Brother Rice boys basketball defeats U of D to take Catholic League title

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DETROIT – The Brother Rice Warriors (20-1) defeated the University of Detroit Jesuit Cubs 68-63 Friday night, capturing its first Catholic League title since 1990. The Warriors have now won all three matchups against the Cubs (17-4) this season, but these two teams could meet for a fourth time in the district tournament.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Long time coming

With Friday night's victory, the Warriors are atop the Catholic League for the first time in 33 years. Brother Rice’s one loss on the season came on January 6 against De La Salle, which it avenged about three weeks later. This year’s Warrior squad is arguably the best in school history, and they have loads of Division I talent.

Brother Rice head coach Rick Palmer said his team went through some tough times to get where they are.

“Forget the last 33 years, they’ve been through a lot the last four years,” Palmer said. “They’ve grown to take lumps and come together. For them to win nine games in a row in this league and finish it off with the regular season trophy and the Catholic League championship is really special.”

Warren was sensational

Junior Brother Rice guard Warren Marshall IV had a team-high 25 points Friday night. Marshall had been the fourth offensive option for the Warriors for most of the season, but as of late, he’s been one of the best players on the floor for them. Marshall had multiple dunks Friday night, and he threw it down over a defender to give his team a boost of energy on the first possession of the fourth quarter.

Marshall said he was taking advantage of the defense presented to him.

“It was realizing mismatches and looking at the lineup,” Marshall said. “I kind of got hot to start, and I knew from there it was going to be good. In the third quarter they trusted me a lot, and then in the fourth I kind of slowed down, but we finished it off and that’s all that matters.”

Almost saved by Sonny

Senior U of D guard Sonny Wilson (Toledo) did everything he could to keep his team in the game Friday night. Wilson finished with a game-high 31 points. He hit three 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game, including one to bring them within three points with less than a minute to go.

Palmer said some of the Warrior players have known Wilson for quite some time.

“They have a ton of respect for Sonny WIlson,” Palmer said. “They played AAU together. They knew he was going to come out and try to be heroic, and he was, but we still found a way.”

Thomas was vital

Senior Warrior guard Xavier Thomas (Toledo) had 22 points, and the ball was mostly in his hands down the stretch. Thomas showed off his passing skills as well, specifically with a no-look dime to set up Marshall for a dunk in the third quarter. Thomas was a defensive anchor for the Warriors all game as well, defending on the perimeter and in the paint.

Palmer said Thomas is one of one.

“I love him so much, but there’s only one Xavier Thomas on this planet and I’m glad we got him,” he said.