Devon Gee caught a few of East’s championship runs, and now he’s catching the ball in the paint.
The junior transfer from Smoky Hill in Aurora has had issues receiving passes down low after suffering a injury to his right wrist. But on Saturday, he snagged numerous feeds in leading the Angels to a 59-49 victory over George Washington in vital Denver Prep League play at a crowded Thunderdome.
Eighteen of Gee’s game-high 20 points came in the second half as the Angels moved to 13-6 overall and 4-0 in the DPL, tied for the league lead with Abraham Lincoln and Montbello.
“Coach (Rudy Carey) was on me all game and has been on me all year just to catch the ball,” Gee said. “Everybody has been telling me to keep my head up. And that’s been my main problem. I never had problems catching the ball until I hurt my wrist.”
Earlier in the season, Gee went up for a dunk, was about to land flat and put out his hands to brace himself. He still wraps his right wrist, extending across his palm, but save for a few instances in which he didn’t finish under the basket, he capped East’s victory.
With East regularly gaining penetration down the lane, mostly by Chance Moore, who scored 19 points, Gee enjoyed a series of assists that he turned into layups in traffic, including two 3-point plays down the stretch that provided separation in a tight game. Eleven of his points came in the fourth quarter.
“I saw (the Angels) play here in a couple of their championship seasons, and I wanted to be a part of it,” Gee said.
Overall, the matchup lacked the high-octane power of recent seasons, but the city league is heating up with a couple of weeks remaining.
East tried to force the pace against the pesky Patriots (8-11, 2-3), who kept hanging around behind Odessa Lear (17 points) and Tyrone Marshall (11), but six consecutive turnovers in the third quarter among assorted other miscues prevented any significant separation until the end.
Still, Carey said, “George Washington’s a very good team despite all of those losses . . . and we’re getting better at the right time.”
It’s also the right time to view the DPL — East will face 4A power Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday, the same date for Montbello-Abraham Lincoln.
“It won’t get any easier,” Carey said.
East 13 11 12 23 — 59
G. Washington 8 9 14 18 — 49
East — Moore 4 10-12 19, Watts 0 0-0 0, Zettas 2 0-0 6, Carter 3 1-4 7, Starks 0 0-0 0, Schneider 0 0-0 0, Gee 9 2-2 20, Whitaker 2 3-3 7, Bledsoe 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 16-21 59.
George Washington — Marshall 2 7-10 11, Lear 6 2-2 17, Jones 2 0-0 6, Johnson 3 4-5 10, Hudgens 1 0-0 3, Burnette 0 0-0 0, Paulson 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 13-17 49.
3-pt. goals: East — Zettas 2, Moore. George Washington — Lear 3, Jones 2, Hudgens.
Total fouls — East 14, George Washington 20. Fouled out — Marshall. Technicals — None.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
