COLUMBIA, MO – Cardinal Ritter senior Alanah Howard cherished the opportunity to play one more game.
The Lions, which lost a one-possession heartbreaker in the Class 4 semifinal a day earlier, treated the third-place game as a gift.
“We took a tough (semifinal) loss, but to make it to the point where we’re not going home after a loss meant everything,” Howard said.
Howard delivered the game-winning assist to senior McKenzie McCann in the final minute as Cardinal Ritter defeated Benton 65-60 to capture third place at the 2026 Show-Me Showdown Thursday at Mizzou Arena.
Cardinal Ritter (16-12), which lost in the playoffs to the eventual state champion for the sixth consecutive season, brought home its first state trophy since 2015.
“We put in a lot of work in the summertime, in the preseason, and although we didn’t get the (semifinal) win, we came out and treated this like the championship game. We wanted to end our season with a win,” said sophomore Trinity Jackson, who led Cardinal Ritter with 21 points.
Tied at 60 with less than a minute to play, Howard was entrusted to make the decision whether to play for the final shot or to go make a play.
“I have a lot of those moments as a point guard where I have to make critical decisions,” Howard said. “I could pull it out and relax or I could trust my teammates.”
Howard chose the latter.
She probed the top of the key, dribbled to the foul line, engaged the help defenders and delivered a perfect diagonal pass to senior McKenzie McCann for the game-winning layup with 20 seconds remaining.
“When I get to my spot, it’s not for me, it’s for my teammates, and I trusted McKenzie all day long,” said Howard, who dished out six assists.
McCann went 2-of-2 from the foul line and tracked down a Lions’ missed free throw in the closing seconds to secure the victory.
“It means a lot. As a group, we’ve never been here before. It was a big moment and we cherished it,” said McCann, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Cardinal Ritter needed to show resilience throughout the game, as Benton used to 20-9 advantage in the second quarter to take a lead into the locker room.
“Our team is emotions driven. Sometimes, I have to light a fire under them and they respond to it. Let’s just say, I lit a fire (at halftime),” Cardinal Ritter coach Don Boyce said.
The Lions sizzled after intermission with a 23-point third quarter, punctuated in the final 20 seconds by a Howard three-point missile and a Jackson breakaway layup to give Cardinal Ritter a 51-47 lead heading to the fourth.
Benton (22-9), a Show-Me Showdown participant in four of the previous five seasons, displayed its big-game experience in the fourth quarter. After successive three-balls by seniors Jerzey Ziolkowski and Eliana Arambula, the Cardinals reclaimed the lead, 56-51 with six minutes remaining.
But the resilience that Cardinal Ritter showed throughout an injury-riddled season emerged in the final minutes. A long jumper in transition by Jackson, a three-ball by Howard and a putback by McCann gave the Lions 60 points and gave Howard a chance to decide the game.
“I’ve been a part of this program for four years. We lost in the playoffs to end our season every single year, and it was a feeling that I didn’t want,” Howard said.
Cardinal Ritter endured a season-ending injury to guard Whitney Gregory in the Lions’ second game, then overcame a six-week injury to Jackson in the middle of the season and two-week injuries to fellow starters Nylah Scales and Mariah Green-Williams.
“When Whitney went down early in the year. It hurt our depth. We had to make an adjustment on how we play basketball,” Boyce said. “And it would be detrimental to any team that loses three starters, but it was also a blessing because other kids were able to step up, adjust and fit into the system. It made our depth grow.”
Players such as seniors Madyson Ford, Shamiah Jones and Kennedy Thomas played important roles to help the Lions maintain their roar.
“When their name was called, they stepped up and played hard,” Boyce said.
Cardinal Ritter endured a five-game losing streak from Jan. 19 through Feb. 2, including double-digit losses to University City and Cor Jesu.
“It was a tough time period, and it was some of our darkest moments, but we kept coming to practice, we stuck together and rode the wave,” Boyce said.
And that wave crested with late-season victories over Class 3 runner-up St. Vincent and Class 5 champion Lift for Life before a postseason run that ended in Mizzou Arena with McCann and Howard hoisting a third-place state trophy during the medal ceremony.
“I had never been to this arena, I may never play in it again, but I’m glad I got here with my teammates and my coaches. It means a lot that this team is going to be stamped in the Cardinal Ritter history books forever,” Howard said.
For a photo gallery from this game, visit this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/2023-24-Girls-Basketball/Girls-Basketball-2025-26/Cardinal-Ritter-vs-Benton-Class-4-3rd-place
