The last time Christian Brothers College High won a state championship in basketball was in 1997 when Justin Tatum was a senior tough guy who led the Cadets in scoring in rebounding.
The Cadets celebrated another state championship last weekend in Columbia. This time, it was Tatum roaming the sidelines as the first-year head coach at his alma mater.
CBC defeated Columbia Hickman 86-77 in an overtime thriller to win the Class 5 state championship at the Mizzou Arena. Senior forward Jordan Barnett put on a performance of the ages in leading the Cadets to their first state crown in 17 years.
The 6’8″ senior forward erupted for a career-high 43 points and 20 rebounds as he carried the Cadets on his back in what was one of the most spectacular performances in the history of the state tournament.
Barnett gave the Mizzou crowd a tremendous show, which included a highlight reel slam dunk in the first half where he took off from just inside the free throw line. He also provided several clutch moments as well.
His biggest basket came in the fourth quarter when CBC had lost a 13-point lead and fell behind 64-62. With the Hickman crowd at a fever pitch, Barnett responded with a beautiful turnaround jumper on the baseline to tie it and a three-point play to give CBC the lead back at 67-64.
Sophomore guard Christian Willis added 13 points for the Cadets on six of nine shooting from the field. Senior guard Josh Webster added nine points while senior Tyris Lockhart had eight points and seven assists.
In the semifinals, the Cadets had a great team effort in defeating Lee’s Summit West 81-68. Barnett led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He was one of the five Cadets to score in double figures. Sophomore guard Jordan Barnes had 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Willis had 14 points while senior Beau Bommarito had 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Lockhart added 10 points as CBC shot a sizzling 60 percent from the field.
For Tatum, it was his second state championship in three seasons. In 2012, he guided Soldan to the Class 4 state title on their third consecutive trip to the Final Four. After taking over the CBC program, he put together a rigorous national schedule to prepare his team for the state tournament. It all paid off in a state title.
Hazelwood Central finished fourth in the Class 5 state tournament in their first Final Four appearance in 20 years, where they finished second. The Hawks were defeated by Hickman 62-56 in the semifinals. Senior guard Demarco Buchanan scored 16 points to lead the Hawks while sophomore Dominique Dobbs added 11 points. In the third-place game, Central was defeated by Lee’s Summit West 70-58.
