The beginning of the end was a Sidwell Friends alley-oop, initiated by Jake Williams and finished off by Jalen Rougier-Roane. It came midway through the third quarter of the D.C. State Athletic Association boys’ basketball championship game, and it gave the No. 5 Quakers a three-point lead over No. 10 St. John’s.
That was all they needed, really — a little momentum, a slim lead, a rowdy crowd. Over the past few seasons, this Sidwell program has learned to close out big games as well as any team in the D.C. area.
On Sunday night at George Washington University’s Smith Center, the Quakers saw an opportunity to finish off an obdurate Cadets team, and they took advantage of it. Rougier-Roane’s dunk was the beginning of an 11-0 run that put the Quakers on track for a 47-37 victory.
It was a third straight DCSAA title for the Northwest Washington private school, further solidifying its status as the program to beat in a talent-packed city.
“It’s a surreal feeling to call yourself the best,” Sidwell Coach Eric Singletary said. “... [To] be the last team standing, it overwhelms me every single time.”
After edging past Gonzaga by a point in a tense semifinal, the Quakers (27-4) looked capable and confident against another celebrated Washington Catholic Athletic Conference opponent Sunday. Coming off another outright title in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference, Sidwell hung around as St. John’s got off to a hot start, cutting an early deficit to one by halftime.
Rougier-Roane, who suffered a grisly leg injury in last year’s DCSAA title game, returned to Smith Center with an eye on redemption. He scored eight straight points in that second-half run and was pleased not to be on crutches in the postgame celebration. He earned game MVP honors with 15 points.
“Early in the game, it was hard to forget what happened last year,” the junior said. “But I tried to use it as motivation to show out. Eventually I wasn’t thinking about anything — just out there playing.”
This young St. John’s team, fresh off an upset of top-seeded Jackson-Reed in a semifinal Friday, never let up. The Cadets (25-8) cut their deficit to five with under two minutes left, but Sidwell responded as winners often do — by putting the game away at the free throw line.
“This is always our main goal — getting to this moment,” Sidwell junior guard Acaden Lewis said. “We didn’t have the best start to this season, but all that matters is how you end it. And this is one hell of a way to end the year.”
