Cleveland’s Season Finally Expires as Washington Runs Away, 87-79

With less than a minute remaining in the game, Cleveland High Coach Kevin Crider tugged on the courtside scoreboard console, fiddled with its wiring and pushed an extra button or two. The troublesome scoreboard lights flickered, then blanked out completely.

The clock had mistakenly read 30:42, which would have given the Cavaliers another half hour to make a run at Washington. It might have made a difference. Or it could have given the Generals even more time to run away and hide.

Washington hammered Cleveland with its lightning-bolt fast break and superior rebounding to win, 87-79, in a City Section 4-A Division quarterfinal at Cleveland on Wednesday night.

Washington center Barnabus James, who missed the final two games of the regular season while his academic eligibility was in question, scored a game-high 30 points and added a school-record 22 rebounds.

When James wasn’t putting the hammer to the Cavaliers inside--Washington finished with a 44-25 rebounding edge--the Generals’ fast break was in overdrive. Washington (21-4) rolled up numerous breaks after Cleveland had scored.

“They have the most athletic and most talented team in the City,” Crider said. “I said that at the beginning of the year. They have guys who run right by you.”

And run they did, until it was bye-bye Cavs.

Cleveland held its own into the third quarter, thanks largely to the offensive performances of forward Brandon Martin (25 points), point guard Kenny Collins (24) and off-guard Carlos Vasquez (20). The third-seeded Cavaliers (19-6) moved ahead for the last time, 48-47, with 5 minutes 47 seconds left in the third, then Washington went to work inside.

The Generals, who were in line for the top playoff seeding before losing their final two games of the regular season as James sat out, scored eight consecutive points to move ahead, 55-48, two minutes later. Senior forward Isaac Burton (22 points) scored four points on put-back shots.

Cleveland missed five of seven shots after taking its short-lived lead--all were jump shots from outside--after Washington extended its zone to near the three-point line.

“They played a little different set,” said Martin, who lives in the Washington attendance area and is bused to Cleveland. “They came out a little higher on us and took away the perimeter shot.”

There was no such trouble for James. The 6-foot-7 senior scored five points in the final two minutes of the quarter and Washington took a 65-54 lead entering the fourth. Cleveland whittled the margin to 81-74 with two minutes left, but James scored on a knifing drive inside with 1:40 left, giving Washington a nine-point lead and putting the game away.

Washington’s front-line trio outscored Cleveland’s starting three, 69-32. Sophomore center Shawn Bankhead, handicapped by foul trouble, finished with two points and forward Mike Scovell had five.

“All week long we tried to prepare for them,” Martin said. “We practiced for them, we conditioned for them. They’re a good team.”