Gay's 31 points lift Spalding to fifth place in Alhambra By Pat O'Malley Sun Staff Originally published March 21, 2004 Rudy Gay had 31 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots as No. 2 Archbishop Spalding won the consolation championship game for fifth place, 77-70, over DeMatha in the 44th Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament last night at Frostburg State University. "Rudy had a super game and we went on a 16-5 run in the last three minutes to pull it out," said Spalding coach Mike Glick. "It was a great win and finish [2-1] in the tournament." Marquis Sullivan chipped in 22 points, and point guard Jesse Brooks had eight assists for the Cavaliers (29-8). Sophomore guard Nigel Munson led DeMatha (19-11) with 22 points. In the other consolation game, Will Thomas scored 28 points and had 13 rebounds to pace top-ranked Mount St. Joseph to a 78-53 rout of Bishop Walsh (18-15) of Cumberland. Thomas scored 74 points for the Gaels (29-6) in three games at the Alhambra to finish his three-year varsity career with a school-record 1,631 points. Local sports teams High Schools 2003-04 School Calendar Roundup: Basketball and lacrosse FROSTBURG - Rudy Gay scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Archbishop Spalding to a 77-70 victory over DeMatha in the final game of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational yesterday in boys basketball. Gay, who will attend Connecticut next year, also added six blocked shots as Spalding concluded its season with a 29-8 record. Marquis Sullivan contributed 22 points for the Cavaliers, who closed the game with a 16-5 run. Spalding also went 10-for-10 from the foul line. "This game was a micrcosim of our team," said Spalding coach Mike Glick. "Their ability to come back with less than three minutes left characterizes the attributes they have. They never give up."

Originally published March 22, 2004 BALTIMORE SUN PLAYERS OF THE YEAR Rudy Gay Archbishop Spalding, senior Few players have burst onto the national stage in just one summer as the 6-foot-9 Gay did. Gay's showing at national camps resulted in his stock rising from a top-100 player to a top-10 player. He also received the prestige of being named a McDonald's All-American. An All-Metro pick as a junior, Gay grew two inches and put on 15 pounds in the offseason. He also fined-tuned his high flying act and signed with Connecticut before the start of the season. The result was a senior season in which the multi-talented forward with long arms and an exceptional wing span averaged 21.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks. Gay played above the rim, but he also can launch three-pointers from NBA distance or hit short jumpers off his variety of spin moves. Fans turned out in big numbers to see Gay put on a show and they rarely were disappointed. Gay won the Jerry Savage Player of the Year award for the Baltimore Catholic League regular season and led the No. 2 Cavaliers (29-8) to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference tournament title over then-No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons, 64-45. In the MIAA final, Gay, who was named to the Alhambra all-tournament team, scored 29 points, 14 coming on seven spectacular dunks, grabbed 10 rebounds and had three steals in front of a record crowd at Gilman. Gay finished his two years at Spalding with 1,181 points, the third-highest total in school history. Including his first two years at Eastern Tech, Gay had 1,588 career points. His ability to block shots or make opponents alter them, coupled with having the quickness of a guard, led a Cavaliers defense that was 22-1 when holding teams under 60 points. Gay will play in the McDonald's All-American game March 31 in Oklahoma City, Okla., as well as the Jordan Capital Classic April 17 at Comcast Center.

Baltimore Sun Ann-Arundel County Boys player of the year Rudy Gay Archbishop Spalding, senior Gay's two-year career at Spalding was capped by a dream season in which the 6-foot-9 forward signed with Connecticut and was named a McDonald's All-American and the Baltimore Catholic League Player of the Year. After an All-Metro season as a junior at Spalding, Gay soared from being a top-100 player to the top 10 during the summer. He averaged 21.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks this season, and delivered a bevy of plays for the highlight reel. Whether it was a windmill jam, a reverse or tomahawk dunk, a glide through the lane to the hoop, a monster block or a three-pointer from long distance, Gay often brought the fans to their feet. His high flying act led the No. 2 Cavaliers to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship and a runner-up finish in the BCL. Gay, who joins Villanova's Derrick Snowden (1999-2000) as the only Cavaliers named county Player of the Year, scored 1,181 points in two seasons (before this weekend's three games at the Alhambra tournament). Snowden holds the Spalding record with 1,404 points. Including his first two years at Eastern Tech in Baltimore County, Gay has 1,588 career points. Gay shot 51.8 percent from the field, including 33.1 percent on three-pointers (54-for-163) and 72.5 on free throws (79-for-109). Jesse Brooks Archbishop Spalding, senior Brooks finishes his three-year career as the Cavaliers' floor leader this weekend in the Alhambra tournament. The 5-foot-10 point guard is second in school history for career assists with 534 (5.3 per game). Brooks, an outstanding ballhandler and passer with a knack for breaking down defenses, averaged 6.9 points, 6.1 assists and only 1.7 turnovers.

