“They picked toughness, discipline and talent,” O’Connor said before explaining how those traits could come into play during Friday’s D.C. State Athletic Association semifinal against No. 3 Jackson-Reed. “Our pregame message was to be tough enough on the glass and if we’re disciplined enough with the ball our talent would take over.”
Each of those tenets was on display at Georgetown University. The No. 10 Cadets downed the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association champions, 55-52, avenging a three-point loss in the same game a year ago and sending the young unit to the state final for the first time since 2018. They will play No. 5 Sidwell Friends for the championship Sunday at George Washington.
O’Connor saw his team exhibit toughness from the opening tip as it raced out to a comfortable halftime lead with five players scoring multiple baskets. The Cadets (25-7) had five steals in the half and held a dangerous Jackson-Reed offense to just seven points in the second quarter. Junior guard Pete Newman hit a corner three-pointer at the buzzer to stretch the lead to 12 at the break, quieting a rowdy Tigers crowd.
That crowd wouldn’t stay dormant for long as Jackson-Reed’s experienced offense found its rhythm in the third. Senior guard Justin Gilmore banked in consecutive layups to cut into the Cadets’ lead and give the Tigers (33-3) a pulse.
Jackson-Reed got to as close as one point in the fourth quarter, but St. John’s held firm. The Cadets stayed disciplined just long enough, O’Connor said, for their young players to flash their talent in the closing minutes of the game.
It started with sophomore Devin Toatley, who swished a deep three-pointer to push the lead back to two possessions late. The Tigers responded with a layup on the ensuing possession, but sophomore Finley Billy drained a three-pointer of his own with 36 seconds left to force a Jackson-Reed timeout.
“That’s Fin; that’s our guy,” junior Omari Witherspoon said. “That’s what he does, catch and shoot.”
Jackson-Reed senior Scottie Hubbard hit a three on the other end, but Toatley nailed two free throws, and the Cadets held on at the buzzer for the win.
“We’re built for this,” Toatley said. “We’ve got experience in these types of games, so we just had to lock in and be together and get it done.”
In the other Class AA semifinal, defending DCSAA champion Sidwell Friends knocked off No. 2 Gonzaga, 53-52.
The Quakers (26-4) and Eagles (28-6) traded the lead throughout the first half and the third quarter, but Sidwell emerged victorious after forcing an errant three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.