Marvin Neals isn't prone to hyperbole. The Cardinal Ritter boys basketball coach tells it like it is.
So when he speaks of just how well his Lions played Wednesday in an 84-47 throttling of AAA rival St. Mary's at home, he's not exaggerating.
"That had to be one of the greatest first halves in my coaching career," said Neals, who has been around for a few wins -- this one was No. 600, to be exact.
Ritter rolled to a 35-5 first-quarter lead and went into the break up 55-15.
The milestone win came sandwiched between a pair of two other outstanding victories for Ritter (12-4), which is newly minted at No. 3 in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings. Last Monday Ritter knocked off CBC. On Thursday, Ritter rallied to hand No. 1 large school Vianney its first loss of the season at the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout at Scottrade Center.
That, folks, is one impressive four-day stretch.
It's been an interesting season for the Lions. They dropped a tough game to De Smet at the Whitfield Round Robin to open the year and were beaten twice, once in overtime, at the Normandy Christmas Tournament. They gave new No. 1 large school McCluer North all it could handle for three quarters on Martin Luther King Jr. Day before succumbing 68-50.
But now things have started to pick up. De Smet coach Kevin Poelker made the point to Neals after their game that he was glad they played at the start of the season and not the end.
"He knew something I didn't," Neals said with a chuckle.
Neals has said that this is by far his toughest schedule and his most inexperienced team. Aside from Notre Dame recruit Cameron Biedscheid, there are no other four-year varsity players. As a Class 3 school it's tough to maintain that high level of play without much experience.
But those youngsters have taken a lump or two and figured some things out over the last two months and are rounding into form.
"My sophomores have grown up," Neals said.
The docket doesn't get any easier. The Lions travel to Hazelwood Central on Saturday for the finale of the Slam Dunk Heart Disease event at Hazelwood Central. Tip off is slated for 4:30 p.m.
SOLDAN DROPS ANOTHER IN TOUGH SCHEDULE
Justin Tatum put together a brutal schedule to prepare his Soldan Tigers for their playoff run.
We'll have to wait and see if it works. The Tigers were once again outgunned against a nationally prominent program Thursday at the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout.
Whitney Young and sophomore standout Jahlil Okafor rolled down from Chicago and popped Soldan (14-4) 53-46 in a game where the score doesn't show just how dominant the Dolphins were.
Okafor had four dunks, scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked seven shots.
Soldan has lost games to Memphis Central, Memphis Ridgeway, St. Augustine and Whitney Young. There's not a weak link among them. Ridgeway and St. Augustine are Nos. 14 and 15 in the ESPN Fab50 rankings. Had it not been for a dubious foul call late in the first overtime of the Normandy Christmas Tournament, maybe the Tigers would have knocked off Ridgeway.
Instead they are left to take on some of the better large schools in town before getting into district play. They start tonight by playing at CBC, Tatum's alma mater, at 7. Then there's a road game at No. 3 McCluer next Wednesday and a home date with Imagine the following Monday, which will also be Senior Night.
BIG WIN FOR BURROUGHS; MICDS AWAITS
John Burroughs has spent most of the season quietly putting in work away from the spotlight. Friday night the Bombers shined a big, bright light on themselves. Burroughs packed its bandbox of a gym and crushed Lutheran North 70-49 in a Metro League game.
The Bombers (12-3 overall, 3-1 league) held the Crusaders (14-4, 2-2) to four points in the third quarter and outscored them by 16 in the fourth. It was as impressive a win as you'll find, as coach Steve Wilcutt said after the game.
"That's as good as we can play," Wilcutt said. "It's obviously our best game of the year."
Foye Oluokun led the way with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
The Bombers have won four straight since their 48-41 loss at MICDS two weeks ago. Burroughs gets its rematch with the Rams at 8 p.m. Saturday at Washington University.
AREA SCHOOLS COMPETE FOR HEART DISEASE
The Slam Dunk Heart Disease event will be held at Hazelwood Central on Saturday. Among those small schools taking part are Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Whitfield and Cardinal Ritter.
MRH plays Whitfield for the first time since their 2009 Class 3 title game. The Blue Devils defended their state title with an 18-point victory that year. Since the 2005-06 season MRH is 4-1 against the Warriors. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
Cardinal Ritter plays host to Hazelwood Central at 4:30. Other games include De Smet against Parkway South at noon, and Vianney vs. Washington at 1:30. Tickets are $5. A portion of ticket and concession sales will be donated to the American Heart Association.
