WEST VALLEY CITY — It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Last year's Catholic school showdown between Judge and DeMatha, Md., went down to the final shot, and that's what everyone was hoping for at this year's Smith's Ragu Classic.
Such drama never had a chance.
DeMatha shot lights out from the opening whistle, while Judge's basket seemed to have a lid covering it for three quarters. The end result was an easy 67-37 victory for DeMatha.
"That's the No. 1 program in the history of high school basketball, and they've reloaded," said Judge coach Jim Yerkovich.
Despite all of DeMatha's young talent, Judge definitely could've made a game of it with some decent shooting.
Judge shot just 27 percent from the field, and was a paltry 13 percent from 3-point range. For a team that somewhat lives and dies by the 3, that is just too much to overcome. In fact, after missing its first 16 3-pointers, by the time Judge made its first long-range bomb late in the third quarter, the Bulldogs were already down 53-21.
"We didn't make a shot early, and they made everything," said Yerkovich. "When young teams play in situations that difficult, if things go wrong, it becomes frustrating."
It didn't take long for that frustration to set in.
DeMatha made six of its first seven shots in jumping out to a quick 17-4 lead. That lead ballooned to 32-10 early in the second quarter and by halftime it was 40-15.
"Last year's game definitely helped us be motivated," said DeMatha first-year coach Mike Brown. "Judge is a great program. Last year's game definitely woke our guys up."
Judge's Michael Giovacchini was a big reason why the Bulldogs nearly stole last year's game. Just like Judge's region foes, Brown knows how deadly Giovacchini can be if he gets hot from 3-point range. He vowed not to let that happen this year, so he stuck his best defender — Brandon Parker — on him to start the game. Giovacchini was 1-for-7 from the field with just two points at halftime.
DeMatha didn't let up in the second half either. The Skaggs scored the first eight points of the second half and enjoyed their largest lead of the game at 63-27. At that point, it was as if someone mysteriously lifted the lid off Judge's basket.
The beleaguered Bulldogs made their next four shots — two of which were Giovacchini 3s — to end the game on a positive note.
"I'm just happy and proud we had the opportunity to play them," said Yerkovich.
DeMatha 6-foot-9 junior Desmond Adedeji finished with a game-high 18 points and added eight rebounds. Judge meanwhile was led by Giovacchini's 10 points and Daniel Deane's 10 rebounds.
DeMatha returns to action tonight at 9 when it faces Bingham at the E Center.
E-MAIL: jedward@desnews.com