DeMatha (9-1, 4-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) continued its dominance in the WCAC on Tuesday night, beating a struggling Bishop McNamara (4-10, 0-5 in the WCAC) team 64-42.
Stags guard Ryan Allen finished with a team high 15 points. UConn commit Josh Carlton registered 12 points and D.J. Harvey tallied 11 points.
“Everyone came out and shared the ball,” Carlton said. “Everybody touched the ball and we scored evenly as a team.”
Carlton got the crowd buzzing early in the first quarter when he went under the basket and dunked the ball. It was a play that fueled his strong performance.
“Starting the game like that provided me good energy,” Carlton said. “I played off of that for the rest of the game.”
With the help of point guard Johnathan McGriff and the Mitchell twins (Makhi and Makhel), McNamara was able to jump out to a 10-5 lead. DeMatha answered back by going on a 14-5 run to close out the first quarter.
The second quarter saw both teams trading basket until DeMatha broke away and took a 34-25 lead at halftime.
DeMatha used strong defensive and offensive plays to keep them up for the rest of the game. McGriff, who finished with a team high 13 points, nailed a three pointer to cut DeMatha’s lead down to 52-49.
The Stags finished the game going on a 12-3 run. During that run, Allen was fouled while making a three pointer. Unfortunately, sophomore guard Justin Moore fell down on the court hard and injured his leg.
Both Mitchell twins scored eight points in the losing effort. Makhel showed his range in the first quarter when he made a three pointer from the top of the key.
“It was a good matchup and real fun,” Carlton on facing the Mitchell twins. “They are big and physical. I enjoy playing against other players my size, so I didn’t shy away from contact. ”
This season, Carlton is showing how he has improved offensively this season. The Stags big man is looking more confident each game he plays.
“I’m more confident with the ball,” Carlton said. “I’m playing harder and more into the game. I’m doing better finishing around contact and around the rim.”
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