|
WCAC Championship |
|
| Paul VI | 63 |
| Gonzaga | 51 |
“Yep, that moment was ‘game over,’ ” Smith said afterward, he was surrounded by a group of people who were wishing him well and taking selfies. Paul VI secured their second title in three years with a 63-51 win over second-seeded Gonzaga on Monday, marking the end of one of the recent best conference campaigns in the area.
The Northern Virginia program has established itself as a dominant force in their conference, which is known for its competitiveness. Ever since they won the championship in 2022, the Panthers have only suffered one defeat in their conference, which was in last year’s title game against a motivated St. John’s team. Additionally, Coach Glenn Farello and his squad of Division I prospects have been on a perfect run.
This winter, Paul VI achieved a level of dominance rarely seen in the ever-competitive league by going undefeated in WCAC play and winning each game by double digits.
“At the beginning of the year, we were just playing basketball,” senior guard Darren Harris said. “We just wanted to play our butts off every night. And then we’d look up at the scoreboard and see that we dominated. That just kept happening all season.”
Throughout the winter, Gonzaga (27-5) closely followed the Panthers both in the WCAC standings and The Washington Post’s local rankings. Gonzaga provided a tough challenge for the Panthers in a game held on Monday in Northwest Washington. Gonzaga’s trio of junior stars, guards Nyk Lewis and Derek Dixon and forward Christian Gurdak, put up a strong performance countering the Panthers’ depth. Although the Eagles were behind most of the night, they managed to reduce the deficit to one possession in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers were determined to avoid any further disappointment in the championship game. Whenever Gonzaga’s boisterous student section grew louder and the lead diminished, Paul VI seniors, including Harris and guard Ben Hammond, would step up with a timely basket. Harris, who is committed to Duke, led his team with 21 points, while Smith scored 12 and Hammond chipped in with 10.
“What made us good this season was us buying into what we had to do,” Hammond said. “We didn’t care about stats, we didn’t care about the glory we might get, we just cared about each other.”
