NORFOLK- Playing at the Ted Constant Center at Old Dominion could faze some high school teams, but the experienced Grafton boys squad got rid of the jitters quickly and cruised to a 56-40 win over Millbrook Saturday, clinching a spot in the semifinals at VCU on Wednesday.
Elijah Moore was impressive all game finishing with 18 points on 7 of 14 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists. But just as important was the Clippers’ shutdown defense, holding Millbrook to just 26 percent shooting and keeping their leading scorer, Rze Culbreath, to 11 points on 2 of 12 shooting from the field.
“I thought we played a complete basketball game tonight,” Grafton head coach Jeremy Jordan said after the game. “We were terrific on the defensive end, holding Millbrook to 40 points … our game plan was to come in and shut down Culbreath and I thought we did an exceptional job on him. These kids sitting beside me and our program wants to have a chance to get back to the state championship game.”
Both teams seemed to be just getting their bearings in the first quarter with airballs and ugly misses on both sides. When the second quarter began with Grafton leading 9-8, though, the Clippers started to hit their stride. A three-pointer from Tyler McMillan gave Grafton a 15-12 advantage before Moore simply took over, scoring eight consecutive points and adding an exclamation point before the half with a thunderous alley-oop off a McMillan feed that sent Grafton to the locker room with a 23-15 lead.
The beat went on in the third when Moore wasted no time burying a contested three-ball. Then Jesse Santiago, returning to the floor after picking up three early fouls, showed off his ability to score in traffic near the hoop, working his way inside for a tough shot. Finally, Moore got his hands on a Millbrook pass and sent it the other way to Joey Miller in the open court for a layup, capping a 9-0 run and giving the Clippers a 32-18 lead.
To close things in the fourth Grafton turned to an unlikely player. Millbrook never really threatened as the difference remained around 14, thanks largely to the shooting of Jimmy Jessup. He hit a jumper to make it 40-25 and then stopped a four-point Millbrook streak with a three to make it 49-32. All told, the senior scored 9 in the quarter, securing the win.
“Jimmy’s a kid in our program that’s been around but he didn’t get any playing time last year,” Jordan said. “But as a senior he took the high road and got in the gym and really worked on his game and he made some big shots for us tonight.”
The Clippers will head to Richmond Wednesday for the tournament semifinal at the Siegel Center. They’ll play E.C. Glass at 12:45 p.m.
“We’re excited,” Santiago said. “We just want to win it all this year.”
Grafton: 9 14 12 21 = 56
Millbrook: 8 7 7 18 = 40
Grafton: Sperling 4, McMillan 11, Miller 6, Elijah Moore 18, Jessup 9, Santiago 8. 20-42 (FG), 11-15 (FT)
Millbrook: Baylor 10, Bruce 2, Brooks 14, Culbreath 11, Harrell 3. 12-46 (FG), 12-14 (FT).
