In this year’s contest Gonzaga, coached by Dick Myers, bolted to an early 12-0 lead at George Washington University’s Smith Center – courtesy of a Luke Owings "back-door" lay in – and they never looked back. The Eagles soared to leads of 18-9 and 40-24, after the first two quarters, respectively.

In fact, after Taurean Marshall scored on a lay in, off an assist from Lorenzo Miles, to give the Eagles a 20-9 lead early in the second quarter, Gonzaga never led by less than a double-digit margin from that point
forward.

Gonzaga – with five seniors, six juniors and one sophomore – led 52-34 after the third quarter, before substituting quite liberally in the final stanza.

"Basically we just played very well – give these players a lot of credit," said coach Myers.

Dunbar, coached by Lorenzo Roach – with three seniors, two juniors and nine sophomores on its varsity squad – is likely to be strong in upcoming seasons.

"We started the game slow," coach Roach said. "Gonzaga played very well."

Gonzaga, wearing purple and white, was paced offensively by senior post Luke Owings (18 points), senior guard Taurean Marshall (13), junior guard Stanley Hodge (11), senior guard Lorenzo Miles (10), junior forward
Antwan Harrison (8), sophomore forward Paul Johnson (4) and senior forward Dana Leary (4).

Miles, chosen as the winning team’s most valuable player, also chipped in with six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block.

Dunbar, wearing black and red, was paced by senior guard Tre Kelley (19), junior forward Randy Hampton (8), sophomore guard Eric Price (5), sophomore guard Paul Wayne (5), senior guard Billy Eccles
(3), senior forward Vernon Davis (2), sophomore forward Karlton Minter (2), sophomore forward James McDonald (1) and sophomore guard Yaqoob Thurston (1).

Kelley, who also added two rebounds and one block, was selected as the losing team’s MVP.

Gonzaga improved to 27-5 overall with the win. Dunbar dropped to 23-6 overall with the loss.

In the WCAC playoffs, Gonzaga defeated Ireton in the quarterfinals, McNamara in the semi-finals and a talented Paul VI Panther squad in the finals.

In the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs, Dunbar defeated School Without Walls in the quarterfinals, Spingarn in the semi-finals and an impressive Cardozo Clerk squad in the finals.

The Eagles finished as runners-ups for the city title in 1999, 1997, 1986 and 1957. Dunbar won the high school basketball title six times – in 1999, 1993, 1990, 1989, 1987 and 1976. The Crimson Tide also finished as runners-up in 1991, 1984, 1983, 1981, 1979, 1978 and 1975.

More than 5,000 people attended the title game, including many school officials and political dignitaries. Former Washington Post assistant managing editor George Solomon, who recently stepped down as head of the newspaper’s sports department, was the official "honoree" for the 2003 City Title Game.

In the varsity girls title game, which preceded the boys game, the WCAC’s McNamara of Forestville, Md., soundly defeated the DCIAA’s H.D.Woodson, 91-49.

The Lady Mustangs, ranked No. 1 by the Washington Post virtually the entire season, led 22-9, 47-18 and 67-38 after the first three quarters, respectively.

There was little suspense in the contest after the first quarter. Leading McNamara offensively were senior Genet Moore (19 points), sophomore Iman McFarland (14), junior Antelia Parrish (12), junior Chauntise Wright
(11), senior Kalika France (10), junior Nikki Bozeman (9), freshman Paulisha Kellum (7), freshman Jori Nwachukwu (4), freshman Ashley Spriggs (3) and sophomore Alexandra Roane (2).

Leading the Lady Warriors offensively were senior Shameka Lee (13), senior Shaunta Richardson (13), senior Jameka White (12), senior Asia Alston (4), junior Paris Hargrove (3), senior India Alston (2) and junior Charli Jackson (2).

Copyright 2003, The Common Denominator