Despite the double-digit victory, PVI trailed 31-26 at the half before opening the third quarter with a 12-0 run. The Panthers used that momentum to fuel an impressive second half that saw them to extend their lead to as many as 18 points in the fourth period.
The Panthers were led by a balanced effort in the win as top 100 junior
Brian Mitchell Jr. and Florida Gulf Coast signee
Lawrence Brown led the way with a team-high 17 points apiece while five-star Arkansas signee
Jordan Smith had eight points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the win.
Brian Mitchell Jr. scored 10 points in the first half, including knocking down an NBA range 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the second quarter. (FILE PHOTO: David Custer)
Smith is a front-runner for MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors
after a tremendous senior campaign that saw him rise to the moment on
numerous occasions. He helped Paul VI erase a 16-point deficit in the
WCAC title game by erupting for 39 points, seven assists and seven
steals in the comeback while scoring 17 of his team's 21 points across
two overtime periods.
During Smith's four-year career with the program, he has helped guide PVI to a record of 126-15 overall and 66-2 in WCAC play.
The five-star guard has earned postseason honors in each season of his high school career, garnering an honorable mention selection on the MaxPreps Freshman All-America team in 2022-23, before receiving a third team MaxPreps Sophomore All-America nod in 2023-24 and earning MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year honors last season.
Paul VI (33-2) has also won four WCAC tournament
championships in the past five seasons and have claimed five straight
WCAC regular season titles. The Panthers are now locked
into their fifth consecutive finish in the top 10 of the final MaxPreps
Top 25 and are in line to end the season on top of the national rankings
for the second time in the past three seasons.
Paul VI owns a record of 13-1 against teams currently ranked in the expanded MaxPreps Top 100. The Panthers own top 10 wins against No. 2 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), No. 4 Principia (St. Louis, Mo.), No. 9 Bartlett (Tenn.) and No. 7 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) twice.
PVI's victory over Bishop O'Connell on Saturday avenged their state semifinal loss from last season as the Panthers knocked off O'Connell three times over the past two months.
In VISAA Division I state tournament action, PVI took down St. Christopher's (Richmond) 69-55 in the first round and blew past Blue Ridge (St. George) 75-50 in the semifinals.
Bishop O'Connell (23-10) is currently ranked No. 47 in the expanded top 100 as the Knights have three wins over teams ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 along with a big win over basketball powerhouse IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).
