DeMatha tops John Marshall 69-65

Slamfest VIII turned into a coming out party for John Marshall guard Tahir Little.

Little, a sophomore, became eligible with the start of the second semester, and he made his first appearance last night at Benedictine, where the Justices fell to national power DeMatha High of Hyattsville, Md., 69-65.

The Justices, ranked No.4 in The Times-Dispatch Top 10, ventured out of the Colonial District title race for Slamfest's marquee game.

The Stags put four players in double figures and held on down the stretch by making free throws. Naji Hibbert, a top college prospect, led the way with 17 points. Marcus Rouse contributed 16 points, Jerrian Grant 10 points and eight rebounds, and Victor Oladipo 11 points. The Stags' other college prospect, Josh Selby, has been suspended from the team.

Travis McKie led John Marshall with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Maurice Johnson had 12, and Little added 11 on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor.

Little (5-8) plays the point. He will be worked into a lineup and rotation that has played together for 19 games.

"He'll make us a better team," JM coach Frank Threatts Jr. said. "He can handle the ball and dish it off. He can play defense. We got to get him in shape."

Little will have to get his playing legs on the go. The Justices are tied for first in the Colonial District and play Hermitage and second-ranked Douglas Freeman this week.

Randall Ward has played the point this season and will move to the wing, "but we're interchangeable," Ward said. "We'll have to adjust to a new situation, but he will help us out a lot."

The Justices trailed the Stags by a point at halftime and by three going into the final quarter. Two free throws and a field goal by Johnson gave JM the lead, 48-47, but DeMatha's Rouse responded with back-to-back 3-pointers. Hibbert contributed three-point plays on consecutive trips down the floor to keep the Justices at bay.

In the nightcap, Benedictine continued its hot play with a 63-54 victory over former state Group AA No.1 Courtland of Spotsylvania County. Darien Brothers scored a game-high 26 points to lead the 10th-ranked Cadets to a third consecutive victory after two losses in a row. Brothers also had seven rebounds and five steals. Erik Moody contributed 17 points and four assists for the Cadets.

Benedictine's defense forced Courtland into 21 turnovers.

Leading the Cougars was their college prospect, Josh Hairston. He had 25 points and 12 rebounds. Lamar Giggetts added 15 points.

In other games:

DEMATHA (19-1)

Hibbert 17, Cook 9, Hopkins 3, Rouse 16, Jerrian Grant 10, Robinson 3, Oladipo 11, Frank 0. Totals 23 16-26 69.
JOHN MARSHALL (16-3)

Ward 9, Johnson 12, Cooley 6, McKie 21, Brown 6, Little 11. Totals 26 11-12 65.
DeMatha ------------------------- 21 14 12 22 - 69
John Marshall ------------------------- 15 19 10 21 - 65

3-point goals: D - Rouse 4, Hibbert 2, Grant. JM - Ward, McKie.
COURTLAND (15-2)

McMorris 0, Green 6, Sellers 8, Giggetts 15, Hairston 25, Pertell 0, Brooks 0, Young 1. Totals 22 7-11 54.
BENEDICTINE (13-7)

Moody 17, Brothers 26, Gill 5, Price 4, Thurston 4, Connor 3, Shaheen 0, Tiller 4, Pilot 0. Totals 24 9-15 63.
Courtland ------------------------- 11 15 14 14 - 54
Benedictine ------------------------- 10 22 12 19 - 63

3-point goals: C - Giggetts 2, Green. B - Moody 3, Brothers, Gill, Connor.

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN (13-4)

Nixon 11, Wilson 2, Murray 12, McAdoo 21, Moore 3, Hadley 0, Collins 0, Cockerill 0. Totals 18 8-12 49.
HENRICO (11-7)

Walden 15, Davis 12, Harrison 6, Burston 3, Johnson 3, Zavelsky 10, Taylor 0, Thorpe 4. Totals 19 7-13 53.
Norfolk Christian ------------------------- 11 12 15 11 - 49
Henrico ------------------------- 17 8 17 11 - 53

3-point goals: NC - Murray 4, McAdoo.

ATLANTIC SHORES (20-1)

Haynes 7, Britt 35, O'Malley 0, Pledger 28, Stowe 0, A. Dawkins 15, J. Dawkins 0, McMahon 0. Totals 30 9-11 85.
DEEP RUN (10-9)

Simmons 7, Jackson 5, Chambon 0, Pericle 2, Dosh 11, Wood 0, Johnson 0, Clarke 3, Sudol 0, Peaden 0, Folliard 3, Valentine 0, Exum 31, Molnar 0. Totals 22 8-14 62.
Atlantic Shores ------------------------- 23 14 27 21 - 85
Deep Run ------------------------- 11 16 15 20 - 62

3-point goals: AS - Britt 10, Pledger 4, Haynes, A. Dawkins. DR - Exum 3, Dosh 3, Jackson, Folliard, Simmons, Clarke.
MILLER SCHOOL

Rush 5, Hermann, Corbin 2, Terrell 3, Kofane 4, Powell 18, Owusu 2, Hermann 0, Tsafack 18, Parker 16. Totals 31 0-3 68.
CHRISTCHURCH

Gbinije 14, Cunningham 3, C. Williams 12, Miller 4, Lawson 0, Larabee 3, Sykes 0, T. Williams 0, Bey 0. Totals 19 7-11 49.
Miller School ------------------------- 17 13 22 16 - 68
Christchurch ------------------------- 12 14 9 14 - 49

3-point goals: M - Powell 2, Parker 2, Rush, Terrell. C - Ford, C. Williams, Larabee.