We hit up both of the Abe Pollin City Title Games at the Verizon Center Tuesday night and were treated to two very good advertisements for prep basketball in the District. In the girls' game, H.D. Woodson rode their pressing defense to a come-from-behind 64-54 win over Good Counsel.
But the boys' game was really something to see, as Coolidge High School pushed Paul VI all the way to the wire before falling, 70-64. As we wrote last night, Paul VI point guard Patrick Holloway stopped two Coolidge runs cold with long threes during the second half before hitting the clinching jumper with 23 seconds to play.
We caught up with the George Mason recruit for a brief chat after the game.
"I like the coaches there," Holloway said when asked about why he chose George Mason. "They've been very honest with me. I know that nothing's guaranteed for me next year and they've been very straightforward about that. Plus it's close to home [Holloway hails from Stafford County]."
When asked what he'd remember most about this season, which saw Paul VI finish 35-3, Holloway said, "The win. We've spent the last three years building something, and when you spend that long building something, sometimes it never pays off. This time, it did, and we're happy."
With his sense of the moment and his willingness to work hard, we think George Mason fans will really like what they see from Holloway in the coming years. We know Paul Hewitt already does.