For the first time in six seasons, Walsingham Academy’s boys basketball team is headed to the Virginia Independent Schools Division II state semifinals.
The Trojans punched their ticket to Friday’s Final Four in Petersburg by knocking off visiting Atlantic Shores 55-44 Wednesday night.
Walsingham had to work for it, weathering a fourth-quarter surge by the Seahawks, but clutch free throws late in the game ultimately secured the win.
Brandon LaRose and Billy Barnes led the way for Walsingham, scoring 16 and 15 points respectively, while Atlantic Shores’ Brian Kelley led all scorers with 18 and both Brehon Britt and Javon Gibbs both finished in double-figures.
“It feels great [to be headed to the semifinals],” Walsingham head coach Billy Barnes said after the game. “I think we deserve to be there. We played a team that was really hungry tonight and played well. … Both [LaRose and Barnes] were very poised and played with a lot of confidence tonight.”
Both sides stayed close over the first half before Gibbs scored to give the Seahawks a 21-20 lead at the break. But the Trojans took control in the third when Barnes hit two pairs of free throws, Charles Blaha converted two consecutive put-backs underneath and LaRose knocked down two foul shots of his own to cap off a 10-2 run and give the Trojans a 30-23 lead.
Britt hit a free throw minutes later to make it a five-point game, but Walsingham got right back into its groove. Blaha cleaned up a Trojans miss and scored before Walsingham’s Miguel Kissoon grabbed a rebound and sent the outlet to a streaking LaRose for a dunk. Then, with 2.6 seconds left in the quarter, Barnes got an inbound in the corner, pump faked and put it on the floor before sinking a floater at the buzzer. The 6-0 run gave the Trojans their biggest lead of the night, up 38-27 after three.
But Atlantic Shores came out for the fourth with added intensity on both ends, determined to make it a game. Gibbs converted a three-point play before Britt hit a free throw and a fast-break layup to cut the Seahawks’ deficit to five.
LaRose answered with a field goal to put the Trojans up 40-33, but Gibbs wasn’t done, scoring a putback while drawing a foul and sinking the free throw before Blaha bricked two straight from the line and Kelley hit a foul shot to bring Atlantic Shores within three.
With 4:30 remaining, though, LaRose drew a foul that put Walsingham in the bonus, and for the remainder of the contest the Trojans practically lived at the line. The difference remained at three until LaRose hit two more free throws to extend the lead to five. Then, after a Seahawks miss, Kelley came up with a steal but missed two easy layups, giving it back to Walsingham with 1:44 to play. On their next possession, the Trojans broke the Atlantic Shores press and got it up to LaRose. Gibbs slid into the lane trying to take a charge but was too late as LaRose threw down a dunk to give Walsingham a commanding 7-point advantage with about 1:30 left.
“I started knocking down my free throws and then we just got going,” LaRose said. “We started limiting their shots, they didn’t get as many offensive rebounds in the second half, so we were able to start the break and that’s kind of where I thrive.”
The Trojans’ Thomas Chisam, LaRose and Barnes all hit free throws over the final minute and a half to seal the 55-44 victory for Walsingham.
“I’ve been on this team for five years and we’ve gone to the quarterfinals a couple of times. Last year we were in the exact same situation. Same record, same seed playing the sixth seed and we blew it,” LaRose said. “So we all just wanted to come out and make sure we played hard and did everything that we could to get the win.
“It feels good.”
Walsingham 55 Atlantic Shores 44
Walsingham: 14 6 18 17 – 55
Atlantic Shores: 11 10 6 17 – 44
Walsingham- Kissoon 5, LaRose 16, Blaha 6, Brown 5, Barnes 15, Sutton 2, Chisam 6. Totals 17-22; 17
Atlantic Shores- Kelley 18, Britt 13, Cannady 3, Gibbs 10. Totals 7-13; 16
