Since Manual’s Thunderdome opened in the early 1990s, when Chauncey Billups was a George Washington schoolboy, has the city’s mecca of boys basketball displayed a more contrasting game than Saturday afternoon’s GW-East?
In the first half, East enjoyed a 20-point run and at one point led by 27. After halftime, GW regrouped and actually took the lead with a 24-6 binge.
Ultimately, the standing-room-only crowd that braved yet another snowstorm was treated to a 68-67 victory by East in the Class 5A-4A Denver Prep League that featured an enticing array of dunks, blocked shots, steals, momentum shifts and heart-stopping segments into the final seconds. If only those who never made it into the building could have joined in the oohs and aahs
“We played very smart in the first half, but not so smart in the second,” said coach Rudy Carey, whose Angels improved to 14-4 overall, 5-0 atop the DPL. “I’m really proud of my kids this week.”
East, which handled Abraham Lincoln on Thursday after it was delayed by the earlier subfreezing snap, needed a sweet pass from Uriah Carter to Dominique Collier for a layup with 27 seconds to account for the game’s final points. Carter had tied it at 66 on a drive to the basket.
GW went to center Tyrone Marshall in the closing moments, but he missed and Devon Gee, who had a career-best outing, rebounded.
With three games this week, including a showdown with Montbello on Saturday, East got to work early — its press and impressive play from Collier and Gee built leads of 22-3 and 41-14. Collier had a team-high 22 points; 18 of Gee’s came in the first half.
“We were going on adrenaline,” Gee said.
However, GW (12-6, 2-2) never folded. Behind Odessa Lear (23 points over the final quarters), Denzel Johnson (15) and Malcom Jones (10), the Patriots slowly clawed back and turned East tentative.
“I don’t know if you can ever take something from a loss,” GW coach Michael Rogers said. “but, God, they didn’t quit.”
G. Washington 10 15 18 24 — 67
East 26 17 15 10 — 68
George Washington — Marshall 4 1-2 9, Lear 5 10-12 23, Brown 0 0-0 0, Jones 2 6-6 10, Johnson 6 1-1 15, Hudgens 0 0-0 0, Feng 0 0-0 0, Williams 1 4-6 6, O’Neal 1 2-4 4. Totals 19 24-31 67.
East — Carter 3 0-0 6, Hakeem 1 2-2 4, Starks 0 0-0 0, Gee 9 2-3 20, Whitaker 5 1-2 11, Cardoza 1 0-0 3, Collier 8 4-4 22, Robinson 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 9-11 68.
3-point goals: GW — Lear 3, Johnson 2. East — Collier 2, Cardoza. Total fouls — GW 15, East 19. Fouled out — Whitaker.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
