Top Individual Postseason Performances
The 2017-18 season has come to an end and congratulations to Webster Groves, Grandview, Hogan Prep, Van-Far and Eminence on winning state championships. It was an exciting postseason, which included many sparkling individual performances during the state playoffs.
Here is a list of some of those great individual performances during the postseason:
Jalen Lewis 5’10” Liberty: The Washburn signee put on a scintillating shooting display in the Blue Jays loss to Webster Groves in the Class 5 semifinals. Lewis scored 40 points and made eight of his 12 attempts from 3-point range. He was knocking down pull up 3-pointers from very long distances and while dropping in high-arching floaters. He scored 23 points in the first half to lead the Blue Jays to a surprising halftime lead.
Carte’are Gordon 6’8″ Webster Groves: In the same game in which Lewis scored 40 points, the powerful Saint Louis U. signee also scored 40 points. While Lewis was lighting it up from the perimeter, Gordon was a dominant force in the paint. The big fella was 15 of 21 from the field and 10 of 11 from the free throw line. He also had seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks to go along with his exhibition of low-post dominance.
Torrence Watson 6’5″ Whitfield: In his final game as a high school player, Watson scored 51 points in a loss to Charleston in the Class 3 state quarterfinals at Hillsboro. As incredible as that performance was, it wasn’t Watson’s season high. He scored 58 points in a victory over DeSmet earlier in the season. The 51-point game against Charleston was Watson’s third 50-point outing of the season. He is headed to Mizzou.
Kyle Younge 5’9″ Jennings: The 2018 guard willed his team to a Final Four berth in Class 4 by scoring a career-high 44 points in the Warriors’ 77-74 victory over Parkway Central in the state quarterfinals at Washington High. Younge scored 10 points in the overtime period despite being hobbled by an ankle injury, suffered late in regulation.
Courtney Ramey 6’4″ Webster Groves: The five-star point guard had many sparking performances during the season, but in the state championship game against Chaminade, Ramey had 27 points, six rebounds and six assists in the 101-90 victory for the state title. The only thing that kept Ramey from having a 30-point triple double in that game was foul trouble, which kept him from playing about an entire quarter.
Cade Combs 6’4″ Harrisburg: The 2018 guard erupted for a career-high 48 points in a 86-78 victory over New Bloomfield in the Class 2, District 8 championship game at New Bloomfield.
Jericole Hellems 6’7″ Chaminade: The North Carolina State signee had many memorable postseason performances, but the best one may have come in the state semifinals when he had 31 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals in an 80-77 victory over Rock Bridge. He willed the Red Devils back from a 16-point halftime deficit to take the dramatic victory.
Josh Pritchett 6’4″ Rolla: The 2018 wing player scored 41 points in the Bulldogs’ victory over Helias in the Class 4, District 11 championship game at Rolla. Pritchett scored 17 points in the fourth quarter as he led Rolla to a dramatic victory after trailing by 22 points in the third quarter.
Demarcus Sharp 6’3″ Charleston: The stat-sheet stuffer of Southeast Missouri had 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks in the Blue Jays 81-68 victory over Mountain Grove in the Class 3 semifinals.
Tyem Freeman 6’6″ Parkview: The 2019 forward enjoyed a stellar postseason run to lead the Vikings to the Class 5 state quarterfinals. In the District semifinals, Freeman scored 34 points and hit the game-winner in the closing seconds in a 76-74 upset of No. 1 seed Ozark.
Fred Thatch, Jr. 6’3″ Sikeston: The Saint Louis U. signee had 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the Bulldogs’ 57-56 victory over Hillsboro in the Class 4 sectionals. Thatch finished his career as one of the top players in the history of Southeast Missouri, with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
Aaron Brandt 6’5″ Chamois: The 2018 forward closed out his stellar career with 39 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to North Andrew in the Class 1, third place game. Brandt finished his career by scoring more than 2,000 points and grabbing more than 1,000 rebounds while leading Chamois to the Final Four for the first time in the school’s history.