The Cardinal Ritter College Prep Lions have been one of the hottest high school basketball teams in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The Lions started the season with a 1-3 record but have since won 17 consecutive games to enter the week at a 18-3 record. The latest victory came last Friday night when the Lions defeated Father Tolton 71-66 in a double-overtime thriller to win the Archdiocesan Athletic Association championship.
Coach Ryan Johnson has done a tremendous job this season after guiding the Lions to three consecutive trips to the Final Four, which included state championships in 2020 and 2021. After the graduation of Division I players Braxton Stacker (Murray State) and Robert Lewis (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Johnson has built his team around a group of talented juniors that have come together as a fine unit.
In addition to the AAA championship, the Lions also won the championship of the Centralia Holiday Tournament in late December. They also had a big road win at St. Francis Borgia and victories of New Madrid Central and Kansas City Center in showcase events.
The Lions have been led this season by 6’2″ junior guard Clayton Jackson, who is averaging more than 20 points a game. The son of former University City and Southern Illinois women’s star Petra Jackson, Clayton has emerged as a prime scoring threat this season after being primarily a facilitator on last year’s Class 5 third-place team. Junior Naswhan Davis is a 6’4″ forward who has also become a dependable scorer and rebounder. The rest of the talented stable of juniors include Derrick Rivers, Ryan Atkins, Mekhi Barringer, Quentin Parker, and James Porter.
*IWA continues streak
In a battle of girls’ state championship contenders, Incarnate Word Academy defeated Vashon 72-61 last Saturday in the championship game of the Webster Winter Challenge. Incarnate Word improved its record to 20-0, but more important, the Red Knights ran their current winning streak to 88 games. Senior forward Natalie Potts scored a game-high 36 points to lead the Red Knights, who staved off a late second-half rally from Vashon. Incarnate Word has won the last two Class 6 state championships and are favorites to win a third in March. Vashon is currently ranked No. 1 in Class 4.
*Local guards shine in OVC
A pair of St. Louis metro area products in Phillip Russell and Ray’Sean Taylor are having excellent seasons and are among the top players in the Ohio Valley Conference. Russell is a former Vashon High standout who is the leading scorer at Southeast Missouri State while Taylor is a former Collinsville standout who is the leading scorer at SIU-Edwardsville.
Russell is a 5’10” guard who is currently leading the OVC in scoring at 19.2 points a game. He is also averaging 5.3 assists while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the free throw line. In the last six games, Russell is averaging 27.5 points a game, which includes a pair of 37-point performances in victories over Arkansas-Little Rock and Morehead State.
Taylor is a 6’1″ guard who has done a tremendous job despite coming off two major injuries since graduating from Collinsville in 2020. Taylor is currently averaging 15.8 points and 4.5 rebounds a game while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range and 79 percent from the free throw line. Last Saturday, he provided one of college basketball’s biggest highlights when he swished home a 70-footer as time expired to give the Cougars an 84-81 victory at UALR.
*Vashon’s late-season surge
The Vashon Wolverines continued its late season run by defeating nationally ranked Chicago Simeon 56-46 in the feature game at last Saturday’s Bank of O’Fallon Shootout in O’Fallon, IL. Simeon came into the game ranked No. 14 in the nation. It was the fifth consecutive victory over Vashon, who have also defeated nationally-ranked Huntington Prep and Missouri power Staley during that stretch. Senior forward Kennard Davis Jr. had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Vashon. Sophomore guard Dierre Hill had 15 points while senior forward Cameron Stovall added 13 points.
