Mike Burke
Cumberland Times-News
— FROSTBURG — Play for the 50th Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament opens Thursday, March 18 at Frostburg State University’s Cordts Center as two-time defending champion Gonzaga (25-7), ranked No. 3 in the Washington, D.C. area, takes on the host school of the tournament, Cumberland’s Bishop Walsh (8-15). Tip-off is 4 p.m.
In Game 2, at 5:45 p.m., Benedictine, Richmond, Va., plays St. Frances Academy (22-9), ranked No. 4 in Baltimore. Mount St. Joseph (30-4), ranked No. 2 in Baltimore, will play Judge Memorial (19-6), Salt Lake City, Utah, in Game 3, beginning at 7:30 p.m., while the opening night concludes with a scheduled 9:15 p.m. tip-off between DeMatha (29-3), the top-ranked team in Washington and the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions, and Cathedral High School, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
The tournament, for which Wamba Caravan 89 has numerous special events planned to commemorate its first 50 years, will mark the final three games in the coaching career of Utah’s winningest coach, Jim Yerkovich, who, after 44 years at Judge Memorial, 634 wins and three state championships, will retire. Dan Del Porto, former Judge player and a Yerkovich assistant for the past 24 years, has already been hired to succeed his former coach.
Follow the Times-News, times-news.com, and go to alhambratournament.org for additional information on the 50th ACIT.
Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com
