Heads Held High as Marquette Finishes Fourth at Show-Me Showdown

Columbia, MO—Even grown men are allowed to cry.

Marquette seniors Mitchell Cox and Ryan Rosburg were misty-eyed, facing the glare of the media, moments after dropping their second-consecutive game at the Shoe-Me Showdown, the state championships at Mizzou Arena here. The Mustang fell behind and lost the third place game to Lee’s Summit West, 53-41. They lost the semifinal game to Nixa Thursday night, 59-42.

Shane Matzen, their coach was not crestfallen. “I’ve coached 20 years, dreaming of being here all that time. There are many class 5 teams around the state who would be glad to take our place.”

See more photos at the Ladue-Frontenac Facebook page.

Ryan Rosburg, 6-foot-10 senior center is one. He will be a Missouri Tiger next season.  Rosburg was 4 of 8 from the field, converted 7 of 12 free throws and had 6 rebounds and 15 points in his last game ever as a Mustang. I’m looking  forward to playing on this floor next year. I will have to do a lot of off-season work to get ready.”

Matzen couldn’t say enough good things about his seniors. “ I told my team in the locker room prior to the game, that no matter what, we’ll be talking about our alum’s for years to come. They get sick of me saying that.”

“I want Ryan to be remembered more as a person than as a player. No one’s ever done more for our school.”

He was equally as effusive of his senior guard Mitchell  Cox.

“We cannot be prouder of either of them or all our players,” Matzen said.

Matzen thinks the road to Columbia is paved with gold. “The ending each year is a mystery. This year, finally we knew where it would end.”

Finishing top 4 in the state of Missouri us nothing to be ashamed of. Shane Matzen would second that.