Cardinal Ritter and Charleston hooked up for a very entertaining class 3 final, but it was Cardinal Ritter who enjoyed it the most. The Lions prevailed 67-55 to capture their fifth state title in school history. For the second straight year, the Bluejays will be going home in second place.
The Lions took control early and a DeAndre Gilmore three pointer at the buzzer gave them a 34-26 halftime lead.
Gilmore opened the second half with two more jumpers pushing the lead to twelve. In the fourth quarter Charleston came roaring back and a three point play by Jamarcus Williams brought the Bluejays to within three, 47-44, with a little more than six minutes left. Lions Marquis Jones(22 points) fouled out with 3:50 to go, but Charleston could not take advantage. Gilmore immediately silenced all critics by scoring the next six Lion points and essentially putting the game away. He finished with a game high 23.
Justin Clark led the way for Charleston with 15 points.
Charleston came into the game looking for its tenth state crown, the first since 1996
