By Todd Bradley, DCSportsFan.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
The Gonzaga Eagles and St. John's Cadets faced off in the finals of the Gonzaga D.C. Classic at American University’s Bender Arena. Playing with a ferocity that has characterized this long-term rivalry, the game saw several lead changes, but in the end Gonzaga was able to pull away. The victory was the third straight D.C. Classic championship for the Eagles, which is a tournament record.
"This is the first time a team has three-peated the D.C. Classic," Gonzaga head coach Steve Turner said. "It's pretty exciting for these boys. ...especially the ones who got to defend their trophy from last year."
After a close first quarter, Gonzaga exhibited a balanced offense and steadfast defense, and the Eagles started to gain the advantage toward the end of the second quarter, which was capped by a 3-pointer by tournament MVP Cedric Lindsay to put the Eagles up by three points at the half, 26-23.
The third quarter opened with the tough play at both ends of the court. When Tyler Thornton (Duke) was forced to sit with his third foul early in the third quarter, Lindsay did a superb job running Gonzaga’s offense while senior Patrick Wolf played solid basketball off the bench. The Eagles opened the fourth quarter with a 4-0 run to take a commanding lead of 45-30 with seven minutes remaining.
“In the second half we did a much better job of staying in front and taking care of our man," Turner said. "They're a good shooting team, so we stopped gambling on steals."
The Eagles had four players scoring in double figures, led by Lindsay’s 17 points. Chris Martin and Julian DeBose led the scoring for the Cadets with eight points each.
"It was a tough game," St. John's assistant coach Nick Jones said. "[Gonzaga] has a lot of experience... and it's tough to come in here, play three games in a row without knowing who you'll be playing next, and then expect to be ready for every opponent. They were hitting their shots, and that really hurt. Next time we'll definitely be more ready for [Gonzaga]."
In the consolation game of the D.C Classic, the Coolidge Colts overwhelmed the Bullis Bulldogs by a score of 62-43 to secure third place in the tournament. The first quarter was characterized by a spirited and smoldering defense from each team, resulting in a low shooting percentage. The first quarter ended fairly evenly with Coolidge leading by 14-11.
In the second quarter, the Colts used team speed to run the floor and ran away with the game by outscoring the Bulldogs by 19-5 to lead at halftime by 17 points. Led by the superior ball-handling skills of junior point guard Julian Williams throughout the second half, the Colts maintained a stifling defense and balanced offense featuring several fast break baskets and four three-pointers to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
Twelve players scored for the Colts with Andre Madison and Christian Leach leading the way with 12 points each. Billy Reilly led the scoring for the Bulldogs, coming off the bench and tossing in eight points, and Tex McClinton scored seven points.
Tournament Results
1. Gonzaga College, Washington, D.C.
2. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C.
3. Coolidge, Washington, D.C.
4. The Bullis School, Potomac, Md.
5. Mt. St. Joseph, Baltimore, Md.
6. Benedictine, Richmond, Va.
7. Archbishop Molloy, Briarwood, N.Y.
8. St. John’s, Shrewsbury, Mass,
All Tournament Team
Russ Smith, Archbishop Molloy
Darien Brothers, Benedictine
Chris Atkins, Mt. St. Joseph
Julian Williams, Coolidge
Matt LaBove, St. John’s (Mass.)
Derrick Thomas, St. John’s (Washington, D.C.)
Tim Snyder, St. John’s (Washington, D.C.)
Ian Hummer, Gonzaga
Cedrick Lindsay, Gonzaga – Most Valuable Player
Tyler Thornton, Gonzaga
