Paul VI guard Brandon Slater sat in the emergency room Tuesday night, and his mind raced about the news doctors had just given him — he had broken a bone in his left hand and would miss the rest of his senior season. The Villanova commit decided to text his teammates.

In a message to all of the No. 1 Panthers, Slater kept it short: "No excuses."

His absence, he urged, wouldn't be a detriment as they aimed to finish the season atop the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Slater smiled as Paul VI players filed out of the locker room after Friday night's game against No. 2 Gonzaga. The Panthers had heeded his message and won, 58-51, in Northwest D.C. to clinch a share of the WCAC regular season title.

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