FROSTBURG — The Harlem Globetrotters played at Frostburg State a few weeks ago but even their show might not measure up to the one DeMatha put on Thursday evening at the 50th Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament.
Fifty-six points and two turnovers in the first half. Seven dunks and seven 3-point goals, 46 rebounds, 25 assists, and only five turnovers for the game.
It was a powerful performance from start to finish for the 19-time tournament champion. The 89-38 win over Cathedral, of Hamilton, Ontario, was the 12th in a row for the Stags (31-3) who play Benedictine in Friday’s 9:15 championship semifinal.
Quinn Cook, Mikael Hopkins, Jerian Grant and Victor Oladipo teamed for 58 points and 23-for-33 shooting from the field for DeMatha. The Stags finished 38-for-70 for the game, and were 7-for-14 from 3-point range.
Cook had a game-high 18 points and six assists, Hopkins added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Grant 14 points and seven rebounds. Oladipo had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and four dunks, including one in the opening seconds on an Alley Oop pass from Cook.
Ironically, it was defense, or a perceived lack of it, in the first quarter that got the Stags a little angry and more motivated.
“We were disappointed in the effort on the defensive end in the first quarter. That kind of got our attention,’’ said DeMatha coach Mike Jones. “The guys got on each other’s case about it, and we definitely played with more energy after that. We picked up our defense and it led to a lot of fast break opportunities, and our guys were hitting from the outside, too.”
DeMatha gave up 17 points in the first quarter, and only 21 the rest of the night.
“That’s the best basketball team I’ve ever seen,’’ Cathedral coach Brian Daly said. “It was an honor to play a team of that caliber. In Canada we don’t have players of that caliber, and they had a team full of them.”
Jamar Coke led Cathedral (22-14) with 16 points. Eight came in the first quarter, and his 3-pointer got Cathedral to within 17-11 with 3:15 left in the first period.
A Cook 3-pointer and fast break layup followed by a Grant dunk capped a quick 7-0 DeMatha spurt, and a Coke 3-pointer for Cathedral at the buzzer made it 28-17 at the end of the period.
Things quickly turned one-sided in the second period, and it started when DeMatha’s Beejay Anya, a 6-foot-8 freshman, scored inside to begin the quarter. His bucket began a 23-4 run highlighted by two Cook 3-pointers, an Olidipo dunk and a Grant 3-pointer that made it 51-21 with 1:10 left in the half.
Cook finished the half with a 3-pointer in the final seconds for a 56-24 halftime cushion. DeMatha was 11-for-16 from the field, and 4-for-6 from the 3-point line, in the second period.
“One of our goals is to make sure we have fun, and we have the most fun getting the ball up and down the court and getting a lot of fast break opportunities,’’ said Jones. “The guys like playing that way, and we wanted to push the ball and enjoy playing the game.”
All 16 Stags played, and 14 scored.
Hopkins hit two foul shots after DeMatha got off four shots on the opening possession of the second half. Olidipo had two more dunks and Hopkins one as DeMatha extended its lead to 71-32 heading into the final eight minutes. The largest lead was the final score.
“We like to think we’re a versatile team, and who knows what we’ll need to do to win (Friday’s game)?” said Jones. “We were able to work on a lot of things tonight, and were able to play everyone and save our legs for Friday night.”
Daly, whose team shot 14-for-51, doesn’t have any concerns about his team rebounding. The Gaels play St. Frances in Friday’s 5:45 consolation semifinal.
“Our guys never quit, and I’m proud of the way they fought,’’ he said. “My team will bounce back, and I know we’ll keep playing hard like we always do.”
Mike Mathews is a Cumberland Times-News sportswriter. He can be reached at mmathews@times-news.com.
Basketball
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DeMatha’s Quinn Cook (2) goes up with the lay-up despite pressure from Cathedral’s Jamar Coke (25) during the fourth game of the ACIT Thursday night at Frostburg State University. DeMatha rolled to an 89-38 victory. Steve Bittner
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