Show Me Showdown: Class 3 Final Four Top Performers

Curtis Wilkerson

March 14, 2020 @ 11:13 AM

The Show Me Showdown kicked off Friday night with Class 3 semi-final action going down in JQH Arena on the Missouri State campus. In Game 1, the Charleston Blue Jays used a grind-it-out approach to wear down a guard-heavy Monroe City squad. Charleston hung on late for a 51-49 victory. In Game 2, Cardinal Ritter opened eyes with a dominant performance against an extremely talented Blair Oaks squad. The Lions used stingy defense and eye-popping athleticism to cruise to a 68-54 win. Charleston and Cardinal Ritter will meet in Saturday’s championship game while Monroe City and Blair Oaks will share Co-3rd Place honors. Here’s a look at the standout performers for each team: 6’7 Sr Garry Clark | Cardinal Ritter Clark was a man on a mission Friday night and his combination of length and athleticism proved to be too much for Blair Oaks to handle. He got in on the Lions' dunk-fest and showed off some quick twitch explosion with his ability to elevate or make his moves with speed and precision. He also stepped out and knocked down a three-pointer. Finished with a team high 17 points on the night and pitched in 5 rebounds. 6’2 So Luther Burden | Cardinal Ritter Talk about setting the tone, Luther Burden opened up the game with back to back pick-pocket steals in the open floor that led to a pair of easy lay-ups. He was a menace all night on Blair Oaks guards defensively and used his elite speed to blow by defenders and get to the basket nearly at will and finish or dime teammates. He had a complete stat line that included 16 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. 6’2 Jr [player_tooltip player_id="824116" first="Mario" last="Fleming"] | Cardinal Ritter Mario showed that as a guard he has no hesitation to mix it up with the trees inside. Against a tall, long Blair Oaks squad, he was able to pour in 13 points mostly in the paint. He also snagged 7 rebounds, 4 of which of the offensive variety and pitch in a number of steals and assists as well. 6’9 So Luke Northweather | Blair Oaks Luke gave a valiant effort to keep Blair Oaks close for most of the game. He did most of his damage from 15-in using solid footwork and crafty touch for a man his size and he was extremely active on the glass. He finished with a big 16 point, 11 rebound double-double for the game. 6’9 Sr [player_tooltip player_id="580398" first="Eric" last="Northweather"] | Blair Oaks The Truman State bound big man capped off his high school career with a 14 point, 3 block performance for Blair Oaks. The 6'9 forward was able to convert around the basket as normal and also impressed by stepping out beyond the arc and knocking down a pair of three pointers. 6’1 Fr Rico Coleman | Charleston The freshman phenom from Charleston is one that coaches need to keep both eyes on in the years to come, he has a chance to be special. He torched Monroe City to the tune of 15 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting. He was explosive and bouncy, relentlessly taking the ball to the hole throughout the night utilizing great body and ball control in the air. Also stepped into a corner three. 6’6 Sr [player_tooltip player_id="822856" first="Blessin" last="Kimble"] | Charleston The big man was banging in the lane all night and battled his way to a hard fought 11 points and 8 rebounds. He was a physical disruption in the lane defensively and played with high-octane effort for Charleston, who looks to take home the Class 3 crown Saturday afternoon. 5’11 So Joshua Talton | Monroe City Joshua led all scorers with 16 points in Monroe City's loss to Charleston. The 5'11 guard spent most of his time working inside the arc and impressed with his quickness, shot fake separation, and finishing ability around the cup. He did a very good job of drawing contact and was 8 of 10 from the free throw line. 6’0 Sr [player_tooltip player_id="822964" first="Bryce" last="Stark"] | Monroe City Stark is a slick ball-handler who did a good job of handling Charleston's athleticism, length, and pressure. Knocked down a couple three-pointers, as well as a couple pull-up jumpers, and thread the needle with some nice bounce passes in the lane through traffic. He finished with ten points.