HomeNewsWashington falls short of states in loss to La Salle

Washington falls short of states in loss to La Salle

In his final game in a Washington uniform, senior guard Asante Ali contributed 10 points and seven assists. TIMES FILE PHOTO

As George Washington warmed up for its win-or-go-home contest against La Salle and 6-foot-7 forward Dave Krmpotich, it was clear that something was missing.

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Or someone.

Jerome Blume, Washington’s strong 6-foot-5 senior forward and Third Team All-Public selection, was nowhere to be found. As it turns out, the team’s best, most physical interior defender and shot disruptor was no longer with the Eagles, having left the team over a disagreement over the discipline of his violation of a team rule. That meant defending Krmpotich, a Division I commit to Colgate University, got a whole lot harder.

Krmpotich proved to be a terror in the post, scoring at will inside en route to 21 points and 10 rebounds in a game La Salle ultimately won, 73–44; the victory ensured the Explorers grabbed the third and final District XII Class AAAA berth in the upcoming state tournament (Martin Luther King and Roman Catholic being the others), while the Washington season came to a grinding halt.

“He just wasn’t with us today,” Washington head coach John Creighton said of Blume, after watching Krmpotich shoot 8-for-13 from the field (two dunks) and 5-for-6 from the line. “It’s unfortunate, because when we were talking about matchups, that was one I thought with his (Blume’s) athleticism he could stay with. But we had to change our plans.”

When Creighton was asked if Blume’s absence was disciplinary-related or just a failure to show up on the forward’s part, the coach responded, “It could be a little bit of both. After we decided who was going to be here, we were going to go to war with those guys. We had a plan, and it was working well in the first half. We were very, very light (depth-wise), and it’s unfortunate, but as a coaching staff, each team has its own rules. If they aren’t followed, then unfortunately these things happen. You go to battle with who you’ve got, and we felt 100 percent good about our game plan. We were confident in doing some things that would put us through, but that didn’t happen.”

Despite losing by 29, the Eagles actually raced out to a quick start. They won the first quarter, 17–16, behind six points from junior Quadere Allen, who started in Blume’s place. La Salle opened up a nine-point lead late in the second quarter, but Washington went into the halftime break down just 32–27.

After a pair of Charles Brown free throws made it 32–29, the Explorers turned it on. They scored the next eight for a 40–29 lead, and the closest Washington would get the rest of the way was even. Much like in the Eagles’ contest against King in the Public League Class AAAA title game, a lackluster third quarter did them in; this time, La Salle outscored them 21–10 in the frame (as well as 20–7 in the fourth), and the rout was on from there. In addition to Krmpotich’s dominant 21 points inside, the Explorers also got 21 and seven rebounds from senior guard Shawn Witherspoon, while fellow senior backcourt mate Najee Walls contributed 15 and four each of assists and steals.

For Washington, Allen led the way with 12 points, while Brown, the team’s star player, added 10, but shot just 2-for-10. Brown will most assuredly play Division I somewhere next season, but he had a nightmarish final three postseason games. Senior guards Asante Ali (10 points, seven assists) and Elmange Watson (nine points) also contributed for a short-handed Washington team.

“They were gassed,” Creighton said. “We were only asking five, six, maybe seven guys to step up and push it, and La Salle is a very disciplined team. Slowly but surely, they inched away from us. They’re very unselfish, and you could see they’ve been in the big spotlight before. Nothing we did really threw them for a loop. That comes with the experience of going against the top teams in the state tournament last year.”

After winning this same game a year ago, La Salle entered states and went on a run all the way to the final before losing. They’ll get the same opportunity again, while Washington will wonder what could have been. A season that began so promising with non-league wins against Ryan and at St. Joseph’s Prep and Chester, followed by an undefeated run in Division B, ended in disappointing fashion with the defeats to King and La Salle.

Most of the team’s top rotation players — Brown, Watson, Ali, Blume, guard Jheron Johnson — with the exception of Allen, are seniors. To make matters even more difficult, Washington will ascend to Division A in 2015–16, having to face the likes of King, Imhotep and Constitution on a regular basis.

“That’s where we’re going, so we’ll see,” Creighton said of where the program goes from here. “We always talk about taking the next step, and the next step for us as a program is a move up to ‘A.’ Every game is hard. There’s no easy games or nights off. You’re playing with the big boys, state champions in different classifications and the last two to three Public League champions are all up there. We welcome the challenge. It’s our first opportunity to get up there, and I have trust in our kids and staff that we’ll put together a plan and be competitive.”

Whatever happens next year and beyond, Creighton will always fondly remember this Washington team, even if it did fall short of its ultimate goals. The Eagles accomplished things no basketball team at the school ever has, and despite the fact that Creighton admitted self-reflection is not one of his strongest suits, he still relished the opportunity to work with what he called “good, nice kids.”

“When they worked hard and executed, they did some things that no other Washington team ever did,” Creighton said. “We went on the road and beat Chester and St. Joe’s Prep, and really pushed some of the top teams in our area, like Plymouth-Whitemarsh. If we had the opportunity to be in states, much like a Prep or Wood, I think those top AAAA teams would have done damage had they gotten in.

“To look back and say we did things no other GW basketball team did, it is nice to know. But unfortunately we’re stuck now on the fact that it’s done.” ••

Follow Ed on Twitter @SpecialEd335

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