Five Takeaways: Vashon vs. Cardinal Ritter
Prep Hoops Missouri was at Cardinal Ritter College Prep on Friday night for an early season showdown between the powerhouse Vashon Wolverines and the host Ritter Lions. A standing room only crowd was on hand to see the Wolverines defeat…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops Missouri was at Cardinal Ritter College Prep on Friday night for an early season showdown between the powerhouse Vashon Wolverines and the host Ritter Lions.
A standing room only crowd was on hand to see the Wolverines defeat Cardinal Ritter 75-62 in a very fast paced and competitive game full of exciting plays and crowd-pleasing dunks. Friday night’s game was a prelude to a possible big rematch that could happen again in early March, which would be a for a district championship in the Class 3 playoffs.
Here are five takeaways from Friday night’s Vashon-Cardinal Ritter game:
Cam’Ron Fletcher has become next level good
The 6’7″ 2020 wing player scored a game high 21 points and had several highlight reel plays on the night with 3-pointers and slam dunks that got people out of their seats. He has been tremendous in Vashon’s early-season road victories over national opponents Chicago Morgan Park and South Garland (TX), where he averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds in those victories. His combination of skills and explosiveness have made him a Top 50 player in the Class of 2020 that is rising with each performance. He has a host of big-time Division offers already in the bag with the latest coming on Thursday night from UCLA.
Vashon is long and athletic
Coach Tony Irons has had some excellent teams during his tenure at Vashon, but he hasn’t had one that is this long and athletic. With the 6’7″ Fletcher, 6’2″ 2019 jumping jack Mario McKinney, 6’6″ 2020 Kobe Clark, explosive 6’2″ guard Donyae McCaskill, 6’6″ 2020 wing Kobe Clark and 6’5″ 2021 wing Nicholas Kern, the Wolverines can put out some serious athleticism on the floor. And they come at you with a variety of press defenses from the run and jump to the 2-2-1 to the all-out trap at every opportunity. With so many of these players being underclassmen, the upside of this very talented team is pretty scary.
Malek Davis is a stud
The 5’10” 2020 guard kept Cardinal Ritter competitive with a team-high 23 points and some excellent on-ball defense against Vashon’s guards. Davis is a four-year starter who has been a bucket-getter for Ritter from the moment he arrived as a freshman. He has a tough mid-range game and he loves the big moment where he can knock down the game-changing shot when everything is on the line. His ability to hawk the basketball on defense is excellent as he can harass an opposing ball handler into submission. He has signed with Drury University, an excellent get for the Division II school
Don’t be fooled by Cardinal Ritter’s 1-6 record
The loss to Vashon dropped Ritter’s record to 1-6 on the season. However, don’t be fooled by the Lions’ lack of early-season success. First year coach Ryan Johnson has loaded up the non-conference schedule with excellent teams from Chicago, Houston and Little Rock (AR), not to mention a powerful Vashon team. They have been competitive in all of the games. The Lions will also receive a big boost with the addition of 6’0″ 2022 guard Luther Burden, a scoring phenom who is just coming off an tremendous season on the football field with the Lions team that advanced to the Class 3 state championship game.
The probable rematch in March
After the game ended, many people in the house were already talking about the probable rematch that will happen in early March. With its dropping enrollment, Vashon has gone from a Class 4 school to Class 3 and the Wolverines were placed in the same district as Cardinal Ritter. So, the probability is high that the two teams will see each other again in a game with much higher stakes.
(photo courtesy of Wiley Price of the St. Louis American)