By Luke Nadkarni / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Javin Montgomery-DeLaurier scored 22 points, including the game-winning floater as time expired, to lead St. Anne’s-Belfield boys basketball to a 66-64 win over Atlantic Shores in the final of the STAB Tip-Off Tournament.
Montgomery-DeLaurier’s shot capped off a wild fourth quarter which saw the lead change hands seven times in the waning minutes. Neither team led by more than three in the final period. Trailing 60-59, STAB senior Parker Morris nailed a three, giving his team a two-point lead. Gintaras Bartaskas answered with the three of his own for Atlantic Shores to regain the lead, but Kareem Johnson’s nifty reverse layup made it a one-point STAB advantage. After a free throw by Christian Kimbrough tied it again, the Saints called timeout. Morris then dribbled out most of the 45 remaining seconds before taking a screen from Montgomery-DeLaurier, who rolled off it into the middle of the lane. Morris found the big man for the winning shot, which bounced high off the heel of the rim before dropping through, sending the Saints’ faithful in to a frenzied celebration.
“It was a great pass by Parker, I saw he was getting doubled,” Montgomery-DeLaurier said. “I just hit a pump-fake and it felt good coming out of my hand.”
Isaiah Cotton led Atlantic Shores with 17 points, all in the first half. Bartaskas added 14 for the Seahawks. In addition to Montgomery-DeLaurier’s output, the Saints got 14 from Morris and 13 from Johnson.
The Saints led 18-15 after one, but the game changed early in the second quarter when the 6-foot-9 Montgomery-DeLaurier, who had scored seven points in the first quarter, picked up his third foul and sat for the rest of the half. Losing the tallest player on either side left STAB without its decided advantage inside and opened the door for the Seahawks to go into halftime with a 31-29 lead.
“It was brutal,” Montgomery-DeLaurier said of sitting on the bench. “I was just hoping we could keep it close while I was out. My teammates did a great job.”
The Saints stormed out of the gates in the second half on a 6-0 run spearheaded by a pair of fast-break layups by Johnson, forcing Atlantic Shores to call a timeout. The Saints were also aided by the return of Montgomery-DeLaurier, who returned in the second half and dominated the glass, allowing STAB to surge ahead 49-44 after three. The Seahawks scored the first five points of the final quarter, setting up the exciting finish.
“We had a few defensive breakdowns, and [Atlantic Shores] hit a few big shots on us,” STAB head coach Brian Kent said. “But the kids toughed it out. You want to play a game like that this early to prepare for your conference.”
The Saints return to action Tuesday when they host Miller School.
