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Gonzaga senior Ian Hummer -- committed to Princeton -- scored a game-high 16 points. He also had the highest point total in the Purple Eagles first win over the Mustangs.
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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area

*Click the links above for complete video and photo coverage of Friday's huge WCAC game in Forestville, Md.

For the second time this season, the Purple Eagles proved their Hummer has more horsepower than a Mustang.

Gonzaga senior Ian Hummer -- who scored the game-high 17 points in the Purple Eagles' mid-season win in the series -- recorded a game-high 16 points in his team's 61-55 road win over McNamara on Friday.

"He's a warrior," fifth-year Purple Eagle coach Steve Turner said. "He's our biggest kid on the floor, so night-in, night-out he's having to go against two or three bigs on the other team. And he just finds a way to get it done."

Added Hummer, with a fresh cut under his left eyebrow: "They have big bodies. Guys like [Talib] Zanna, even though he's very athletic, I feel I can go by him a lot. Their zone threw me off a little bit, because I was just in there and couldn't really do much. But I just tried to find my way, get rebounds and threw it up.

"McNamara is one of the top teams in our league. Just to get out of here alive is a good win."

But Gonzaga's road to victory was not without its potholes.

After the Purple Eagles opened up a 19-10 lead through one quarter, the Mustangs tightened their zone and placed twin towers -- junior forward Brandon Coleman and senior forward Zanna -- in the middle.

The duo combined for 12 blocks and held Hummer scoreless in the third quarter.

Zanna, committed to Pittsburgh, scored 12 of his team-high 14 points after halftime. And Coleman -- who left the game early with a lower-back injury -- had nine blocks.

But the Purple Eagles never trailed by more than five points in the second half.

"With all the blocks, we got the ball back almost every single time," said Hummer, signed to Princeton. "We just tried to calm down, try to put the ball in the basket and run our plays like we’ve been taught, just work through their run."

That run, though, lasted for over a quarter and a half.

McNamara took the lead in the first minute of the second half and maintained it with the interior prowess of Zanna and Coleman.

But a 3-pointer by Gonzaga senior Cahli Thomas with 4 minutes, 30 seconds remaining gave the Purple Eagles the lead, 49-48 -- their first since halftime. They never relinquished the advantage.

"We were up five and had the ball, but didn't do a good job of finishing the game," McNamara coach Marty Keithline said. "Gonzaga did a great job getting two quick scores on us after we went up by five.

"They got the momentum back and just decided there they were going to win the game."

Added Turner: "These kids are battle-tested. Our league is a war ... We were pushed these last four or five games of the regular season as if we were in the playoffs. That's the way we're playing.

"We know that after the regular season is over the records are erased. You have to be able to win three games if you want to win the championship."

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Gonzaga     -- (22-3, 12-2) --  19 10 12 20  --  61
McNamara  -- (18-7, 11-3) --   10 18 15 12  --  55

Gonzaga - Hummer 7 2-7 16, Lemmons 5 5-6 15, Thornton 4 5-6 13, Lindsay 3 6-8 12, Thomas 1 2-2 5.
Team Totals - 20 20-29 61.
McNamara - Zanna 7 0-0 14, Whack 5 2-2 13, Bazilio 4 5-5 13, Coleman 3 0-2 6, Smith 2 0-0 4, Ivey 1 0-0 3, Washington 1 0-0 2. Team Totals - 23 7-9 55.
Three-Pointers - Gonzaga 1 (Thomas). McNamara 2 (Ivey, Whack).