A late offensive spark lifted the Gesu Bulldogs to a 49-45 victory over the St. Francis of Assisi Cougars in the seventh grade finals of the Morissey Classic at Court 1 on the campus of Gilmour Academy. Adishe Molton led all scorers with 25 points and Dom Johnson contributed nine points in the winning effort, sealing the way to a trophy celebration atop a bracket comprised of eight teams.

Full-court pressure from the Bulldogs induced a slew of turnovers in the early stages of the first quarter, with Johnson and Molton converting their stingy defense into valuable production on the offensive end of the floor. Even with a platoon swap of players, Gesu maintained its competitive edge, as Molton splashed two shots from beyond the arc for a 15-4 lead, forcing St. Francis of Assisi to take a timeout toward the tail end of the first quarter. Owen Mlynek drilled a pair of three-pointer to help the Cougars cut the deficit to six points, 27-21, heading into the intermission. St. Francis of Assisi continued to piece together its methodical comeback, with Ethan Nowak finding an open lane for a routine layup, putting the score at 29-25 with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter. Mlynek chipped in another four points, Nowak stayed consistent in the post and the Cougars eventually took their first and largest lead of the contest, 34-31. The tandem of Johnson and Molton proved to be the difference in the closing moments, as the former knocked down a quartet of free throws and a midrange jumper, while the latter nailed a teardrop and two shots from the charity stripe to spearhead the Bulldogs to a highly coveted title.

Championship Game and Post Game Interviews