Not only did the Paul VI boys basketball team complete the season with a perfect record, they took home PVI's first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference basketball tournament title with a 55-54 win over a powerhouse.
The Panthers faced off against the Stags in front of a sold-out Bender Arena at American University on Monday. A crowd of 3,500 looked on as Paul VI took their undefeated record to battle with a legendary DeMatha program, which had won each of the previous three WCAC titles. The game got off to a fast start, as both teams came out firing on all cylinders, setting the nets on fire with a score of PVI 23, DeMatha 18 at the end of the first period.
Things were more settled in the second quarter, as the teams traded baskets until PVI built a comfortable 9-point lead. Back-to-back threes from DeMatha erased that cushion and Paul VI entered halftime with only a 3-point lead.
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In the third quarter, the Panthers rode the hot hand of junior forward Jamall Robinson, who scored nine of their 11 points in the period.
The fourth quarter was intense as DeMatha made a run and took a 1-point lead with less than 20 seconds to play. Patrick Holloway hit the go-ahead basket with just a few ticks remaining. DeMatha got off a final shot as the buzzer sounded, but it was short.
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Paul VI's student cheering section, the VI Man, stormed the court as the school celebrated its first WCAC Basketball Championship in school history.
The five PVI players who have started the vast majority of the last three seasons together produced nearly all the Panthers' points in the game:
- Jamall Robinson - 16 points, 3 rebounds
- Patrick Holloway (GMU) - 11 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
- Coleman Johnson (Fairfield) - 10 points, 4 blocks
- Tilman Dunbar (Navy)- 6 points, 5 assists
- Stanford Robinson - 8 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists.
The other four points for PVI came from freshman forward Marcus Derrickson.
This is the first time any WCAC team ends the season with 21-0 against conference competition. Other teams have gone undefeated, but played fewer games against fewer league opponents.
“I am so proud of what our guys accomplished. They are the epitome of a team," said PVI coach Glenn Farello. "They share the game and support each other like a family. It was an absolute honor to coach them this year. They made history and they did it with class and stayed humble throughout the journey.”
PVI boasts 29-2 on the year and stands at No. 1 in Washington Post DC Metro Poll, as well as No. 9 in ESPN Powerade Fab 50. The team gets only a brief rest before starting state tournament play, the city title game, and the school's first ever entry into the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament.
