WASHINGTON, MO – Adam Rickman is a fearsome defensive presence.
The Borgia senior, who leads the team in blocked shots and steals, has a knack for finding the ball … and on occasion, foul trouble.
“I get myself in foul trouble a lot,” Rickman said.
Rickman collected two early fouls Wednesday and did not miss a beat, scoring a career-high 31 points and adding 11 rebounds, seven steals and three blocks in a dynamic performance that powered Borgia to a 60-49 victory over St. Charles in semifinal of the 53rd Washington Boys Basketball Tournament.
Borgia (14-0) will face St. Dominic (10-3) for the Washington Tourney championship at 7 p.m. Friday in Blue Jay Gym.
Rickman had six points when he picked up his second foul with 5:05 remaining in the second quarter.
He did not glance over at the bench. He simply adjusted his thinking.
“I just had to play defense safer,” Rickman said. “I had to go straight up, not block shots and not take as many risks. We’ve had that (foul situation) a few times this year, and I’ve had to get used to it.”
Rickman may have played safer on defense, but his offense became unstoppable. He spun, drop-stepped and baby-hooked his way to eight consecutive points in a two minute span and helped Borgia build a double-digit lead.
“He’s always been pretty creative,” Borgia coach Dave Neier said.
St. Charles (9-6) found its own share of high-percentage shots, but they would not fall. Other than junior Jadon Salamone, who scored 10 of the first 15 points, the Pirates struggled mightily to put the ball in the basket in the first half.
“I thought we competed well, but I guarantee we missed at least 20 points in layups,” St. Charles coach Rick Foster said. “We got the ball where we wanted and got good shots, we just couldn’t make them.”
St. Charles trailed 31-15 at halftime, and the third quarter started in a similar fashion, with the Pirates missing a pair of point-blank shots on their first two possessions. But the Pirates patched together their best offensive stretch by moving further away from the basket.
Junior Tanner Dutton hit a pair of 3’s to start the Pirates’ run. A triple by junior Chase Pugh, a baseline drive by Dutton, and a tough, reverse layup by senior Chris Ketchum sliced the deficit to 38-30 late in the third quarter.
A clear rebounding advantage gave the Pirates optimism and momentum heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
“I thought we slowed down defensively, and we let them rebound against us,” Neier said. “They were getting three or four offensive rebounds and putting it in. We have to work on getting in position and getting into people. We can’t stand next to them and think the ball is going to come to us.”
But led by Rickman, Borgia increased the defensive intensity and the lead.
In the center of the Knight’s 1-3-1 zone, Rickman swiped passes and started fast breaks. On St. Charles’ baseline out-of-bounds plays, he defended the inbounder and intercepted passes immediately after they took flight.
“I can thank my teammates because they’re guarding their man tight, so I can just try to read the (inbounder’s) eyes and try to jump up and steal it,” Rickman said.
Rickman converted a nifty post move to close out the third quarter, then scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to help the Knights build a 17-point lead.
“I get my points from my teammates giving me assists. By them being able to hit open shots, they get me open down low and we all work off each other,” Rickman said.
Despite picking up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, Rickman continued to make impactful plays at both ends.
He delivered his third assist on a beautiful feed to Brody Denbow, and then finished his night with a lightning-quick spin move in the post to eclipse the 30-point mark for the first time in his career.
He hopes to achieve another milestone on Friday.
Borgia has won 13 of the 52 Washington Tournament championships but none since 2020. The Knights reached the championship game the last two seasons but lost to St. Dominic and St. Charles respectively.
“I haven’t won this tournament in my high school career,” Rickman said. “I’m really hoping to win it this year.”