St. John’s College Prep (Washington D.C.) never trailed but had to hold off a pesky Mustang (OK) squad for a 66-57 opening round victory in the 35th Annual Beach Ball Classic.
St. John’s (10-0) held a slim 35-33 lead at halftime and Mustang (2-2) scored the opening basket of the second half to tie the game for the third and final time. St. John’s used a 12-2 run to take a 47-37 lead on a Kylia Sykes free throw with 10:39 to play. Jakolby Long connected on consecutive 3-point baskets for Mustang to close the gap to 47-43 with exactly 10 minutes on the clock.
The Broncos would cut the St. John’s lead to just one point four times in the closing seven minutes of action but could not gain the advantage. Leading 53-52, St. John’s went on a 10-0 run to take a commanding 62-42 lead with just 43 seconds to play.
Dejuan Clayton led St. John’s with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jeffrey Dowtin added 21 points for the Cadets. Mustang was led by Curtis Haywood’s 20 points while York Benjamin grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.
