By Todd Bradley, DCSportsFan.com
MaxPreps.com
And the wins keep on coming. Playing in front of a standing-room-only crowd against a nationally-ranked opponent, Gonzaga played like the defending champions that they are, defeating DeMatha 86-76 Wednesday night to improve to 16-2 on the season and 7-1 in the WCAC.
"It's probably the biggest rivalry in our league, and to beat the team ahead of you [in the standings] and get a big win early in the season is huge," Gonzaga head coach Steve Turner said. "I told our guys, though, it's only one game. It's a long season; it's a marathon, not a sprint. We have to take every game one game at a time."
And since a 68-62 loss to Ohio's Middletown High School on Dec. 29, it seems like Gonzaga has. The Eagles have taken down nine straight opponents, and seven of those victories have been by double digits. Ian Hummer (Princeton), Tyler Thornton (Duke) and Cedrick Lindsay have been leading the way, and Wednesday's 10-point victory over DeMatha (14-2, 6-1) was no different.
Hummer's 32 points led all scorers, and the 6-foot-7 senior had a few different dunks that brought the crowd to its feet. Thornton had a quiet 14 points but recorded 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals while Lindsay scored 21 points, which included two well-timed 3-pointers.
"Those three went through the trenches last year to take us to 34-1," Turner said. "They understand what it takes to win, and they are the leaders. They teach everyone during practice how hard they have to go to be successful during games."
Although Thornton and Hummer have received the majority of the attention, Lindsay's contributions have often gone overlooked, until recently that is. Lindsay was named the MVP of Gonzaga's game at the Spalding Hoophall Classic at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday.
Wednesday night Lindsay excelled again in front of a packed gymnasium in one of the area's biggest games. DeMatha's team features two Division I players in Josh Selby (Tennessee) and Naji Hibbert (Texas A&M) along with a cast of young players destined for the college ranks, but Lindsay stole the show at times.
"People are taking notice," Turner added. "The phone is ringing pretty hard for him right now, and all [Cedrick] has to do right now is stay focused on the season, play his game and do what he does to help us win night in and night out. Things that are going to happen for him are going to happen because of how good he is. He doesn't get the name notoriety, but he doesn't care about that. He just wants us to win right now."
And Gonzaga is winning. Their 16 victories this season, including seven in-conference, are the best in the WCAC, and the victory over DeMatha places Gonzaga in sole possession of first place, a half-game ahead of both DeMatha and O'Connell. When asked what the team did to prepare for such a high-profile game, Lindsay said Coach Turner kept the game plan simple.
"It was to just play our game, which is Gonzaga basketball. We knew we would be alright."
