St. Rita sophomore Stedmon Ihejirika didn’t start in the Mustangs’ 71-46 win against visiting Providence-St. Mel on Tuesday, but he was an instant force as soon as he checked in to the game.
The 6-4 forward led St. Rita with 15 points and 12 rebounds. He displayed maximum effort on every play, wreaking havoc in the lane for the Mustangs.
“I have certain goals I need to meet and basketball is my only way to do it, so I have to grind everyday to get there for my family,” Ihejirika said. “Everybody calls me Dennis Rodman because I love rebounds. They are a very crucial part of the game.”
Ihejirika transferred to St. Rita after Seton closed. Former Sting coach Justin Domingo is an assistant with the Mustangs now. Seton’s leading scorer last season, RaShaad Williams, also transferred to St. Rita.
Williams scored 12 points and contributed seven steals and six assists for the Mustangs.
Williams and junior Jordan Matthews, the younger brother of recent St. Rita stars Dominique and Charles, form a strong, potent backcourt for the Mustangs. Matthews had 13 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and four assists.
“[Matthews] is one of the most underrated point guards in the state,” St. Rita coach Gary DeCesare said. “He’s as good as anybody out there and he’s going to show that this year.”
Williams is brimming with confidence.
“I think we are the best backcourt,” Williams said. “I enjoyed my first game here playing with him, that was really fun, a great atmosphere.”
The Mustangs (1-0) jumped out to a 21-2 lead and never looked back. They forced Providence-St. Mel (0-2) into 27 turnovers.
“We really came out aggressively on defense,” DeCesare said. “They forced turnovers, got into them. We played really good team defense, they played hard and together. I think we have a really, really good team.”
The Mustangs didn’t receive any preseason hype, but against the Knights they looked like a team that could blossom into a Class 3A contender by March.
“[The lack of attention] is ok with me,” DeCesare said. “That’s expected, we didn’t have a good year last year because the guys that were playing didn’t have any experience. This team has a lot of experience now. We have a great mix of returning players and young players.”
Paul Kingsley, the latest in a family of excellent shooters, finished with 11 points. Cameron Bartmann, a 6-8 sophomore, showed plenty of promise. He slowed down Providence-St. Mel’s 6-10 sophomore Taeyon Neal, one of the area’s most intriguing prospects.
Neal finished with two points, six blocks and four rebounds. Sophomore Tyriel Nelson led the Knights with 11 points. Senior Eddie Burnett scored 10 and sophomore Jason Mason added 11 rebounds.
Providence-St. Mel has a brutal early schedule, it lost to top-ranked Curie on Sunday and will play Loyola, De La Salle and St. Joseph in the next two weeks. The Knights are taking their lumps now, but will be a factor in the Class 2A playoffs in March and should be one of the area’s better teams in 2017 and 2018.
