Five Key Questions: Paul VI vs. Gonzaga

FAIRFAX, VA -- It took two overtimes to decide the winner of last night's pivotal WCAC matchup between Paul VI and Gonzaga last night, but even that didn't seem like it was enough. The Panthers ultimately prevailed, and here we recap this hard-fought contest by answering five key questions. <h2>WHO WERE THE STANDOUTS?</h2> DEVIN DINKINS | GONZAGA '22 Dinkins continues to gain the trust of Head Coach Steve Turner with his confident play and shot making ability. It'll be hard to take him off the floor if he can become an elite defender. MALCOLM DREAD | GONZAGA '21 Talk about defense, that's exactly what Dread brings to the table. His extra effort leads to additional possessions for the team. Dread recorded a charge, and his weakside block late in overtime helped preserve the game. ANWAR GILL | GONZAGA '19 There was a four minute stretch of game time where Gill simply took over this game. In that span, he scored 10 consecutive points for the Eagles, including a couple of acrobatic finishes with his off-hand in the lane and a transition dunk with that same off-hand. Gill was also responsible for netting a three from the wing to tie the game late in double overtime. AVERY FORD | PVI '21 Ford is quietly one of the most important to his team's success. In this game, he finished with 11 rebounds, utilizing his length and underrated physicality to his advantage in the paint. Ford's poster dunk was also one of the most significant highlight plays of the game. JOSIAH FREEMAN | PVI '20 Freeman had a relatively quiet night with just 7 points, but the efficiency with which he scores is quite impressive. He hit a couple of tough pull-ups, which showed his ability to create separation off the bounce, but also knocked down a trey ball from the wing from a pick and pop situation. CHUCK HARRIS | GONZAGA '20 Critics will mention that Harris went 2 of 6 from the foul line and missed some crucial ones down the stretch, but before that, he showcased a smooth pull up jump shot from the perimeter. Harris scored 12 points to go along with 3 boards and 3 assists. TREVOR KEELS | PVI '21 The legend of Trevor Keels is growing with every game, and this was another chapter in the story of his remarkable sophomore campaign. Keels netted a few timely bombs from five or six feet behind the arc to either tie it or give PVI the lead. It's worth mentioning that as a result of his overall aggressiveness and shrewd play, Keels was rewarded with a game-high 12 free throw attempts. JOHN MARSHALL | GONZAGA '19 This isn't the first time we've seen Marshall do his thing on the hardwood as he's been an impact player with the Columbia Ravens, and can definitely produce if given the opportunity. Marshall was one of the guys on the floor during Gonzaga's comeback from down 10 in the third quarter, and the pull-up three he hit was a signature play during that run. DUG MCDANIEL | PVI '22 McDaniel had about 5 assists to go along with 10 points in this game. His ability to finish with the left hand in traffic was on display on a couple of different occasions, including the shot that ended up being the game winner. JOSH ODURO | PVI '19 Oduro was the MVP of this game. The George Mason commit was unstoppable on either block with his back to the basket, and showed that he can make a move and score over either shoulder. Oduro was also a stalwart defensively, where he was vigilant as a rim protector and defensive rebounder. WILL PAIGE | PVI '20 Paige did what he does best in this game, and that's play with contagious energy. The diminutive lead guard was all over the court; fighting for loose balls, recording deflections, steals, floor dives, and taking charges. TERRANCE WILLIAMS | GONZAGA '20 Williams battled foul trouble and did not look to be himself while sitting on the sidelines as he appeared to be battling some sort of illness, but it didn't affect his overall performance. He did his due diligence on the defensive glass, and showcased glimpses his diverse offensive arsenal on several occasions. <h2>HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE WAS THE OFFICIATING?</h2> Its no secret that the referees swallowed their whistles for a good portion of this game, but we should revisit some of the obvious missed calls. To make things fair, we'll point out one specific mistake on each side. At one point in the second half, Gonzaga was making a substitution and somehow found themselves with 6 players on the floor. This was a blatant miss by the official on the baseline, who was interrogated about this by Avery Ford and had no answer. The second blunder was after a Gonzaga player grabbed the net during a PVI layup attempt, causing the rim to move. This should have been ruled a goal tend. There is no point in attempting to question the integrity of the officials, but this stanza was designed to illustrate that mistakes are made on both sides, and this should take nothing away from the fact that the two teams played a high quality game. <h2>WHAT COLLEGE COACHES WERE IN ATTENDANCE?</h2> GEORGE MASON: Assistant Coach Dane Fischer was in to see 2019 commit Josh Oduro. The Patriots were previously in on Anwar Gill, but are currently recruiting Myles Stute and freshman Dug McDaniel a little bit. MOUNT ST. MARY'S: Assistant Coach Xavier Joyner, a former assistant at PVI, is the father of Panthers guard Xavier Joyner Jr. We're almost certain that he would love for someone like Anwar Gill to commit to the Mount. RHODE ISLAND: Assistant Coach Kevin Sutton was checking in on Myles Stute. The Rams offered Stute over the summer. ROBERT MORRIS: Assistant Coach Dave Fedor was in for Anwar Gill. The Colonials have been actively recruiting Gill for a little while now. VIRGINIA: Associate Head Coach Jason Williford was in for Terrance Williams and Trevor Keels. The Cavs recently offered Keels, who was recently in attendance for their home game vs. Duke. <h2>HOW DOES THIS GAME IMPACT THE WCAC PLAYOFF PICTURE?</h2> This win helped PVI secure the second seed for the upcoming tournament, and Gonzaga is now in a three-way tie for third with St. John's and O'Connell. It'll be very interesting to see how things shake out, but Gonzaga does have the most favorable remaining schedule among the teams they're tied with. <h2>WHICH TEAM IS A BIGGER THREAT TO WIN THE LEAGUE?</h2> It's hard to say at this point, but we do know that the Eagles have DeMatha's number. The real answer to this question is that no one wants to face either of these two teams at the moment, and they both have a real shot to win the league.