DePaul Prep shuts down New Trier, will face Benet in Pontiac championship
DePaul Prep’s vaunted team defense did the job from start to finish in a 50-36 win against New Trier in the 94th Pontiac Holiday Tournament semifinals on Wednesday.
The Rams held Danny Houlihan, the Trevians' smooth-shooting senior, to six points. The High Point recruit was 3-for-14 shooting and 0 of 3 from three-point range.
“Every guy took a turn guarding him,” DePaul Prep coach Tom Kleinschmidt said. “Eventually that is going to wear on a player.”
The Rams’ offense wasn’t humming as smoothly as its defense, but senior Rykan Woo stepped up and changed that in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Woo drained a long-range three pointer and followed with a midrange jumper. The two scores put DePaul ahead 34-29 and ignited a 16-2 run that put the game away.
“That was just reading the defense,” Woo said. “I want that moment. I want to be able to shoot those tough shots.”
Woo, a Brown recruit, finished with 19 points and four rebounds. Rashaun Porter, a 6-7 senior, added 15 points and 10 rebounds and AJ Chambers scored nine.
New Trier played the tournament without injured star guard Christopher Kirkpatrick. Elton Jaegerskog led the Trevians with nine points.
DePaul Prep, which won the Pontiac Holiday Tournament title last season, will face Benet in the championship game on Wednesday at 9 p.m.