For Judge Memorial seniors Jacob Gondrezick and Alex Mancini, Wednesday’s game against Wasatch was more than just a game. It was about playing with the heart and toughness that so many of Judge’s region championship teams before them had done.
Gondrezick scored a team-high 17 points, while Mancini contributed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as Judge Memorial captured the Region 10 title with a 54-43 win over Wasatch.
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"All week we talked about toughness and tonight guys stepped up," Gondrezick said. "Patrick Neville shut [Matt] Pelo down and Mancini’s a horse down low. … This is just an amazing feeling."
The Bulldogs jumped to a 12-4 lead after one quarter. With Gondrezick and junior Joe Cremer hitting second-quarter 3-pointers, Judge continued to roll. Junior Patrick Neville limited Wasatch forward Matt Pelo to just four points in the first half as the Bulldogs led 26-15 at half.
"Patrick does such a good job on defense," coach Dan DelPorto said. "Both games this year he’s just battled Matt Pelo on every possession."
Gondrezick and Mancini combined for 12 of the 13 third-quarter points as Judge Memorial led 38-25 heading into the final quarter.
The Wasps responded by forcing turnovers and hitting free throws to close to within 41-34. But Bulldogs answered when senior Christian Stark staved off the run with a baseline jumper.
"This is the hardest working group of young men I’ve ever been around and we as a coaching staff just felt like they deserved it," DelPorto said. "I thought our defense bothered them tonight, Elliot McGill did a great job and Alex Mancini was a 1-man zone for us."
Judge (14-6, 9-0) hosts Park City on Friday while Wasatch (10-10, 7-2) hosts Union.
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