Ladue’s boys’ basketball team earned their 20th win and a second consecutive conference championship as they demolished Clayton 73-43 Feb. 15 in the Coaches vs. Cancer game.

Despite a gym packed with excited Ladue students, Clayton started off the game strong, hitting a three and a layup to jump to a quick 5-0 lead. But junior guard Cornell Johnston wouldn’t let the lead stand, hitting a three on two consecutive possessions to take the lead back for Ladue. He went on to hit five of his first six three-pointers and Ladue took an 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. They went on to extend the lead to 39-21 at the half, giving Ladue fans plenty to cheer about.

Surprisingly, Clayton came out strong in the beginning of the third quarter as well, taking away the Ladue momentum and making the contest competitive. Once again though, Ladue wouldn’t let Clayton stay in the game. Behind the combined strength of Johnston, senior center Austin DaGue, and junior forward Andrew Maddock, Ladue took a 52-33 lead going into the fourth quarter, prompting a “beat the traffic” chant by the Ladue student section. The trio finished with 48 points between them.

At halftime, however, Ladue fans devoted themselves to another cause: donating money to Coaches vs. Cancer, a nationwide program that has raised over $87 million in the fight against cancer. Following a short speech by Ladue social studies teacher Jim Goldwasser, students on both the Ladue and Clayton sides raced to put as much money as they could in one minute into buckets being passed around the gym. Senior and student body president Collin Christner, at the end of the third quarter, announced that $1,500 dollars had been raised in that one minute and $2,500 on the evening, giving both schools something of which to be proud. #