Bishop McNamara

No one knows what effect Bishop McNamara's 42-37 boys' basketball victory over Friendly in yesterday's D.C. Board Games championship game will have on the Mustangs this upcoming season, but recent history suggests their days of mediocrity could be coming to an end.

The past four D.C. Board Games champions -- Gonzaga, DeMatha, Oxon Hill and Montrose Christian -- have parlayed their victories at the annual 32-team summer league tournament into highly successful seasons.

Defending tournament champion Gonzaga and 2001 champion DeMatha each followed up D.C. Board Games titles by winning the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament and City Title Game championships, and Oxon Hill posted an undefeated regular season a few months after winning the event in 2000. Montrose Christian, tournament champion in 1999, went on to win the Beltway League tournament.

"I think winning this tournament shows we can be mentioned along with the best teams in the area," said McNamara senior shooting guard Brian Hodges, who scored a team-high 17 points in the title game at Bender Arena. "Hopefully after winning this tournament, the same kind of success happens to us."

And judging by the way the Mustangs played in victories over Hayfield, Southern Maryland Christian, Laurel, Northwestern and Friendly, in the coming season they could contend for their first WCAC title since 1995. McNamara was 16-13 this past season.

"What our team did here was impressive," said McNamara Coach Marty Keithline, who was the team's assistant coach the past two seasons before taking over for Kevin Sutton, who resigned less than a month ago. "I thought the biggest thing for us, though, was that we played together."

Trailing 27-24 early in the second half, the Mustangs took over, led by senior reserve guard Taiwon Grooms. Grooms, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, made a jump shot with four minutes left to give his team a 34-33 lead it did not relinquish. Grooms promptly extended the Mustangs' advantage to 37-33 by making a three-pointer from the left wing on McNamara's next possession.

"I always tell the players on our bench to always focus on the game and know what's going on, because you never know when you're going to get your chance," Keithline said.

"Taiwon is such a hard worker out there for us, and when he got out there, he helped us take control of the game."

Friendly, which was led by All-Met senior forward Sam Young's 17 points, advanced to yesterday's title game after posting victories over Paint Branch, Gonzaga, Good Counsel and St. John's.