Churchill Defeats Shaler 51-47 to Win Holiday Tournament

In the beginning of Wednesday's Bobby Miller Bulldog Holiday Classic Championship match-up, the appeared to be more than hospitable hosts spotting the Shaler Area (PA) Titans a 13-2 lead with just over four minutes gone in the first quarter. But down 13-2, Churchill suddenly re-discovered its defensive intensity and carried that energy to a 51-47 come from behind victory to earn the tournament championship.

For Churchill, it was the Bulldogs' second consecutive Bobby Miller Bulldog Holiday Classic title after narrowly missing a championship in 2009 with an overtime loss.

Coming into the game, the Bulldogs knew that Shaler from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area would be a well-coached, talented and disciplined team. Shaler features point guard Geno Thorpe, a Penn State commit, and several solid players including post man J.P. Holz and guard Zach Taylor. "We watched them play against Takoma Academy (in the first round) and we thought 'we are really going to have our work cut out for us tonight' because they make you play every possession on both ends," Churchill head coach Matt Miller said. "They have some really talented kids and others that know their roles well and they play very well together, so we knew we would have to compete on every possession to have a chance. When we came out of the gate slowly, I was really concerned because you just don't want to give a team like that an 11-point lead early."

Miller's concerns were quickly erased as the Bulldogs regained their composure and clawed back to a 26-22 deficit at half behind the strong play of senior guard Sam Edens. "That was really important for us - to stay within striking distance, Miller noted. "At halftime, we felt like we really played poorly in the first quarter against a good team and yet we were down just four points at the half. I think our kids sensed that if we could just continue to play the way we did towards the end of the second quarter, we could come out on top."

Following intermission, the Bulldogs came out of the locker room strong behind senior Thomas Geenen and Edens and used a 16-8 third quarter advantage to take a 38-34 lead into the final quarter. From there, the Bulldogs used timely scoring from Edens and Geenen as well as strong defense led by junior Dominique Williams to hold the lead into the game's final minute when sophomore Matt Moshyedi, making his first varsity start, made four consecutive free throws to seal the victory.

Churchill was led by Edens (14 points) and Geenen (10 points and 15 rebounds) in the victory. Thorpe led the Titans with 11 points but was held to just 4 following the first quarter. Geenen was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player as he had 27 points, 35 rebounds, 11 assists and 7 steals in the two games. Edens and Moshyedi were also named to the all-tournament team for the Bulldogs while Taylor and Holz were Shaler's representatives.

"Thomas had a remarkable tournament and being named the Most Outstanding Player was a tribute to all the hardwork he has put in this past offseason, " Miller said.

"This was a great way to end 2011 and now we have to try and take this momentum into 2012 as we have some tough division games coming up next week. We all know that games between the 'W' schools (Whitman, Wootton and Walter Johnson) are always going to be hard-fought games and you can throw the records out the door. Our kids will need to be ready to play because we are expecting to get both Whitman's and Wootton's best shot next week."

Churchill will next face Whitman on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 at Churchill with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.

Churchill's Kyle Edwards received the 2011 Bobby Miller Bulldog Holiday Classic Academic Award for outstanding work in the classroom.

The Bulldogs are now 5-1 all-time in the Bobby Miller Bulldog Holiday Classic including championships in 2010 and 2011.

Takoma Academy defeated the Heights 88-47 in the consolation game.