The Cardinal Ritter College Prep basketball dynasty added another championship plaque to the school’s already full trophy case.
The Lions defeated Bolivar 66-56 to win the Missouri Class 5 state championship on Friday afternoon at the JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield.
It marked the ninth state championship in the school’s storied basketball history. The Lions are also a perfect 9-0 in state championship games, with the first one coming in 1990. The Lions are also back-to-back state champions after winning the Class 3 state title a year ago. Cardinal Ritter was moved up to Class 5 this year due to the success multiplier formula. The Lions achieved back to back state championships for the first time since 1995 and 1996 with All-Americans Chris Carrawell and Loren Woods led the repeat.
Senior guard Mario Fleming concluded a stellar career at Cardinal Ritter with 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the Lions. Junior guard Braxton Stacker added 17 points and five rebounds while forward Robert Lewis had 10 points and six rebounds.
Cardinal Ritter advanced to Friday’s state championship game with a thrilling 79-76 victory over Independence Van Horn in double overtime. The Lions trailed by 11 points with six minutes left in regulation before staging a big fourth-quarter rally to force overtime. They also staged similar rallies in the postseason to defeat University City and DeSmet en route to the state championship.
Stacker led the Lions with 18 points and 15 rebounds while senior guard Ilyaas “Biscuit” Harris also had 18 points. Fleming scored 13 points while junior guard Jordan Nichols added 10.
