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Paul VI Catholic (Va.) trounces St. Frances Academy (Md.) at Capitol Hoops Challenge

hunterby:Hunter Shelton•about 11 hours•

HunterShelton_

Syndication: The News-Leader
Head coach Glenn Farello Jr. of Paul VI Catholic (Virginia) cheers on his players during the championship game of the Tournament of Champions against St. John Bosco (California) at Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.

The level of high school basketball in the DMV is absurdly high this season. Many of the top programs in the area are at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland this weekend for the Capitol Hoops Challenge.

One of the premier matchups of the event took place on Saturday, as Paul VI Catholic (Va.) squared off against Baltimore St. Frances Academy. Behind a lights-out shooting performance, Paul VI rolled to a 85-61 win.

Star junior shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. was the catalyst for the nationally-ranked Panthers, putting up 21 points on 10-13 shooting, while also adding four rebounds and four assists. The five-star prospect was one of three in double figures for the Fairfax program. Senior power forward Jaquan Womack finished with 16 points.

The latest on Smith Jr.’s recruitment can be found here.

As a team, Paul VI shot 68 percent from the field. It went 10-19 from 3-point range and assisted on 16 of their 34 makes. Womack was 3-6 from deep, while Lawrence Brown and Dylan Harsanyi each made a pair of treys.

St. Frances was led by senior forward Cameren Fleming, who had 17 points. Sophomore guard Terrance Jones finished with 14 while junior three-star point guard Josiah Cannady had 13. The Maryland Panthers finished with just 10 rebounds on Saturday.

Paul VI Catholic continues impressive start to season

Now 9-3 on the season, Paul VI Catholic continues to look like one of the nation’s top programs. Earlier this month, it picked up a big-time victory over Georgetown Prep (Md.) in Washington D.C. at the Behan Strong Invitational.

Other wins over Westfield (Va.), IMG Academy (Fla.) and Christ the King (N.Y.) highlight the early-season high points for the Panthers. Games against the likes of St. John Bosco (Calif.), Gonzaga (Md.) and Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) remain on the docket for later this season.

Following the latest update in the On3 Composite Rankings, Paul VI is now the No. 19 team in the nation and the top-ranked team in Virginia. St. Frances, now 13-2 on the season, checks in at No. 33 nationally and No. 3 in Maryland.

The On3 Composite Rankings is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings listed in the public domain by respected High School media and data companies. It includes Massey, Max Preps, HSRatings (formerly Cal Preps), ESPN and SI, creating the industry’s most comprehensive and geographically balanced High School Team Ranking.