Justin Allen (@jallen_town)
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Tim Guers has earned his share of accolades throughout his high school career. However, the reigning Inter-Ac Player of the Year may have saved his best performance for his final regular season contest.
Behind 33 points from Guers, Germantown Academy earned a third consecutive Inter-Ac championship with a 74-50 victory over Episcopal.
Tim Guers (above) had 33 points as Germantown Academy won its third-straight Inter-Ac title. (Photo: Mark Jordan)
Following a very evenly matched first half, which saw the Patriots hold a five-point advantage at the break, Guers exploded for 16 third quarter points to shift momentum heavily into Germantown Academy’s favor.
“Just knowing we were heading into the final half of the championship, along with [assistant] coach [Jonathan] Haynes always talking to me about senior leadership, taking over the game is something I tried to do,” Guers said about his third quarter performance.
“I know they have some smaller guards, so I had to take advantage of my size being 6-2, 6-3.”
With Saint Joseph’s head coach Phil Martelli looking on, Guers–who will be playing his college basketball at D-II St. Anselm (N.H.)–added another 11 points in the fourth quarter, combining with Kyle McCloskey, who added nine in the final frame, to blow the game wide open.
“I saw Phil shaking his head a few times in awe of what Guers was doing. He was probably wondering how that kid isn’t going to St. Joe’s. I’m wondering it, too,” quipped Guers’ coach, Jim Fenerty.
McCloskey, a sophomore wing, would finish with 17 points and seven rebounds.
The Patriots found themselves in foul trouble for a good portion of the night, but McCloskey and Guers never left the floor. Much of the reason for the foul trouble was trying to defend Episcopal’s Nick Alikakos.
Alikakos led the way for the Churchmen all evening as he scored 20 points and pulled in 11 rebounds.
The Churchmen, who were seeking their first Inter-Ac title since 2006, were without the services of senior captain and starting point guard Mike Jolaoso for the fourth consecutive game, something Guers feels made a big difference.
“Mike is a four-year starter for them. Playing for Conlin, you know he’s tough as nails. What I said about being a senior leader, that goes for them, too,” said Guers.
Matt Woods, who has stepped up his scoring during Jolaoso’s absence, finished with just five points, converting on just one 3-point attempt.
“We knew going in that Alikakos was going to score, but we were okay with trading two for two and keeping up with him. It was Woods that we were more concerned with defending. We weren’t sure we could trade three for two,” said Coach Fenerty.
Defending Woods was certainly important, as he had knocked down five three pointers during the last meeting between Germantown Academy and Episcopal, which the Churchmen won 52-48 on the Patriots home court.
With Woods struggling to get open, it was another senior, Mike Hinckley who scored 14 points in an effort to keep Episcopal’s metaphorical head above water.
Fenerty has now earned at least a share of the Inter-Ac title 15 times during his 26 seasons at the helm for the Patriots, something he feels says more about his age than success.
However, the bulk of those titles came with Episcopal head coach Craig Conlin at his side. Conlin was an assistant to Fenerty for fifteen seasons before leaving to take the Episcopal job in 2010.
“Craig is a great coach, he’s my best friend. His guys are going to be alright,” Fenerty said.
“I’m actually hoping to get them off our schedule next season,” he joked, hinting at the returning talent that the Churchmen have heading into next season.
Episcopal will return four members of its starting five, including Alikakos and Woods. Meanwhile, Germantown Academy will see the departure of its two leading scorers, Guers and Colgate-bound combo forward Sam Lindgren.
With the win, Germantown Academy (21-5) has earned the number four seed in the upcoming PAISAA tournament where they will face number 13 seed Solebury in the opening round.
Despite the loss, Episcopal Academy (17-6) earned the number six seed and will battle Academy of the New Church.
