Cardinal Ritter beats Chaminade to win Missouri Class 6 boys basketball championship, second straight title

Lions win Class 6 title after winning Class 5 a year ago

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – Cardinal Ritter has conquered Class 3.

Then, the Lions found a way to dominate and win in Class 5. On Saturday, the St. Louis powerhouse added a Class 6 championship to their resume with a 52-42 win over Chaminade College Prep at Mizzou Arena.

“They told me we got to move into the same conference that Saint Louis University is in, but I guess we got to do it,” Cardinal Ritter coach Ryan Johnson said jokingly in his postgame press conference, about moving up to the Atlantic 10 since MSHSAA classes don't go higher than Class 6.

The Lions finished 22-11 this year and won 12 in a row to close the 2023-24 season. Johnson said this year was rough because the Lions had a rugged schedule that saw them lose to teams from Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois and Tennessee.

But against Missouri foes, the Lions didn’t lose — though the Red Devils put up a fight through three quarters against the reigning champions to become the first.

“This was the hardest season I ever had in my life to coach basketball, but it means everything to do it the way we did it today,” Johnson said. “These kids are prepared to go to any institution in America and play right now because they know what it feels like. They know what they expect and that’s what they are ready for. It showed today.”

The two teams met on Feb. 7 and Ritter won 61-38 — but the rematch was much closer this time around.

The Lions ran ahead 16-10 after the first quarter but by halftime, Chaminade (22-10) had pulled ahead behind a pair of baskets from Jamo White and a layup from Tricy Collins late in the frame.

Chaminade led 22-21 at halftime.

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The third quarter was a key junction for both teams that ultimately decided the winner in this one.

White had four straight free throws to help the Red Devils extend the lead to 26-23 with less than 6 minutes to go in the third.

The shots weren’t falling for Chaminade, but they kept making free throws.

After Derrick Rivers II gave Cardinal Ritter a 28-27 lead, Collin Perry knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:29 left to account for lead change No. 6.

Lead No. 7 went to Cardinal Ritter on a three-point play from Nashawn Davis, who scored in the paint and drew the foul 18 seconds later. He made the freebie from the charity strip to make it 31-29

Oscar Patterson IV got a steal and threw to Davis, who dunked it with 1:12 left. Less than 20 seconds later, Davis got a steal and threw down a 1-handed dunk to make it 33-29 going into the fourth.

“I feel like throughout my four years, I felt I dealt with adversity pretty well,” said Davis, who had 18 points, six rebounds and three steals. “Just listen to the man on my right, Coach RJ. He just preached adversity, adversity, adversity. So when that big moment came, there was no hesitation.”

Ritter hit five of six shots in the third, while Chaminade was 0-for-9.

“I think we were getting a lot of good opportunities,” Chaminade coach Frank Bennett said. “Some shots weren’t falling, especially in a game like this. We had to get a point we had to withstand a run they typically go on in their games. We withstood for two and a half or three quarters and they strung together a few good plays that put it out of reach for us.”

Ritter’s James Porter drained a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the fourth quarter to push the lead to seven. With less than three minutes to play, a steal by Rivers II turned into another dunk — this one by Quenton Parker to make it a nine-point game.

That essentially iced the victory.

Davis was the only player to score in double figures for Ritter, though Clayton Jackson and Rivers II both had nine points. White had a game-high 21 points for Chaminade and his 12 rebounds gave him a double-double.

Missouri Class 6 boys basketball championship: Cardinal Ritter - Chaminade

Photos by David Smith

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- Cody Thorn | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveMiz