:45 p.m.
On the Illinois SideÂ
Belleville Althoff won its first regional title in six years when it defeated Cahokia 65-53 to win the Class 3A Mascoutah regional. Althoff is now in the Carbondale Sectional, which will hold its championship game on Friday at 7 p.m. Southwestern Conference teams Alton and Collinsville won Class 4A regional championships last week. Collinsville pulled off the stunner last weekend when it upset East St. Louis to win the Belleville West regional title.
