St. Louis shows state its city of champions

The St. Louis area displayed a collective flex of its basketball muscle at last weekend’s Missouri State High School Activities Association State Basketball Championships in Springfield.

Of the six state championship trophies available, St. Louis area teams won five in Classes 4 through 6. Several special storylines came to fruition, including:

*Vashon High won both the boys and girls Class 4 state championships. It was the first time a school captured two respective crowns since 2003.

*Incarnate Word Academy won the Class 6 state championship to continue its dynasty. The Red Knights also extended a record St. Louis area winning streak to 100 games.

*Cardinal Ritter College Prep won its 10th state championship after defeating Ladue in an all-St. Louis Class 5 boys state final.

*Vashon Girls Make History 

Vashon’s 79-77 victory over St. Joe Benton in the girls Class 4 state championship game was the most exciting game of the weekend.

The Wolverines won a double-overtime thriller to win their first state title in girls’ basketball. Vashon staged a dramatic rally in the fourth quarter, storming back from a 55-44 deficit with four minutes left to force overtime. The Wolverines “Big 3” of senior Raychel Jones, and juniors JaNyla Bush and Chantrel “Tutu” Clayton came up big in the big game.

The 5’11” Jones finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. A four-year starter, Jones was the centerpiece of coach John Albert’s rebuilding program when he took over and she finished her stellar career as a state champion. 

Bush and Clayton showed again why they are the top backcourt combination in the state as they combined for 42 points. The 5’6″ Bush finished with 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and six steals.

A Missouri State commit, she was playing on her future home court at the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield.

Clayton finished with 18 points, two assists and three steals. She picked up her fourth foul in the third quarter but managed to play the remainder of regulation and two overtimes without picking up her fifth foul.

Senior guard Bri Collins chipped in 10 points, hitting key three-pointers from the corners.

*Vashon boys dynasty continues

Vashon’s championship run stretched to a third year after defeating Park Hills Central 64-37 in the Class 4 state title game.

The Wolverines’ closest call came in the semifinals when they defeated Father Tolton 49-45 in a hard-fought rematch of last year’s state championship game. The Wolverines dominated the game at both ends of the floor as they smothered Park Hills Central with its pressure defense while shooting better than 50% from the field. It was the 14th state championship for the Wolverines and sixth state title for head coach Tony Irons. Sophomores Dierre Hill Jr. and Trey Williams Jr. scored 12 points each in the championship game. In the semifinals, senior forward Kennard Davis Jr. scored a game high 20 points.

*Cardinal Ritter wins a 10th title

*Cardinal Ritter defeated Ladue 65-54 in the Class 5 final for its 10th state championship in the school’s storied boys’ basketball history.

It was the third state championship in four years for the Lions, who were determined to improve on last year’s third-place finish.

Coach Ryan Johnson has continued the coaching legacy at Ritter which began with Preston Thomas in the 1980’s and 90’s and continued with Marvin Neals in the 2000s. After winning the Class 3 state title in 2020, the Lions were moved up to Class 5. They’ve gone to three consecutive Final Fours and won two state championships.

The Lions staged a furious fourth quarter rally in the semifinals to defeat Pembroke Hill 58-54 last Friday.

On Saturday, Ritter registered its most complete performance of the season to defeat a solid Ladue team that was making its first state finals appearance. The good news for Cardinal Ritter fans, and unwelcome news for other teams, is that the team’s starting lineup included five juniors.

 *Incarnate Word Makes it 100

The Incarnate Word Academy girls’ basketball dynasty continued with a dominating weekend performance to win another Class 6 state championship. The Red Knights posted impressive victories over Raytown in the semifinals and Rock Bridge in the championship game. The wins increased its win streak to 100.

Coach Dan Rolfes has built a tremendous program that has continued to excel on the local, statewide, and national levels. 

Last Saturday’s championship marked the end of an era as senior forward Natalie Potts played her last game in an IWA uniform.

Potts had 16 points and six rebounds in the state semifinals against Raytown and followed up 17 points and nine rebounds in the championship game against Rock Bridge. She finished her stellar career with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and three state championships.

The Red Knights’ underclassmen also came to the forefront at the Final Four. Sophomore guard Navaeh Caffey had a game-high 18 points along with four rebounds, two assists and three steals in the semifinals against Raytown. Junior Kaylynn “KK” Janes came through in the championship game with a career high 19 points, which included an impressive five of six from 3-points range.

*Lutheran St. Charles Wins Girls Class 5 Title

In the final game of the weekend, Lutheran St. Charles defeated Carl Junction 44-39 to win the Class 5 state championship. The Cougars were sparked by talented freshman guard Kyrii Franklin, who scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. She took over the game in the third quarter with the Cougars facing a seven-point deficit.

She scored all 10 of her points to push Lutheran into the lead. Senior forward Megan Aulbert finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in her final high school game.

In the semifinals against West Plains, sophomore guard Jordan Speiser scored a game high 29 points while making seven of 11 from 3-point range.