PVI's Perfect: Panthers Complete Undefeated WCAC Season | News

HYATTSVILLE, Md. (WUSA) -- Like a swiftly planned bank robbery, the Paul VI Panthers snuck in and out of DeMatha High School Sunday afternoon, stealing the spotlight on senior day from celebrated Stag players James Robinson and Jerami
Grant. More importantly, a 58-55 win was collected by the now historic Paul VI
team.

The Panthers' close win -- their fifth straight victory by seven points or less -- concludes a perfect 18-0 record in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), which regularly hosts Division I coaches. Rick Pitino (Lousville) and Rick Barnes (Texas) were just two of the nearly dozen on hand to witness the Panthers' latest triumph.

"A lot of people said the first game was a fluke and that it couldn't be done again," said senior Patrick Holloway, who finished with 11 points. "We knew we already had the number one seed, but for us we wanted to prove we could beat DeMatha again."  

Sunday was a true testament to the reason why PVI has yet to falter since their January 7 loss at St. Raymond's (New York). Five different Panthers scored at least nine points, keeping the DeMatha defense guessing as to where the next big play would come from. Senior forward Coleman Johnson led the way with 12 points and his steal-and-slam combination in the third quarter helped derive a momentous 10-2 Panther scoring run.

"Usually when you see a team go 10 or 11 deep like that you're talking about DeMatha," said Stag head coach Mike Jones about how effective PVI's rotations have been this season. "They have multiple guys who can shoot, multiple guys who can post up. They have a very nice team."

As is normally the case with the Panthers, the victory wasn't wrapped up until the very last shot of the game. A stellar fourth quarter shooting performance from Stag point guard James Robinson (14 points) kept DeMatha breathing down PVI's neck throughout the final minutes of the game. The Panthers held a 56-55 lead with just under 20 seconds remaining.

A give-and-go was called for PVI guard Stan Robinson, who took the ensuing pass from his point guard Tilman Dunbar and soared to the basket for a wide open layup; only Robinson misfired. Luckily, the junior was able to collect himself and tip-in his own miss -- giving his team a three point lead with just nine seconds remaining.

"When I made that last shot I looked at coach [Farello] like we need a timeout. I had to gather myself," joked Robinson after the game about its stressful final minutes. DeMatha's Marcellous Bell's last second three-point heave fell way short of the hoop. 

Defensively, PVI kept the ball out of Stag center Beejay Anya's hands. Anya's four points tied a season low and Paul VI head coach Glenn Farello acknowledged the Panthers keyed in on minimizng the amount of touches the 6-foot-9 big man received.

"He's such a fantastic player you have to throw bodies at him," said Farello.

The WCAC playoffs begin this week and Paul VI realizes the real season has yet to
even begin. Regular season titles are rewarding, but they aren't the ones that matters.

"We are trying to get to [DeMatha's] level," said Farello on the Stags' 34 league championships and six national titles. "This year we accomplished it in the regular season. Now it's time to see what happens next week."

Photo caption: The widely recognized "VI Man" PVI student section "Tebows" during a crucial timeout late in the fourth quarter.

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