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.