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Crusaders nearly erase 22-point, first-half deficit By Pat O'Malley Sun Staff Originally published January 4, 2003 Archbishop Spalding did not leave its game at the beach in Lewes, Del The No. 4 Cavaliers escaped No. 14 Cardinal Gibbons last night with an 84-80 victory in the combined Baltimore Catholic League/Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference game at Gibbons. Winning coach Mike Glick, whose team shot 59 percent for the game (32 of 54), said it was "one of the weirdest games" he had ever been involved in. Junior point guard Jesse Brooks, who had a game-high 10 assists, scored 11 of his 20 points in the final period, nine in the final 1:35, to save the Cavaliers. Rudy Gay, who had a game-high 21 points for the victors to go with five assists, six rebounds and three blocked shots, said the Cavaliers "are not a good second-half team right now." Spalding had a 39-17 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. The Crusaders (8-4, 1-3) outscored them 63-45 the rest of the way, mainly by shooting 55 percent (17-for-31) in the second half, and got within 82-80 with three seconds left in the game. Gibbons shot 50 percent (27-for-54) for the game, with eight three-point baskets, and placed four starters in double figures, plus Glenn Nelson, who came off the bench to score 15. Brett Foelber tied Nelson for team honors with 15 points, followed by Brahn Jenkins (13) and 12 each from Leon Williams and sophomore Pat Grace. Tim Brackney's pair of free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining iced it for Spalding. "We got kind of helter skelter there in the last period, turning the ball over, but we kept our composure at the end, " said Brooks. "Our offense wasn't working, so I had to step it up." Spalding (9-2) came into the game after finishing runner-up in the prestigious Slam Dunk to the Beach National Invitational. With 7-foot Will Bowers dominating in the post, the Cavaliers, who are 3-1 in the league, built a 19-5 first-period lead into 22-point advantages twice in the second period. Bowers had all 11 of his points in the first half, along with five of his six rebounds and six of his eight blocked shots before getting into foul trouble. Bowers sat part of the third and fourth periods before leaving after his fifth foul with 1:23 remaining. Coach Bob Flynn said after his Crusaders won their own O. Ray Mullis Classic during the holidays that he believed his team had made great strides in raising its level of play. "We're a little bit deeper than we have been, and Kenny Hasbrook has made us a different kind of team, a tough team to guard," said Flynn. Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun
Boys basketball: Last night's Slam Dunk to the Beach final came down to the closing 12 seconds, but 7-footer Will Bowers missed two tip tries and Rudy Gay a short jumper in Archbishop Spalding's 49-48 loss to unbeaten St. Benedict's (N.J.) at Cape Henlopen High in the title game of the Slam Dunk to the Beach. After St. Benedict's then failed on a free throw with three seconds left, the 6-7 Gay rebounded and took a full-court heave that was off-target at the buzzer. The decisive sequence began when Spalding's Matt Latonick missed a free throw after being fouled on a 3-point try with his team down 49-47. Latonick was errant on his first try, but then canned a second to pull the Cavs within a point. With the game on the line, Spalding's two biggest stars took their shots at winning for the third straight time at Slam Dunk. Arundel County's top-ranked team just missed on its opportunity to win its portion of a tournament that was a who's who of national-level prep prospects with upper Division I and National Basketball Association aspirations. Spalding won twice last week to make the championship match. "I couldn't be prouder of the way we played tonight and the way we represented ourselves and Anne Arundel County," said Spalding coach Mike Glick, whose team dropped to 8-2 heading into Friday's game at Cardinal Gibbons. "This tournament has brought our team together and we're now fully prepared to get on with the rest of our season." Gay was outstanding in the first half, scoring 10 of his game-high 20 points as Spalding built a 33-25 lead over a team that included at least three upper-Division I recruits. Bowers added eight of his 11 points in the first 16 minutes. St. Benedict's (6-0) pulled within 44-41 heading into what was a tense fourth quarter battle. St. Benedict's 6-foot-4 guard Artie Bowers (10 points) is committed to Massachusetts, while back-court mate J.R. Smith (13 points) has an offer from North Carolina. Stanley Branch, a 6-8 center, added 13 points. Spalding's Dave Douglas proved to be a defensive stopper on Smith in a box and one setup that kept him under wraps for much of the game. "Once we put Dave on J.R. Smith, he barely got anything at all," Glick said. Bowers finished with 10 rebounds, and Gay grabbed nine. Jesse Brooks made five assists and scored five points. Spalding (8-2) 1419114--48 St. Benedict's (6-0) 1213168--49 Spalding (48)Gay 8(1) 3-4 20, Bowers 4 3-6 11, Durr 2 0-0 4, Douglas 1 2-4 4, Brooks 2(1) 0-0 5, Latonick 1(1) 1-3 4. TOTALS: 18(3) 9-17 48.St. Benedict's (49)Bowers 4 2-3 10, Mason 2(1) 0-0 5, Galindo 2 4-6 8, Smith 5(2) 1-1 13, Branch 5 3-5 13. TOTALS: 18(3) 10-16 49. Published December 31, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. Copyright © 2003 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
