Logic stated the Eagles had been unlikely to hit a hopeful, full-court heave — however Freeman, guarding the inbounder, didn’t need to rely on logic.
“I knew the game wasn’t over,” the junior stated. “I’ve seen some wild stuff in basketball. Especially in a game like that, I’d be crazy not to be locked in until I hear the final buzzer.”
That remaining play turned out to be innocent, a fast Gonzaga turnover that clinched a 54-53 win for No. 1 St. John’s and despatched half of the American University crowd into a frenzy.
St. John’s will face Paul VI for the WCAC title Monday at American. The recreation will comply with the ladies’ remaining, which suggestions off at 6 p.m. and options the identical matchup.
No. 8 Gonzaga (24-8) appeared to have the higher hand a lot of the evening. The Eagles rode a balanced scoring assault to an early lead and held it for a lot of the sport. But St. John’s (28-2) closed the hole late, stringing collectively a few important stops to tie the rating. The Cadets rode that momentum to the end, incomes a rivalry win and a championship recreation look.
“Never been in a WCAC tournament game as crazy as that one,” senior guard Malik Mack stated. “My whole objective today was to keep everybody calm and composed. I knew if we could do that we’d leave with a W.”
St. John’s will face the top-seeded, much-celebrated Panthers of Paul VI, who saved their undefeated WCAC season alive with a gritty 72-70 win over upset-minded DeMatha.
The No. 2 Panthers (28-2) spent a lot of the evening up by two or three possessions, heading off scoring surges from the Stags. The largest run got here on the finish of the third quarter, when No. 16 DeMatha (19-12) erased a seven-point deficit in 90 seconds and despatched the sport into the fourth tied at 51.
Panthers senior DeShawn Harris-Smith, supplier of key baskets all evening, opened the fourth quarter with an and-one, and the Panthers led the remainder of the way in which. The lead was by no means large, however the Panthers held it tight with good rim safety and a few well timed offense.
“In the playoffs, everybody kicks it up a notch,” Harris-Smith stated. “We weren’t surprised that we got their best shot, but there was no way we were going to go down without a shot at a championship.”
Harris-Smith, a Maryland commit, completed with 27 factors and 12 rebounds. On the defensive finish, the Panthers had been led by junior Patrick Ngongba, who had seven blocks.
“There was an adjustment period to a game like that,” Ngongba stated. “But we’ve been preparing for a game and an atmosphere like this for the whole season. In a way, it felt natural.”