Marquette's boys basketball team came within a single point of pulling off a second-half comeback — but Cardinal Ritter held on to beat the Mustangs 81-76 in the MSHSAA Class 6 state quarterfinals on Saturday, March 14, ending a season that Chesterfield families had plenty of reasons to cheer.

The game, played at Francis Howell North in St. Charles, was as close as the final score suggests. Cardinal Ritter led 17-10 after the first quarter and stretched it to 39-32 at halftime. But Marquette came roaring back in the third, outscoring the Lions 21-15 to cut the deficit to just one point — 54-53 — heading into the fourth. Cardinal Ritter then outscored the Mustangs 27-23 in the final quarter to seal the win, according to MSHSAA records and game tracking from MaxPreps.

Senior guard Brody Owen was the engine of the Mustangs' offense all season. Owen — who set a Marquette single-game scoring record earlier this year with 47 points against Parkway Central — averaged 11.1 points and 3.56 steals per game and earned postseason recognition from Missouri Prep Sports. Senior center Alexander Komorech also featured in the starting lineup alongside Owen throughout the season.

The loss ends a strong run for a Marquette squad that won the Class 6 District 2 title — beating rival Lafayette 58-43 in the district championship game — and entered the state tournament ranked No. 30 in Missouri with a 20-10 record. For the seniors on this roster, including Owen, Komorech, Preston Loehr, Caden Lawrence, and John Britt, it was a final chapter worth remembering.

Cardinal Ritter, which finished the season 21-11 per MSHSAA, advanced to the state semifinals after the win.