Pair of DC Schools Comes Up Victorious

Ron Bailey, Publisher

December 16, 2007 – Washington D.C. was a high school hoops hotbed yesterday, with both the Gonzaga DC Classic and St. Albans Tournament concurrently conducted. Following are recaps of two games involving schools domiciled within D.C.’s confines:

Cesar Chavez 65 - St. Albans 54

In the third place game of St. Albans’ tourney, Cesar Chavez (DC) maintained a lead throughout, pulling away at the end to defeat home standing St. Albans(DC) 65-54. Junior Tywon Gaston led Chavez with 20 points, while sophomore Markee Mazyck supplied 19.

Gaston (shooting) and Mazyck (left) were central to Chavez' attack.

It was Gaston that controlled the tempo down the stretch, helping Chavez to withstand St. Alban’s fourth quarter charge, one that trimmed their deficit to 58-54 after senior Matt Miller’s (15 points) three pointer with less than two minutes to play.

St. Albans (3-4), also got 19 points from senior Francis Brooke. Chavez, who as a result of their win earned third place in the event, is 1-1.

Coolidge 55 - All Hallows 47

Defending D.C.’s honor, Coolidge, based in the city’s Northwest quadrant, dispatched All Hallows 55-47 in Gonzaga DC Classic action. Senior Zach Webb supplied 15 points to the effort, while juniors Derek ‘Dirky’ Washington and Andre Mattison chipped in 14 and 10 respectively.

Zach Webb (10) at the foul line.

Coolidge led only 25-24 at intermission but used an 11-0 third quarter run to basically secure the win. All Hallows, hailing from the Bronx, NY, twice whittled their deficit to five in the fourth quarter, but would get no closer. A talented pair of sophomores, Shane Southwell (11 points) and Devin Collier (20 points) led the team in scoring.

“We really needed this win” opined Coolidge’s coach, Vaughan Jones, whose squad at 4-5 have suffered several early defeats. “It’s really just a matter of us jelling”.

In relation to Webb, Jones was pleased. “Zach played an excellent game” said the team’s bench leader. “He is a slasher that hit big time shots for us, and defended big time too. He’s very important to what we are going to do this year”.