Irving’s 30 points not enough to beat Findlay
Words. Jason Jordan
After trailing by eight at the half, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) pulled to within two points with just one second left in regulation. And the reason for the comeback, point guard Kyrie Irving, was at the line.
Irving sunk the first free throw, but the Duke signee missed the second and the No. 1 team in the country fell to 3rd-ranked Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., on the Martin Luther King holiday.
Irving, rated No. 6 in HSH’s national top 50, finished with a game-high 30 points, while Michael Gilchrist, HSH’s No. 3 prospect added 19 points and nine rebounds despite playing with nagging knee and ankle injuries. Findlay point guard Cory Joseph battled through recurring cramps in the second half to manage 23 points and nine rebounds.
* Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 79, DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 71
Mater Dei shooting guard Tyler Lamb, a UCLA signee, scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help coach Gary McKnight become California’s all-time winningest coach with 844 wins. Junior point guard Quinn Cook led Dematha with 23 points, as the #4 team in the nation fell to #14.
* Westchester (Los Angeles) 55, St. Anthony’s (Jersey City, N.J.) 51
Westchester shooting guard Kareem Jamar, a Montana signee, scored 17 points, while St. Anthony forward Derrick Williams, a Richmond signee, scored a game-high 21 and grabbed seven rebounds.
* St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) 72, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 52
St. Benedict’s junior Myck Kabongo, a Texas commit, won the highly anticipated point guard battle against Kendall Marshall, a North Carolina signee. Kabongo scored a game-high 20 points, dished out 12 assists and grabbed six rebounds in the win. Marshall scored 14 points, but had just one assist and seven turnovers.
* Check out video highlights HERE.
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