Good Counsel Holds Serve in the First Round

Ron Bailey, Publisher

December 8, 2006 – In the first round of its Tip Off Classic, Good Counsel (Silver Spring, MD) bested Salpointe Catholic High School (Tucson, AZ) 84-68, and thereby created a second round match up with Philadelphia’s St. John Neumann. The game was marked by good perimeter play from both squads.

Throughout the contest, Good Counsel used dribble penetration to key their offense, with Jordan Clarke (25 points) and David Campbell (14 points), being the prime beneficiaries. Louis Young (9 points) was a prime ball distributor.

Louis Young, a talented freshman guard felt Good Counel's victory "was a good win for us".

Hike Hibbs, Good Counsel’s head coach, was pleased with his team’s performance. “It was a good start for us” he said. Hibbs would also laud the play of his “young guys”.

Salpointe, led by Tyler Gage (19 points) and Chase Adams (17 points), frequently pushed the ball frenetically up the court, to find three point shots or lanes to the cup. Gage, who also logged five assists and three rebounds, felt his team was undone because “We didn’t rebound well, and defensively we broke down”.

Tyler Gage (left) displayed both shooting touch and the ability to attack the rim. As a junior, he is being recruited by Ivy League schools and Holy Cross. A decision is not immenient.

Those miscues were evident late in the third and into the fourth quarters, after Salpointe closed their deficit to 57-47, only to see Good Counsel close the game on a 27-11 run.

Hibbs felt good about that period, stating “We were tough down the stretch, and were able to hold on”. He also indicated Salpointe’s “up-tempo style” would help somewhat in preparation for the next game.