Tallahassee- The rise of Ribault in the post season has been fueled by the momentum of dramatic endings. In the first round of the playoffs, senior Devon Mathews hit an 65 foot game winning shot to defeat Orange Park. In the second round, Ribault played seven periods of basketball against Bishop Kenny besting them in three overtimes. It’s been a remarkable rise for the Trojans considering this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for them. They start two freshman in guard Martravius Mack and forward Chris Johnson who have gained confidence with each game. They’ve received towering efforts from senior starters Leondre Johnson (guard) and Julian Clark (center). And Mathews has risen to the occasion time and time again to lead the Trojans to the verge of a final four appearance. Yet Friday they ran into a team in the Ricakrds Raiders who had risen high in many areas. They were high on emotion, high in confidence, and high in talent, which proved to be too lofty of heights for Ribault to obtain in this regional final contest.
Early on it seemed like Ribault could match Rickards with their athleticism. Ribault got their hands on loose balls, deflected and blocked shots and secured steals. The Trojans turned those possessions into points, as five different players scored in the first period. Devon Mathews, James Simmons, Nyron Waters, Chris and Leondre Johnson combined for 10 points in the first period. Yet they still trailed Rickards 15-10, thanks to 8 points from Raiders senior Vincent McCray. McCray missed a few shots early on that looked good but rimmed out. You could tell by his form that it was just a matter of time before he got hot. Unfortunately for Ribault, that sooner would come in the 2nd period.
McCray topped his first period total with 9 points in the second. He created his shot off the dribble and was the recipient of great assists from teammates Destin Coates and Gentry Sparks. Sparks scored 9 points in the game, including 3 points in the 2nd period. 
He and McCray were instrumental in the offense for Rickards, however the difference in the game was the defense that the Raiders played. Rickards out scored Ribault 17-13 in the second period and 16-10 in the third. #10 Tri’Mel Charleton (Sr) scored on fast break points and added some big shots to score 12 points in the game for Rickards. The big man Malik Darisaw (Jr) scored 6 points and defended the rim effectively along with power forward Alec Troutman(Jr). Troutman scored 5 points but added 5 blocks in the contest. Said Head Coaach Eli Bryant of Troutman “People give my boy a hard time, but he’s just 16 years old, he’s just a junior and he is getting better every game.”
Down 48-33 going into the 4th period, Ribault needed to muster enough energy to make a run on offense while producing stops on defense. 
They could only do one, as they scored 18 points in the 4th, but gave up 18 points in the period as well. Mathews led the Trojans with 19 points, Leondre Johnson chipped in 11 points and sophomore Myles Smith gave them good minutes off the bench scoring 9 points. Smith looked particularly good, showing athleticism and confidence when his number was called. Although the Trojans would fall to Rickards 66-51, Coach Calude Harold has a team that should make lots of noise if they stay together next year. Their loss to Rickards now has them trailing in the all time playoff record 5-3. Said Coach Bryant after the game. “It’s always a toss up when we play Ribault. We know we are pretty much always going to see them in the playoffs whether it’s over here (Tallahassee) or over there (Jacksonville). We are glad to get this win”. As for Rickards, they are also a team with young talent, who must rise to the occasion on the state’s grandest stage. They move on to the final four where they will face Palatka in Lakeland.
Photos by: Maefred Grier-Haynes
