Stags Use Early Shooting To Make It Three Straight!

Ron Bailey, Publisher

March 1, 2007 – Capping a three year period of dominance, the DeMatha Catholic Stags defeated arch-rival St. John’s College High School 76-62, before a packed house at Northwest Washington, D.C.’s Galludet University. In many ways, it was business as usual for Coach Mike Jones and his charges, beating St. John’s for the second straight year in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conferene boy’s hoops championship, and 6th overall in league play for that period. The win also concluded a run of three straight league crowns.

From the beginning, DeMatha used ball rotation to find open perimeter shooters, a tactic generating 14 of the team’s first 20 points, driving the squad to a 20-4 lead. Seniors Austin Freeman (25 points), Isaiah Tate (24 points), and Jeff Peterson (4 points) were key protagonists in this game sealing early run.

DeMatha players shows individual flavor while the team enjoys its third WCAC championship.

“Our guys were trying to move the ball around” said Jones, himself a member of a three-time champion DeMatha squad, afterward. “We were trying to get the ball into (senior) Jerai Grant (9 points), and they did a good job of covering him”.

Resultantly, the Stags either penetrated and kicked out to open shooters, or used cross court passing to find them.

On his team’s open looks, Freeman said “I knew my teammates would find me”, while Wright, also the focus of DeMatha’s defense, opined “I just think they just came out on fire”.

All in attendance knew senior Chris Wright (35 points) wasn’t going to let the game flitter away without a fight, and battle he did, scoring 18 of this team’s 27 first half points. DeMatha went into intermission having scored 39.

Vlad Moldoveanu (13 points) and Wright dejectedly accept the second place trophy. Though the senior pair fell again to DeMatha, they accomplished alot during their time at St. John's.

DeMatha’s Tate, having competed against Wright extensively, almost expected the outburst. “At the beginning of the game we were doing good” defending St. John’s mercurial McDonald All-American, he said matter-of-factly. “Towards the half, he got hot”.

“We’ll take it” said DeMatha assistant Reggie Veney of the victory. “We played really well. Started out real strong”.

Those sentiments were echoed by Freeman, who went on to share “They were all good, but probably this one because it’s our senior season”, when asked which of his team’s championship trifecta wins were the most meaningful.

DeMatha, poised for both the City Championship this upcoming Monday and the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, are presently 25-5. St. John’s, who has a great opportunity to participate in Alhambra, is 24-7