KINGSTON, R.I. -- Notre Dame had been looking forward to playing Community Christian School of Stockbridge, Ga., on Saturday afternoon at the National Prep School Invitational, but an impending blizzard scuttled the matchup.
With Community Christian on the way to the airport Saturday afternoon, only one question remained: Was it a weather related blizzard, or the avalanche like deluge of the potent Notre Dame attack that was more responsible for Linzy Davis' abrupt departure from the Ocean State?
Nevertheless, Notre Dame romped to a 109-74 victory over a clearly overmatched Gulf Shores Academy squad on Saturday afternoon at the 2006 National Prep School Invitational.
Unsigned wing David Gonzalvez continued his fine play at the NPSI, connecting on five of seven treys on the way to 20 points. His white hot first half shooting staked Notre Dame to a 60-39 halftime advantage.
"We've been begging him to shoot the ball more," Notre Dame Head Coach Bill Barton said. "He might be our second best shooter, or tied for our first best shooter with Lazar Hayward."
Things only got worse for Gulf Shores in the second half when Hayward and Paul Harris got in the act. Both attacked the basket with reckless abandon, converting high percentage looks as the lead continued to mushroom.
The Syracuse bound Harris pumped in 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists. Marquette signee Hayward netted 20 points, and did his best handiwork on the offensive glass. Six of his nine boards were of the offensive variety.
Derrick Caracter, who sat out a number of games for the Crusaders this winter, saw action for the fourth consecutive outing. The 6-9 Louisville bound post played just eight minutes due to back stiffness, Barton said. He converted both of his field goal attempts and tallied four points in his limited action.
Forward Carl Blair was the main bright spot for Gulf Shores. He topped the squad in scoring with 16 points, while trigger happy guards Aubrey Coleman (14 points) and Chancious Rose (10 points) shot a combined 10 of 32 from the field.