WCAC dominates California opponents at Spalding Hoophall Classic

By Jordan Divens Jan 20, 2020, 4:30pm

Washington Catholic Athletic Conference owns 'Monster Monday' as Paul VI, DeMatha, Bishop O'Connell beat three ranked California teams.

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The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference dominated "Monster Monday" at the 2020 Spalding Hoophall Classic, going 3-0 and defeating three ranked California opponents. After three days of exciting games, the tournament culminated on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with five games involving nationally ranked teams.

The day's most entertaining game saw No. 11 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) knock off No. 14 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 70-62. The East Coast-West Coast showdown came down to the wire before the Panthers' fundamentals won out. The Trailblazers jumped out to an early lead but struggled to find a rhythm, turning the ball over 17 times while dishing out seven assists.

Paul VI was led by Trevor Keels, who finished with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists. Duke pledge Jeremy Roach was a difference-maker as well, chipping in 16 points, seven assists and five steals. Kentucky pledge Brandon Boston, Jr. led the Trailblazers with 20 points. Ziaire Williams added 15 points for Sierra Canyon, which had LeBron James watching son Bronny James before the Lakers played the Celtics on Monday night.
Knasir McDaniel, Paul VI
Knasir McDaniel, Paul VI
Photo by Lonnie Webb
No. 7 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) handed No. 16 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) a 72-65 loss behind Hunter Dickinson's dominant performance. The Michigan-bound center scored 28 points, going 12-of-17 from the field while adding six rebounds and three steals. USC signee Evan Mobley finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, shooting 6-of-12 from the field.

No. 22 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) was upended 73-72 by Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) in the day's biggest upset as the Knights powered ahead with a 24-14 third-quarter surge. Back-and-forth action saw the Monarchs tie game with 30 seconds remaining before a late foul sent Wes Peterson to the line where knocked down one of two free throws with 0.9 on the clock.

Bishop O'Connell sophomore guard Paul Lewis led all scorers with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting (5-of-7 3-pointers). Kentucky signee Devin Askew had a complete game in the loss, finishing with 20 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals.



No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) pulled off the "Springfield Double" taking down Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 84-70 in a back-and-forth game that saw 13 lead changes.

The Warriors, fresh off their Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions title in Springfield, Mo., pulled away late behind strong efforts LSU pledge Cam Thomas and Arkansas commit K.K. Robinson. Thomas led the way with 29 points and eight rebounds, while Robinson dropped 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Mwani Wilkinson led the Gaels with 28 points and 12 rebounds on 12-of-19 shooting.

Top-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) was dominant in a 94-65 victory over McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). Five Eagles in double figures led by a balanced effort as Langston Love scored 18 points, Oklahoma State signee Cade Cunningham had 18 points, Arkansas pledge Moses Moody added 12, Michigan bound Zeb Jackson chipped in 11 and North Carolina signee Day'ron Sharpe finished with 10.
LeBron James was in attendance at the Hoophall Classic watching Sierra Canyon and son Bronny before the Lakers played the Celtics on Monday night.
LeBron James was in attendance at the Hoophall Classic watching Sierra Canyon and son Bronny before the Lakers played the Celtics on Monday night.
Photo by Lonnie Webb
Jeremy Roach, Paul VI
Jeremy Roach, Paul VI
Photo by Lonnie Webb

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