In Review: Ladue's Basketball Season Cut Short by Chaminade

This just seemed like the year the stars were all lined up right for the Ladue High basketball team. The team got hot early; took third-place in the MICDS holiday festival and shocked the daylights out of CBC, winning the Cadets own tournament with a 60-58 win over the host team.

The team finally got a new hardwood floor and won all five regular home games. With a 21-5 record on the line in the district championship game, the Rams had visions of performing later in the month at Mizzou Arena. (Show Me Showdown state championships).

Chaminade spoiled their travel plans. The Red Devils surged in the second half, and cruised to a 64-55 district championship Friday night in a packed Nielson Gym.

The Rams pretty much lived and died by the long-range three pointers of Cornell Johnson, Connor Spirtas and Jeremy Lofton. The Rams lost their touch from long range at the most inopportune moment Friday, They couldn’t can a three-pointer to save their collective lives, coming down the stretch of the championship game.

Next year, is next on the agenda. First, the Rams need to find a center to replace graduating 6-foot-9  Austin DaGue (headed to Emory).

Five seniors will graduate, only DaGue was a starter.

The team will be molded next year around power forward Andrew Maddock, who scored 16 points in the Chaminade game, and averaged 10.9 per game for the season. Point guard Cornell Johnson, who reached the 1,000 point milestone earlier this year returns. The fortunes look good.

Ladue’s coach Chad Anderson took the loss hard.

“We did everything we needed to do but hit shots,” said Anderson in post-mortem.

He was not happy with the refs. “They (the refs) made some tough calls. I’m all for them (the refs) making it a physical game. I don’t think they called it the same way on both ends.”

For the first time in his career, Anderson was flagged with a technical. “I told the ref I think they missed two straight fouls in a row and I got no warning, no sit down, no shut up, just got the “T” and that wasn’t deserving of a technical (foul),” he said.

“I am proud of our kids. I can’t think of game this year our kids didn’t play as hard as they could.

It wasn’t just threes we were missing. We missed some put backs too.”

Tournament Central

This was Ladue’s first chance to host a district tournament in over 15 years. Officials would not give Ladue the tournament with their worn out rubberized floor. The brand new maple floor, installed this fall made it all possible.

The tournament ran like a well oiled machine, thanks to Athletic Director Brian Garner and his 75 volunteers. Volunteers did everything from taking tickets to manning entrance ways and running the hospitality room and the tournament featured Ram-Ambassadors, students who would do anything on a moment’s notice. When an elderly guest or score keepers needed chairs, the task was done instantly.