WEBSTER GROVES • Kirkwood fans were out in full force on Friday night at a packed Roberts Gym. But Webster Groves' Rayshawn Simmons didn't give them an opportunity to get excited.
"We just wanted to play hard and keep the streak going," Simmons said. "When teams pressure me and try to stay in front of me, I can get to the rim."
The 6-foot-4 senior was at his high-flying best, scoring a game-high 26 points and leading the Statesmen in assists (10) and rebounds (8) in an 84-66 victory. Webster, the No. 6 team in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, ran its record to 20-4 and extended its Suburban South Conference unbeaten streak to 79 games.
Simmons, who came in averaging 13 points, hit nine of 13 shots from the field. The Statesmen also got 15 points from Demetrius Robinson and 14 from Peter Fairbanks.
The Statesmen improved to 6-0 and clinched a tie for the conference title with one game league remaining. Webster coach Jay Blossom had a good feeling Simmons would be on his game.
"Rayshawn told me third hour that he felt pretty good," Blossom said. "That helped me relax a little bit the rest of the day. When he says he feels good, he usually feels pretty good.
"When he gets in the paint, we're really good. And he got in the paint, and got the other kids involved. ... He's the most underated recruit in the entire area."
Webster led 17-12 after one quarter as Simmons led the way with seven points. Then the Statesmen outscored Kirkwood 23-8 in the second quarter, taking a 19-point lead to the break.
Early on, Pioneers coach Bill Gunn figured it was going to be a tough night.
"They do things really well, and that's why they're 6-0 in league and they've done it for a long time," Gunn said. "I feel like we've been playing pretty well."
In the first half, the Pioneers went one for 10 from behind the arc and were four of 11 from the free throw line.
And that wasn't the worst of it, said a frustrated Gunn.
"What really got us was we didn't defend," he said. "We didn't get back in transition defense. When they're that good and you give them that many opportunities, then they're going to get rolling, and when they get rolling, it's hard to get a stop."
Webster led by as many as 28 points in the third quarter. Kirkwood (14-10, 4-1) got a team-high 17 points from Antonio Weston and 14 from Myles Artis.
The Statesmen didn't do their damage in their usual black and orange. For the sixth year in a row, the Statesmen took the floor in purple uniforms in honor of long-shuttered Douglass High School, a school located on Holland Avenue in north Webster that educated area African-American students from 1925 to 1956.
"We've been really focused in these conference games," Blossom said. "I think our closest game has been 17. They're just very determined, go about their business and make plays."
