During spring break, the basketball team took a trip to Columbia for the state championship. The weekend prior had the Red Devils pitted against Francis Howell in a tight game rivaling former Chaminade student Will Paulson. Chaminade was losing for most of the game, but a late-game push fueled by Collin Perry (’25) tipped the team over the edge. The climax of the game happened when Francis Howell was holding the ball for the last shot. Collin Perry stole the ball and ran down the court for an open layup to put the game away. The contest ended with Chaminade heading to Columbia for its first Final Four appearance in three years.
The first game in Columbia was a close game against Kansas City’s Oak Park. A large section of the Red Army was in Columbia to support their classmates, and the roar of the student section helped lead the team to a ten-point win. A strong 17-point performance by Jahadi White (’26) and 18 rebounds by Perry gave the team the push they needed to win the game. Chaminade’s 11 free throws throughout the game and the lack of Oak Park’s also contributed. Colin Keller (’25) shot 50% from three and contributed to a lot of the team’s early offense.
The state championship game was a showdown with another St. Louis team—Cardinal Ritter. The two teams had met once during the regular season which resulted in a 20-point victory for Cardinal Ritter, but Chaminade had been missing two of its key players: Ben Winker (’25) and Jahadi White. This game featured a new star in Jamo White (’26), who had not played as well in the earlier games of the state tournament. He had 21 of the team’s 42 points and grabbed 12 balls off of the glass. The first quarter started hot, but it quickly fell cold as Cardinal Ritter ended the quarter with a 6-point lead. This quarter started a trend that would haunt the offense for the rest of the game, not being able to find a spark from behind the three-point line. The second quarter was when Chaminade gained a lot of ground behind Jamo White’s 10 points and a strong defensive effort. Cardinal Ritter was able to build a slight lead in the third quarter and rode the wave of that lead to victory, though Chaminade attempted to make gains on Cardinal Ritter’s lead by forcing the team to foul.
The game ultimately ended in a loss, but it will not be the last time we see the Red Devils in the state tournament. Keeping every player but My’kel Rachel (’24), the team already looks like a strong contender for next year’s title. Both Collin Perry and Jahadi White made the All-State team, and the entire starting five consisting of Collin Perry, Colin Keller, Jamo White, Jahadi White, and Jonny Jordan (’26) made the All-District Team. And Coach Frank Bennett (’01) was named District Coach of the Year.
Congratulations to the team on getting second place in the Class 6 State Tournament, and here’s to a great next season!
