Sports
Season Review: Clayton Seniors Played Key Role in Team's Success
The Clayton High School boys basketball program has been on the rise for the past three seasons.
The boys basketball program has been on the rise for the past three seasons, but the Greyhounds made an exceptional leap this past season.
Riding the energy and prolific scoring of its senior class, head coach Ryan Luhning saw his team finish with a 22-7 record. That came on the heels of 17 victories two years ago and 18 one year ago.
Clayton went 5-0 to win the Suburban East Conference and captured the Class 4 District 6 district championship with an 80-70 win over . The Greyhounds lost, 77-60, to Soldan in their Class 4 sectional game.
The tandem of senior forward Christian Thomas and guard Ahmad Smith was one of the area’s top combinations. Thomas averaged 21.9 points per game this season, followed by Smith at 21.5. Thomas added 13.2 rebounds per game while also leading Clayton in blocks and steals.
Luhning’s top returning scorer next season will be junior Clayton Buchanan, who scored 10.8 points per game while drilling a team-best 40 3-pointers.
“We’re very excited about where the program is, and these seniors have a lot to be proud of,” Luhning told Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch. “Ahmad (Smith), Jared (Allen), Christian (Thomas), Javon (Allen), Christopher (Thomas), Kevin (Brockmann) really put the program on the map … . We think we’re heading in the right direction.”
For the Clayton girls, success was more elusive. The Greyhounds finished 10-17 with a 3-2 league mark in the Suburban East. But they improved over the 2009-10 season, when they went 6-20.