DeMatha boys basketball wins Alhambra Catholic Invitational

It was an all-too familiar scene Saturday night at the 51st Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament as DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) won the event for a record 20th time with a 53-43 victory over Benedictine (Richmond, Va.).

Tournament MVP Jerami Grant and Jairus Lyles had 10 points each and Mikael Hopkins added nine for the Staggs (29-7).

"Winning the ACIT is something truly special," DeMatha coach Mike Jones said in an e-mail Sunday morning. "After a season full of ups and downs, I believe our guys' perseverance is what allowed us to finish our season so strong."

Erik Moody had 13 points and Michael Gbinije 12 for Benedictine.

LANEY AND JONES NAMED DELAWARE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Sanford senior Deon Jones and Smyrna senior Betnijah Laney have been chosen boys and girls high school basketball players of the year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association.

Jones hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer to give Sanford its second straight state title. Laney won the award for the second consecutive year after leading Smyrna to the state semifinals.

Laney has narrowed her college choices to Duke, Oklahoma and Rutgers. Jones is undecided.

ALL-STARS SHINE AT ANNUAL BLUE-GOLD GAME
Delaware's top high school seniors, as selected by the Delaware Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association, gathered Saturday at the Bob Carpenter Center for the Blue-Gold All-Star Basketball Games.

The 12th annual event featured some of the state's top stars, including the state's Player of the Year, Deon Jones (Blue), whose buzzer-beater one week ago on the same floor lifted Sanford to its second straight boys state championship.

Jones continued his dominance with a 10-point performance, and along with Syracuse-bound Trevor Cooney's game-high 13 points, led Blue to a 115-82 win. Cooney also won the halftime slam dunk contest with a reverse-360 dunk followed by a one-handed tomahawk.

Red Lion Christian's Angelo Blackson, who will play football at Auburn next year, scored eight points for Gold.

In the girls game, Gold jumped out to a 13-0 lead before Jade Wharton (Howard) scored 16 unanswered points to give Blue a 44-39 halftime lead. Wharton went on to score a game-high 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and grabbed eight rebounds as Blue captured a 76-73 victory.

Hodgson's Alyssa Cuomo and Cape Henlopen's Taylor Harris each scored 10 points for Gold.

JUSTIN ANDERSON VERBALLY COMMITS TO MARYLAND BASKETBALL
Montrose Christian junior forward Justin Anderson made a verbal commitment to play basketball at the University of Maryland.

"Maryland started recruiting me since my first year on the AAU circuit, which was sixth grade," Anderson told The Washington Post. "Ever since then, I've known about them, not to say they were always my favorite."