By: Mike Mathews, Times-News Sports Writer unday, March 21, 2004 1:50 PM EST FROSTBURG - Rudy Gay went out with a bang and carried his teammates with him as Archbishop Spalding powered its way to a 77-70 win over DeMatha in the consolation championship game of the 44th annual ACIT Saturday at Frostburg State University. Gay, a 6-foot-9 senior headed to the University of Connecticut, scored 20 points in the second half and finished with 31. He also grabbed nine rebounds and blocked six shots for the Cavaliers, who finished the season 29-8. Gay had 15 of his points and three slam dunks in the decisive fourth quarter. He had 12 points in the final 4:30, the spurt beginning with a rebound and putback, followed by a three-point goal, a three-point play after a dunk, and two more two-handed slams after nice penetration and dishes by Jesse Brooks and Justin Castleberry. "This was a real important game for us, because DeMatha is usually one of the best teams in our region, and it's great to end the season with a victory like this,'' said Gay, who averaged 25.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots in the three-day tournament. The dunks impressed the fans, who seemed to have adopted Gay as their tournament favorite. "The dunks ... I've dunked since the seventh grade, so I'm used to doing that. I just wanted to make sure the ball went in." Marquis Sullivan also had a big night for the Cavs with 22 points. Brooks had a game-high nine assists. Nigel Munson scored 24 points, Mamadi Diane had 15 and Jeffery Allen 11 for DeMatha (19-11). DeMatha, which trailed 15-3 in the early going, roared back to tie it at 31 at halftime. And after eight lead changes in the third quarter, the Stags took a 52-47 lead into the fourth. DeMatha led 60-55 with five minutes to play, but was unable to handle the Cavaliers, who scored 30 points in the fourth period. From the five-minute mark to the one-minute mark, Spalding outscored DeMatha 16-5, turning the five-point deficit into a six-point lead (71-65) after a Sullivan steal and layup with a minute to go. "I think this victory characterizes this team and its never give-up attitude,'' said Spalding coach Mike Glick. "DeMatha has a great team and with all the returning players they'll be very tough next year. "This is a special group of kids we have, and they seem to feed off of Rudy's unselfish attitude. This is a great win for us. We've lost some tough ones, but we've always battled back and responded, and to finish 2-1 in this tournament is great." Spalding's only loss in the tournament was a 75-65 triple-overtime game to St. Joe's Prep. Because it came in the first round, it kept the Cavaliers from finishing any higher than fifth.

Boys basketball: By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer TOWSON - Archbishop Spalding and Mount St. Joseph have engaged in some great basketball games the last two years. Last night's Catholic League championship was not one of them. Played at a snail's pace and marked by more missed shots than great plays, it was the lowest-scoring final in the 31-year history of the Catholic League Tournament. Senior center Will Thomas totalled 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots as Mount St. Joseph captured its second straight tournament title with a 36-33 victory over Spalding before a packed house at Goucher College. It was a close contest throughout and came down to the final seconds with Spalding's Rudy Gay and Marquis Sullivan missing back-to-back 3-pointers that could have tied the score and forced overtime. It was Spalding's sixth straight loss to Mount St. Joseph dating back to December, 2002. The Cavaliers lost to the Gaels three times by a total of six points this season. "It's the way we've lost to St. Joe that's most frustrating. It's not like we've been beaten convincingly," Glick said. "All three games were down to the wire and we just didn't hit the key shots." Spalding didn't hit many shots last night, going 14-for-45 from the field. Gay score 10 points - half his season average - to lead the Cavaliers, who were 1-for-15 from beyond the arc. "It's hard to believe we held them to 36 points and lost, but the difference was that we shot the ball as poorly as we have all season," Glick said. "Going 1-for-15 from the 3-point line isn't going to get it done. Scoring 33 points isn't going to get it done." Spalding seized an 11-5 lead late in the first quarter and stayed on top most of the way. The Cavaliers were ahead 23-20 at halftime and 28-27 after three quarters. Junior guard Greg Woody hit a driving layup to tie the game at 30 with 4:52 remaining in the fourth and followed 38 seconds later with a 3-pointer that put St. Joe ahead to stay. Spalding went stone cold in the second half, scoring just 10 points on 3 of 26 field goal shooting. The Cavaliers managed just three free throws in the final 5:28, coming up empty on seven possessions. "It was a real defensive battle. We've hung our hat on defense all season and did so again tonight," Mount St. Joseph coach Pat Clatchey said. "I never thought these two teams would play a 36-33 game, but the bottom line is that you're supposed to finish with more points than the other team and we did." Jesse Brooks scored nine points and dished off four assists for Spalding (27-7), which has played in five of the last six Catholic League tournament finals and won the MIAA A Conference title last week against a field that included many of the same teams. Thomas was named tournament Most Valuable Player for the second straight year. Gay and Sullivan were both named All-Tournament. "We had them at the beginning, but then we started making bad plays," said Gay, the Connecticut-bound forward. "We usually don't come out flat like that, but sometimes we had these days. It's real tough to lose to them again." Spalding received some good news despite the loss. Catholic League commissioner Jack Degele announced afterward that the Cavaliers had been invited to the prestigious Alhambra Invitational, being held March 18-20 at Frostburg State University. Mount St. Joseph, by virtue of winning the Catholic League regular season title, had already earned a bid to the Alhambra. "You would hate for your season to end on a note like this. It's going to be a pleasure to coach the kids for three more games," Glick said. "Losing this game does not detract from the season we've had. It's a tough pill to swallow, but we have to move on and try to make a strong showing at the Alhambra." Spalding (27-7) 15 8 5 5 _ 33 St. Joe (28-4) 11 9 7 9 _ 36 Spalding (33) Brooks 4(1) 0-0 9, Castleberry 2 1-2 5, Dixon 1 1-1 3, Gay 4 2-2 10, Jones 1 0-0 2, Sullivan 2 0-0 4, Cornell 0 0-0 0, Galinat 0 0-0 0, Loughry 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 14(1) 4-5 33. St. Joe (36) Woody 3(1) 0-0 7, C. Thomas 3 0-0 6, Mack 1 2-2 4, Johnson 1(1) 4-6 7, W. Thomas 5 2-4 12, Gregory 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 13(2) 8-12 36