Forward helps No. 2 Gorman down No. 3 Arbor View — PHOTOS
Neither Bishop Gorman nor Arbor View’s boys basketball teams could establish a consistent rhythm on offense Tuesday night.
So when Arbor View’s Pharaoh Compton threw down a pair of dunks early in the fourth quarter to cut the Aggies’ deficit to three points, it brought life into a fairly quiet Arbor View crowd.
Jett Washington, who helped the Gorman football team win a national title, gave the Gaels an answer. The sophomore forward had a layup and had a steal on the ensuing possession that led to a Caleb Williams layup to give the Gaels a seven-point lead and some breathing room.
Gorman didn’t let Arbor View get any closer as the Gaels, No. 2 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, pulled away for a 65-57 road win at No. 3 Arbor View.
“Those big momentum changers, like a turnover and a steal and you get a layup, those are big flips, four- or five-point swings,” Washington said. “Those were huge. I just wanted to get my hands in there and get a steal and get us going.”
Washington led Gorman (16-3, 6-0 Class 5A Southern League) with 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and Williams, a senior forward, added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
“It was a group effort. We got contributions from a lot of guys,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “Jett Washington had a huge game. He’s been doing that a lot lately for us. Caleb Williams came in and did a great job defensively on Arbor View.”
Washington hit a jumper and knocked down an ensuing free-throw after getting fouled early in the fourth quarter that snapped Gorman scoring drought that lasted more than four minutes.
Arbor View (13-6, 4-1) was within one possession four times early in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get any closer to tie or take the lead as the Aggies trailed the whole second half. Compton, a San Diego State commit, scored six of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter but fouled out with 2:45 left in the game. Gorman hit 9 of 10 fourth-quarter free throws to seal the win.
“(At halftime) we said ‘Keep playing, the shots will start to fall,’” Rice said. “We didn’t want to rely on jumpers and 3-point shots, so we wanted to get to the basket and try to get to the free throw line. We did a much better job at that (in the second half).”
Arbor View made 20 of 32 free throws in the game, and Gorman was 17 of 20 at the line.
Both teams went on scoring droughts in the first quarter and Arbor View led 14-12 after holding Gorman scoreless the final 1:35 in the quarter.
Washington’s strength and athleticism were on display in the second quarter when he scored the quarter’s first two baskets as the Gaels regained the lead. Washington scored 13 points in the second quarter to help give Gorman a 30-25 lead at halftime.
“I just wanted to win,” Washington said. “I just want to go out there and play hard and do whatever I have to do to win. Scoring — that’s what it was today and I just wanted to get to my spots and hit my shots.”
Freshman Ilan Nikolov scored 12 points for the Gaels. Senior guard Maximus Romero added 12 points for Arbor View and junior forward Brian Townsend scored 11.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.