St. Paul VI beats Gonzaga: Live score, WCAC high school boys basketball championship recap (2/26/2024)
The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, more commonly known as the WCAC, has earned a reputation as one of the nation's toughest leagues for high school boys basketball.
On Monday at American University in Washington, D.C., two of the top 15 teams in the country will face off to crown a conference champion.
The WCAC championship game features St. Paul VI (Virginia), the No. 3 team in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings, and No. 15 Gonzaga (DC).
Paul VI (29-2) won 73-58 against Gonzaga (27-4) in their only meeting during the regular season. The stakes are much higher this time, with the two playing for a conference title and a boost to their already-high national stock.
The WCAC championship game is being streamed by 1st Amendment Sports and is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET.
(FINAL): ST. PAUL VI 63, GONZAGA 51
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St. Paul VI poses together after winning the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions on Jan. 13, 2024.
Photo by Greta Cross/Springfield News-Leader/USA TODAY NETWORK
FOURTH QUARTER
-- Paul VI head coach Glenn Farello subs out his starters to loud cheers from the fans in attendance. The Panthers defeat Gonzaga, 63-51, to capture the WCAC title and improve to 30-2 this season.
-- Jordan Smith gets out in transition and gets up for a slam dunk to extend Paul VI's lead to 61-51 with less than a minute to go. The Panthers are on the verge of winning the 2023-24 WCAC championship.
-- Paul VI runs out the entire shot clock before Darren Harris nails a midrange jumper off the dribble. The Panthers extend their lead to 58-50 with less than two minutes to go.
-- Paul VI senior guard Ben Hammond comes up with a steal and score in transition to make it 56-48 in favor of the Panthers. PVI is threatening to put this game away with time winding down, now just over two minutes to go.
-- Credit the PVI student section with a forced turnover. The students count down a fake shot clock and trick Gonzaga into an early shot that is airballed out of bounds. The Panthers lead 54-48 with less than four minutes left.
-- Nyk Lewis comes up with a pair of big baskets for Gonzaga, hitting a jumper to beat the shot clock and then finishing a layup through a foul on the next possession. It's a two-point game with less than six minutes to go.
-- Paul VI senior Darren Harris shows why he's considered one of the best scorers in the country, as he rises up and hits a turnaround jumper with a defender in his face.
THIRD QUARTER
-- Gonzaga misses a three at the buzzer, so PVI takes its 45-41 lead into the fourth quarter.
-- Jaquan Womack cleans up a miss with a putback for PV, making it 45-41. Both teams have had spurts of success on the offensive boards, and the Panthers are the latest to take advantage of second chances.
-- Nyk Lewis gets a three to go and Derek Dixon gets to the basket on the next possession to tie the game up, 39-39. The Eagles are on a 14-2 run since falling behind by 12 points.
-- Derek Dixon knocks down another three coming off an offensive rebound by Christian Gurdak. Gonzaga is on a 9-0 run and trails by just three points.
-- Connor Amorosi and Derek Dixon bury a pair of much-needed threes for Gonzaga after the Eagles fell behind by 12 points. It's 37-31 in favor of PVI early in the quarter.
-- Jordan Smith scores again, as Paul VI grabs a double-digit lead for the first time tonight.
SECOND QUARTER
-- PVI wins the second quarter by one point and leads 33-25 at halftime. The defense has been the story for the Panthers, who have locked down a Gonzaga team that averages more than 73 points per game.
-- After Isaiah Abraham draws a charge on one end of the court, Jaquan Womack gets the basket on the other end to push the lead to 32-23 for PVI late in the half.
-- UConn signee Isaiah Abraham scores in transition to extend PVI's lead to 27-19. The the high-level talent is on full display in this game.
-- Christian Gurdak finds four-star junior Nyk Lewis cutting on the baseline, and Lewis comes through with the and-one for Gonzaga. The Eagles trail 23-19 early in the quarter.
FIRST QUARTER
-- PVI closes the quarter on a high note, as Rhode Island signee Ben Hammond gets a steal and fastbreak score in the final seconds. The Panthers lead 20-13 after one quarter.
-- Four-star Gonzaga junior Derek Dixon sinks a three to cut PVI's lead to three points, 16-13.
-- Five-star sophomore Jordan Smith, the only underclassman in Paul VI's starting five, shows off his bounce and throws down a two-handed slam. There's no official metric for this, but Smith has to be one of the most athletic players in the country.
-- Duke signee Darren Harris hits a three on Paul VI's first two possessions to put the Panthers up 6-2.
-- Four-star junior Christian Gurdak, who transferred to Gonzaga from St. Paul VI prior to the season, starts the scoring and gives the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
-- It's about time for the WCAC championship. The arena is packed for this one, so it should be a great atmosphere in this title game.
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Monday, 8:00 p.m. (ET) | American University, Washington, DC
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-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveSports
