VERIZON CENTER- Markel Starks and the Hoyas pulled out a nail bitter against visiting opponent Visitation Prep.

“You know it was pretty crazy to be out there playing against my alma matter [Visitation Prep], but Iʼm proud of the heart we played with,” said Starks. “We never gave up.”

Starks dropped 23 and junior Joshua Smith added 15 points and 12 rebounds to push the Hoyas, who trailed 50-43 at half, over the top.

“Georgetown went with a zone defense in the second half. That proved to be the difference,” said Visitation head coach and chemistry teacher Don Balker. “Or maybe it was man to man. Iʼm not quite sure. What matters is we had enough guys to field a team and they had fun out there.”

Georgetown was also aided when Visitationʼs top scorer, Adam Johnson, left after the third quarter to perform as bass clarinetist in the school bandʼs winter show.

“We rallied in the fourth quarter,” said Senior Nate Lubick, “We played with a lot of heart. It was a comeback Iʼll never forget.”