COLUMBIA, MO – A signature component of the Westminster boys basketball team is their ability to take care of the ball and get a quality shot on most possessions.
But during their third-place game at the 2025 MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown against Parkview, the normally sure-handed Wildcats committed nine turnovers in the third quarter alone and saw their nine-point lead dissolve into an eight-point deficit.
“We knew we could play better,” senior JD Robertson said.
Westminster turned up the pressure and displayed another signature component of its magical season – their ability to win close games – rallying for a 51-49 victory over Parkview to capture third place in Class 5 last Thursday at Mizzou Arena.
The Wildcats (25-7) took home a state trophy for the second time in five years, including a second-place finish in Class 4 in 2021.
“It’s been a ton of fun,” Robertson said of the Show-Me Showdown experience. “I’m not sure we fully soaked it in yet. We’ll have a chance to look back on it and it will be a great memory.”
Those memories will bring a wider smile after the Wildcats cranked up the defensive pressure with five minutes remaining. Trailing 47-39, Robertson intercepted a pass at half court and set up senior Evan Montandon for a layup. Moments later, Robertson’s fifth steal of the game set up a three-pointer by sophomore Will Powers that gave Westminster a 48-47 lead with 1:50 remaining.
“We got into our press, sped them up, got some turnovers and hit some big shots,” Robertson said.
The final two minutes provided a chance for the Wildcats to close out the game at the free throw line, an area where they usually excel. Again, in uncharacteristic fashion, they struggled. Westminster missed five free throws in the final two minutes and continued to cling to a one possession lead.
“We keep our composure very well, and even though we didn’t make our free throws today, sometimes you just have to grind out a win,” said Montandon, who will continue his playing career at Wheaton College.
And grind it out they did, thanks to another staple of the program – great defense.
Blocked shots by Montandon and Toby Akinyede and two strong, defensive rebounds by Powers kept Parkview off the scoreboard in the final minutes. In all, Westminster held Parkview without a point for 4 minutes 53 seconds before the Vikings converted a non-impactful layup with two seconds remaining.
“We didn’t play our best. We didn’t shoot free throws well, especially late, and we turned it over a lot, but I was really pleased with how we played the fourth quarter,” Westminster coach Dale Ribble said. “We went down eight, called timeout, and decided to run some press to try to get the game going fast. We got some steals and deflections, and we were able to make a run in the fourth quarter to pull out a hard-fought game.”
Will Powers led the Wildcats with 17 points and 12 rebounds to close out a stellar sophomore season. Akinyede added 11 points and Montandon chipped in 10.
Parkview senior Dassiah Green led the Vikings with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Westminster went 17-11 during the 2023-24 season and scored 40 points or fewer nine times. This season, the Wildcats scored at least 45 points in every game except two – and they won both of those games.
“It was our chemistry that got us here. Our friendships off the court made our chemistry on the court that much better,” Montandon said. “We loved going to practice every day. We loved the process of getting better.”
And with Powers, Akinyede and sophomore Darrell Crump returning as starters, along with contributing reserves Savon Buford, Gage Grewe and Grayson Waitkus, Westminster should continue to be among the top programs in Class 5 .
“I feel like the ceiling is super-high for this team,” Montandon said.
For a photo gallery from this game and others from the Westminster basketball season: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-Basketball-Photos/Boys-Basketball-2024-25
