For one half at least Cardozo’s boys basketball team tried its best Hoosiers impersonation. The scrappy Clerks, extreme underdogs vs. top-ranked DeMatha in Monday’s City Title game at Verizon Center, clawed their way to a tie game at halftime, generating a mild buzz in the arena. But it didn’t take long for reality to set in.
DeMatha, led by senior guard Austin Freeman, quickly broke the contest open early in the second half on the way to a 71-37 victory and its third straight city championship.
Freeman (Georgetown) scored a game-high 22 points en route to most valuable player honors and senior center Jerai Grant totaled six points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots for the Stags (26-5). Cardozo sophomore forward Rafiel Guthrie led the Clerks with 13 points and seven rebounds.
“We’ve played against scrappy teams like this before,” said Grant whose team outscored Cardozo 47-13 in the second half after the teams entered halftime tied at 24. “It wasn’t the way we wanted to start the game. But it was the perfect way for us to finish it.”
It was the fourth straight City Title game appearance for Cardozo (16-8), which won the 2004 championship. But the Clerks were crashing a party few thought they would reach again with just three returning players. Cardozo finished third in the DCIAA West Division with five losses by six points or less masking an untidy 13-7 record entering postseason play. The Clerks put everything together in the DCIAA tournament last month, however, with wins over Dunbar (63-58) in the semifinals and M.M. Washington (54-42) in the championship.
Girls City title game:
Holy Cross 61, H.D. Woodson 54
Holy Cross was undaunted in its first appearance in the girls City Title Game on Monday night against H.D. Woodson. Led by junior Shontice Simmons, the Tartans rolled to a 61-54 victory.
Five days after winning its first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in 26 years, Holy Cross (25-5) was playing in the spacious Verizon Center. If the Tartans had any nerves, they didn’t show, as Simmons scored nine points in the first six minutes giving Holy Cross a lead it over H.D. Woodson (23-4) it would not relinquish.
Simmons tallied 19 points, six steals and five assists, to earn Most Valuable Player honors for Holy Cross.
“Our four seniors are our core leaders, but when we need a little bit of something, I try to give it,” said Simmons. “We have a comfort level on this team that any one of us can do it.”
— Kevin Dunleavy
