DCIAA Basketball Finals
Thomas Gets Help in Ballou's Win
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Sunday, March 1, 2009
Coming into this season, Ballou junior guard Donte Thomas sought balance more than any other skill. Thomas could score better than any other player in the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association, but after the Knights lost in the league semifinals each of the past two seasons, Thomas saw he could not do it all by himself.
Last night in the DCIAA championship game, Thomas found the perfect equilibrium. He got teammates involved early, and once they forced McKinley's defense to take them seriously, Thomas took over.
Thomas scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to lead Ballou to a 59-52 victory before approximately 2,000 at Coolidge and give the Knights their first DCIAA title.
"I waited for my players to step up," Thomas said, "and they did tonight. Now, look where we are. We're going to the City Title."
Nobody stepped up bigger than Knights 6-foot-8 sophomore center Marquis Gentry, who matched his season high of 14 points. Gentry often had struggled to finish plays this season, and despite his height, had been frequently pushed around underneath the basket.
Last night, Gentry scored off slick no-look, backdoor passes from Thomas, who would draw a pair of defenders in the lane. He also was aggressive on offensive rebounds and gave Ballou (21-9) second chances, when it appeared before the game McKinley (17-6) had the edge inside.
"It made a perfect balance for us," Ballou Coach Jenkins Dormu said. "We've been waiting for that all season, and Marquis finally gave it to us."
With the game tied at 42 with four minutes left, Thomas, though, took over. He hit a pair of free throws. Then after a McKinley turnover, Thomas single-handedly broke the Trainers' full-court pressure and finished with a gorgeous behind-the-back dribble and spin move for a layup. Ten seconds later, his tip-in put Ballou ahead by six with three minutes left.
McKinley never drew closer than five the rest of the way.
In the earlier girls' game, H.D. Woodson emphasized its dominance over the league with an 82-21 victory over Dunbar (16-4).
En route to winning their 58th straight game against a DCIAA opponent, the No. 8 Warriors (21-6) led 25-1 after the first quarter and were never threatened. Ronika Ransford scored 21 points, while Bernisha Pinkett had 17 and Carleeda Green 15.
The Warriors, who won the City Title last season, will be the first DCIAA girls' team to play in the game four straight years.
DCIAA Basketball Finals Consolation Prizes: In the preliminary games, Wilson's girls and Coolidge's boys claimed third place. Free Is Costly: McKinley missed 10 of its first 16 free throw attempts and 13 of 29 overall.
