After trailing for most of the game, West Junior High got the job done down the stretch to beat St. Thomas Aquinas, 44-43, Thursday night to claim the Warhawk Invitational championship.

After being down 31-27 at halftime, the Warhawks began to chip away at Aquinas’ 2-3 zone defense with some success from the perimeter.

Nick Jaimez gave West its first lead of the game, 40-39, with a 3-pointer. As time wound down and the Warhawk lead at only one, Jamiez missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Aquinas one last chance for the title. The Saints inbounded the ball with five seconds left and managed a desperation 3-pointer that fell short, giving the Warhawks the tournament title.

In the win, Michael Swank led the Warhawks with 10, while Evan Sloan had eight. Nick Jaimez’ late 3-pointer gave him seven on the night and Christian Nelson had six.

For more on this story and a complete wrap-up of the 2007 Warhawk Invitational, see next Wednesday’s issue of Game and log on to ljworld.com/game.