Recruiting News: Chemerinski Bounced from Playoffs

Cornell recruit, Eitan Chemerinksi and his Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School were shocked in a stunning double overtime 52-46 loss in the PVAC playoffs to the Washington International School on Saturday. Chemerinski scored 23 points in the losing effort. On February 4, JDS thumped Washington International 73-39.

JDS is 23-1 on the season.

Here is the game recap from the Washington Post:

As the game clock began to tick down to its final seconds and the improbable upset started to become a reality, the delirium only mounted inside the packed gymnasium at Trinity College in Northeast.

Washington International School, which only 18 days earlier had been blown out by 40 points by Jewish Day School, entered last night's Potomac Valley Athletic Conference tournament championship against the Lions as merely a minor roadblock in the way of JDS's perfect season and the coronation of star Eitan Chemerinski.

Except Washington International had other ideas. The Red Devils hung around throughout and then held on late to pull out an improbable 52-46 double overtime victory over the Lions in front of 1,500 exhilarated fans who stayed out until almost midnight to witness the thriller.

The victory overjoyed Washington International (20-3), which won its first tournament title since 1993. After the final buzzer, a pack of Red Devils fans stormed the court and tackled the players, creating a pile of howling students in the middle of the hardwood.

"It's incredible," said forward Alex Gordon, who scored nine of his 11 points in the overtime periods. "We were such underdogs coming into this game after losing by 40 points. To come in here and win it in double overtime is amazing. I don't even know how to describe that."

Chemerinski, a 6-foot-8 Cornell recruit who spurred the best season (23-1) in JDS history, made a basket as time expired in regulation to force overtime, but he fouled out 40 seconds into the first overtime. He finished his sparkling career on the JDS bench, imploring every move of his teammates. Chemerinski scored 23 points.

But it was Gordon and game most valuable player Doug Spetelnich who got it done in the end, making critical free throws and grabbing key rebounds through the overtimes. "We're a good team," Washington International Coach Tom O'Mara said. "We've had some tough losses, but we were very confident going into this game."