St. Benedict's Wins Slam Dunk By Dave Telep Date: Dec 31, 2002 LEWES, Del. - Alex Galindo and his St. Benedict's teammates claimed the championship at the 13th Slam Dunk To The Beach. Galindo was named the MVP of the event as the Gray Bees rallied to beat Archbishop Spalding. Dan Hurley's St. Benedict's team remained undefeated this season and defeated a tough Archbishop Spalding crew 49-48 to win the 2002 Slam Dunk To The Beach. Junior small forward Alex Galindo scored 8 points and had 11 rebounds in the championship game, capping a very consistent three-game performance. He was named the MVP of the tournament. Spalding led for three quarters and was nursing a 3-point lead when the fourth quarter began. However, Mike Glick's team could muster just 4 fourth quarter points as St. Benedict's completed the rally. JR Smith canned a 3-pointer to tie the score at 44. Minutes later, junior center Stanley Branch, nursing a high ankle sprain, blocked a shot on the perimeter and followed it up with a free throw to give St. Benedict's a working margin of 49-47. Galindo then fouled Matt Latonick in the act of shooting a 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds remaining. Latonick stepped to the line and sank one of the three free throws. On the last attempt, Will Bowers got his hands on the miss and then Rudy Gay rebounded the ball and missed a shot from short range. From there St. Benedict's held on. Smith (13 points) Branch (13) and Art Bowers (10) led St. Benedict's in scoring but Hurley's team was really the sum of all its parts. For Spalding, Gay and Bowers came of age during the tournament. Gay had a superior first half in the title game and finished with 20 and 9. His offensive rebounding really seemed to stick out in our mind and also the energy he brought to the team, especially in the first quarter. Bowers has come a long way. He clearly has intentions of being more than just another body on Maryland's roster. His skill level has improved, he's passing well and he can score with his back to the basket. He's a much improved player with the biggest change in his game coming in his attitude, aggressiveness and intensity. He's starting to really come into his own. 2002 Slam Dunk All-Tournament Team: Rudy Gay, Will Bowers, Oumar Sylla, Leon Powe, Demetris Nichols, Shane Clark, Kyle Lowry.
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Spalding falls just short in Del., 49-48

Posted by Michael Glick at Dec 31, 2002 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )
St. Benedict's (N.J.) dashes dream of 'national' crown By Pat O'Malley Sun Staff Originally published December 31, 2002 Archbishop Spalding's dream of winning a national title of sorts ended with a 49-48 loss to St. Benedict's (N.J.) last night in the final of the 13th Slam Dunk to the Beach National Invitational championship bracket at Cape Henlopen High in Lewes, Del. Stanley Branch, a 6-foot-8 senior who had 13 points, had a dunk and free throw in the final 30 seconds to seal the win. Spalding scored only four points in the final period and missed a chance to win it in the waning seconds. The Cavaliers hit just one of three from the line and missed a put-back and tip-in in the last six seconds. "I thought we played our best game of the season, but we came up a point short after controlling most of the game," said Spalding coach Mike Glick, whose Cavaliers (8-2) joined Dunbar as the only Baltimore-area teams to play in the final. Dunbar lost in 1997 to St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, N.J., 56-47. Rudy Gay (20 points) and 7-0 Will Bowers (11) led No. 4 Spalding and were named to the all-tournament team. Gay had 12 of his points in the first half as the Cavs built a 33-25 lead by shooting 46 percent from the field. St. Benedict's (7-0) is coached by former Seton Hall star Danny Hurley. Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun
Missed tip-ins at the buzzer allow Jersey’s St. Benedict’s to cling to one-point victory by Gary Adornato 12/31/2002 Rudy Gay and Will Bowers each had an opportunity at a game-winning tip-in, in the final eight seconds, but neither could get the ball to drop as Archbishop Spalding lost a heart-breaking, 49-48, decision to St. Benedict’s (NJ), in the championship game of the Slam Dunk at the Beach Tournament, last night in Lewes, Delaware. The Cavaliers (8-2), rated #4 in the latest Baltimore rankings, missed a golden opportunity to become the first area team to win the prestigious national event, when senior guard Matt Latonick was fouled while attempting a three-point field goal with just 7.9 seconds remaining and St. Benedict’s clinging to a 49-47 lead. Latonick, however, missed the first and third shots and, despite excellent efforts by both Gay and Bowers, the ensuing tips did not fall. St. Benedict’s, which trailed the Cavaliers nearly the entire game, took its first lead since the early minutes, when Art Bowers fed 6’-8” Stanley Branch for a dunk with 3:01 remaining in the game. Branch then added a free-throw in the final 30-seconds to put the Gray Bees up by two. Spalding built a 10-point lead early in the third quarter, but Benedict’s Bowers, who is headed to the University of Massachusetts on a basketball scholarship next fall, hit a 15-foot jumper to start a rally and another, with just 1:29 left in the period, to tie the game at 41. The victory should boost St. Benedict’s into the national rankings. The Gray Bees are undefeated and won the Great Florida Shootout last week, beating Lexington Catholic (KY), which was ranked in the top five in the nation by USA Today at the time, in the championship game. The last Baltimore team to reach the Slam Dunk at the Beach championship game was Dunbar, in 1997, when it lost to St. Patrick’s, also of New Jersey. Branch and J.R. Smith led St. Benedict’s with 13-points apiece, including three each in the decisive fourth quarter in which the Newark school outscored Spalding by an 8-4 margin. Bowers had 10-points and seven rebounds and Alex Galindo grabbed 11 rebounds for St. Benedicts, which amassed a 29-4 advantage in second-chance points. Gay, a junior, led Spalding with 20-points, including 12 in the first half when the Cavaliers built a 33-25 lead. And Bowers, Spalding’s 7’-0” senior center had 11-points. Both were named to the all-tournament team. Spalding returns to action in the MIAA A Conference on Friday, when it hosts Cardinal Gibbons.