BETHESDA — In a sold out and raucous gymnasium, the Gonzaga Eagles (D.C.) and Georgetown Prep Little Hoyas met to renew one the DMV’s most underrated rivalries.
In a showcase of offensive brilliance and gritty defense, Gonzaga showed why they’re the favorite to win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title, handling Georgetown Prep on Wednesday night, 70-48.
University of Miami recruit Chris Lykes contributed to a 10-2 run with a nifty mid-range pull-up jumper along with a 3-pointer. Eddie Scott’s thunderous two-handed dunk and Prentiss Hubb’s catch-and-shoot 3-pointer attributed to the run.
After the initial run, the Eagles continued their torrid pace with stifling defense and running in transition for easy buckets and held a 22-13 lead after the first quarter.
The Little Hoyas answered with a 10-2 run beginning at the end of the first and into the early minutes of the second to cut the lead to nine. That’s the closest they got all game as Gonzaga held them to seven points for the rest of the second quarter.
Gonzaga rattled off an 11-0 run fueled by Lykes, Scott, and Hubb to give the Eagles a 39-20 lead at halftime.
The Eagles then put their foot on the pedal in the second half and never looked back, taking a 64-35 lead into the fourth quarter. Second half highlights included a Prentiss Hubb posterizing dunk.
Despite the game being a blowout, Gonzaga continued to work hard and build on the good habits they’ve fostered over the last three years.
“It’s pretty easy playing with this team,” Lykes said. “Our team chemistry, it’s pretty much on 100. We play together, we play for each other and when you play like that with guys like this, it’s easy to play together.”
Lykes finished with 19 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Scott added 17 and Hubb notched 10 points. Jared Bynum paced Georgetown Prep with 19 points.
After a grueling early season schedule, Gonzaga feels confident about a run at the WCAC crown. Conference play starts this Friday for the Eagles against No. 4 Bishop O’Connell.
“The only way you can [win a WCAC championship] is to prepare your guys by playing the best competition,” Gonzaga coach Stephen Turner said. “So we took on an early season schedule that was very tough and we want to have ourselves be the best team late in February not now. This is an opportunity to have us get better and grow as a team and just take it one game at a time.”
Georgetown Prep (6-2), meanwhile, resumes play in two weeks against Our Savior New American on January 10, 2017.
