Guidance, looking to avoid being knocked out of the summer league basketball playoffs by the Hoyas for the third straight year, beat the defending champs 80-73 Monday night to take game one of their best two-of-three series in the New Breed Basketball Association summer league playoffs. The Hoyas controlled the game for three quarters but were outplayed in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.
Coach Donald Bough’s defensive strategy worked well, especially in the fourth quarter where he also got a good effort from rookie Devon Lake who with Theron Jones helped secure the victory by knocking down 11 and nine points respectively in the final period. Houston Penn also brought a much needed wide-body presence under the basket.
The first quarter was a defensive one for two of the league’s high scoring offenses, but led by Karl John’s eight points, the Hoyas had an 18-16 advantage at the end of the period.
The second quarter saw a balanced Hoyas attack, led by star point guard Ramon Castillo playing in his first game of the season; they outscored Guidance 18-12 to lead by eight at the half at 36-28.
A 15-9 run by Guidance started the third period, bringing them within two points of the lead at 45-43. The defending champs responded with a 10-4 run to end the third quarter up by eight at 55-47. The eight point lead could have just as well been 15 or 20 if not for missed opportunities by the Hoyas sharpshooters.
Guidance exploded out of the gates in the fourth quarter with an 11-4 run to take their first lead of the game since early in the first period at 59-58, but an 8-3 run by the Hoyas once again gave them the lead at 66-62 with 3:49 left in the game.
Then young Lake went to work.
He scored on a short jumper to give his team the lead at 67-66. Then with the Hoyas up by one at 70-69 with 1:22 to go, he again gave his team the lead, this time for good, at 71-70 on a put-back. Guidance would close out the game one victory with a 9-3 run for a final score of 80-73. Lake accounted for eight of the Guidance’s final 13 points and a total of 11 in the period. Jones was also 3 for 3 from beyond the three-point arc, and Calvert White was six of six from the charity stripe as they both finished with nine points in the fourth for the winners.
“We have to give the game ball to our rookie Devon Lake — he really stepped up for us in the fourth quarter, showing that athletic ability that we all knew he had," Bough said.
The Hoyas top scorer, Darnel “Burger” Hendrickson, was held to just two first quarter points and 11 for the game in a woeful display of shooting that seriously hurt his team’s chance for victory. But the Guidance defense didn’t help him, either.
White led three guidance players in double figures with a game-high 22 points, Lake netted 17 with 11 in the crucial fourth quarter, and Jones finished with 14. For the Hoyas it was Karl John leading the way with a team-high 19 points, Castillo had 16 and Hendrickson finished with 11.
