Isaiah Wong hits game-winner to lift Bonner-Prendergast over Roman Catholic in Catholic League Final rematch
The Miami recruit put the Friars up with six seconds left in one of the most highly anticipated Catholic League games of the year.
Isaiah Wong still watches one of the toughest losses of his career occasionally.
Going into the huddle down by a point on Sunday against Roman Catholic, he had a flashback to last year’s Catholic League championship, when the Bonner-Prendergast star and his teammates fell to the Cahilites at the Palestra on a game-winner.
He wanted to remember it all offseason, and he did.
“I had that game on my mind,” Wong said. “That’s been in my head ever since [the shot] went in."
He got his revenge Sunday, icing the game with six seconds left as the Friars beat the visiting Cahilites, 59-58, in front of a raucous crowd.
It was the type of Catholic League game that sold out days before the actual event. It was the type of game that forced fans to line each baseline, some FaceTiming friends who couldn’t make it. The national anthem was cut off by the Bonner-Prendie student section after “land of the free." The atmosphere was intense, and the players noticed.
“It was one of the biggest games of the season for us, and we had to come in and make a statement,” Wong said.
Wong finished with a game-high 29 points, including a 13-point second quarter. Roman Catholic star Seth Lundy finished with five points and fouled out with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Friars fell behind early, but used a 21-8 run in the second quarter, fueled by Wong, to gain control.
But it was the fourth quarter when Wong made his biggest imprint on the game.
The Miami recruit, who said he was battling sickness this week, said he didn’t want to let the home crowd down. But it was actually his mom who was possibly the most anxious.
“Everybody kept on talking to me like ‘This is a big game, this is a big game,” Wong said. “Especially my Mom. She was talking her head off about how ‘You gotta perform and get over 20 points and stuff.’”
Bonner- 10 21 8 20 - 59
Roman- 18 8 15 17 - 58
Bonner- Tyreese Watson 3, Malik Edwards 6, Donovan Rodriguez 7, Chris Haynes 4, Isaiah Wong 29, Tariq Ingraham 10 TOTAL-24 8-10 59
Roman- Lynn Greer 9, Justice Williams 7, Hakim Hart 27, Seth Lundy 5, Jalen Duren 10 TOTAL- 20 13-17 58