Terrell Sheffy scored a game-high 15 points to help Tabb spoil Lafayette’s season-opener with a 63-53 win Saturday.
Lafayette had to wait patiently to step on the court while other basketball teams were playing because of the Rams football team’s deep run in the postseason.
Unfortunately for Lafayette, the basketball season opener was plagued by the same mistakes that plagued the football team in the state championship game — turnovers.
The game was highlighted by the tempo of both teams, who employed a variety of full- and half-court presses and traps, leading to a plethora of turnovers on both ends. Even in instances where a team would break a full-court press, it was not uncommon for there to be a turnover under the basket.
The frequent turnovers caused the game to be played at breakneck speed, which played into Tabb’s hands as the more experienced team.
“It was knock-down, drag-out,” Tabb coach Doug Baggett said about the pace of the game. “The officials let them play, and when that happens it gets real sloppy. You just hope you finish some.”
After a slow and sloppy first quarter, Tabb found an offensive spark behind Rob Sebastien and Sheffy. Sebastien led all scorers at halftime with 10 points, while Sheffy scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
For Lafayette, the opportunities were available down the stretch to help get the Rams back into the game.
The Rams connected on three of 11 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. Coupled with some heartbreaking misses at the rim, the Rams did not capitalize on their opportunities.
Baggett said he believes this year’s Lafayette team could be formidable later in the season when they have more practice time under their belts.
Tabb 63, Lafayette 53
Tabb (5-2, 4-2 Bay Rivers District)
Jackson 2, Sheffy 15, Sebastien 10, K. Brown 8, Pearson 11, Jordan 8, Hicks 8, Hunter 1.
Lafayette (0-1, 0-1)
Underwood 3, Adderly 6, Woollum 8, Epps 2, Harley 2, Graham 2, Canaday 4, Neville 9, Jacobs 2, Jefferson 13, Losty 2.
Tabb: 10 23 13 17 — 63
Lafayette: 9 14 11 19 — 53
3-point goals: Tabb 2 (Sebastien, Pearson), Lafayette 5 (Underwood, Woolum, Jefferson 3)
Bruton Earns Narrow 54-52 Victory in Staunton
The Bruton boys basketball team eked out a win against Robert E. Lee in Staunton on Saturday.
Bruton trailed Robert E. Lee 41-30 at halftime but stepped up defensively in the second half, allowing only 11 points.
Nate Florence of Bruton scored five crucial points in the final moments of the game. Florence drained a 3-pointer and drew a charge on the next defensive possession, which led to a pair of free throws. Florence sank both free throws to put Bruton in the lead.
Shaquan Edwards and Jalen Carr each scored 14 points for Bruton, while Daniel Jones added 12.
Bruton 54, Robert E. Lee 52
Bruton (6-0)
Jones 12, Florence 5, Carr 14, Calloway 6, Edwards 14, Taylor 1, Adkins 2.
Robert E. Lee
George 8, Cook 23, Brown 2, Darcus 11, Williams 5, Porter 3.
Bruton: 15 15 14 10 — 54
Robert E. Lee: 20 21 2 9 — 52
Hampton Roads Academy Excels in Fourth Quarter to Defeat Alliance Christian
With Hampton Roads Academy leading by one point heading into the fourth quarter, the Navigators outscored Alliance Christian by a 25-12 margin to pull away late.
Bryan Hart scored a game-high 31 points and was one rebound short of recording a double-double. Anthony Picott added 19 points and seven rebounds for Hampton Roads Academy.
Hampton Roads Academy 68, Alliance Christian 54
Hampton Roads Academy
Humphry 6, Leavy 5, Hart 31, Phillips 5, Picott 19, Carlos 2.
Alliance Christian
Gross 2, Butts 16, Corprew 14, Prescott 22.
Hampton Roads Academy: 17 17 9 25 — 68
Alliance Christian: 13 15 14 12 — 54
3-point goals: Hampton Roads Academy 5 (Leavy, Hart, Picott 3), Alliance Christian 6 (Butts, Corprew 2, Prescott 3).
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Grafton Nabs Out-of-Conference Win
Robyon Smith scored 17 points, recorded eight steals and assisted on seven scores to help lead the Grafton Clippers rout Gloucester.
Grafton opened the first quarter on an 11-2 run courtesy of aggressive defense spanning the whole court.
Hayley Marshall helped pace the Grafton with 17 points of her own.
Grafton 61, Gloucester 30
Grafton (6-3, 4-2 Bay Rivers District)
Marshall 17, Smith 17, Cunningham 5, Celar 8, Swann 5, Koehnle 5, Hare 4.
Gloucester
Johnston 2, South 2, Ward 4, Payne 9, Slusher 6, Berg 2, Glockner 5, Robinson 1.
Grafton: 15 8 19 19 — 61
Gloucester: 8 5 8 10 — 30
3-point goals: Grafton 7 (Marshall 3, Smith 3, Cunningham)
Walsingham Defeated in Finals of Richmond Christian Christmas Tournament
Stephanie Seaman scored 38 points on 30 shots, as well as stole 10 passes and grabbed six rebounds during a 56-47 loss to Fairfax Home School in the finals of the Richmond Christian Christmas Tournament.
Seaman, who along with teammate Ashley Barnes were named to the All-Tournament team, both struggled shooting the ball, going a combined 12-46 from the field. Barnes finished with a season-worst three points, going 1-16 from the field.
Fairfax Home School 56, Walsingham Academy 47
Fairfax Home School
Ciola 2, Lawler 12, Conroe 31, Burger 4, Cassell 5, Grote 4.
Walsingham Academy (6-3)
Seaman 38, Barnes 3, Mauk 2, Boyd 2, Lynch 1, Williams 1.
Fairfax Home School: 18 13 12 13 — 56
Walsingham Academy: 16 13 9 9 — 47
3-point goals: Walsingham Academy 5 (Seaman 5).
Williamsburg Christian Defeats Cape Henry in Low-Scoring Game
Imani Bryant had 15 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks in Williamsburg Christian’s 33-18 win against Cape Henry Collegiate.
Williamsburg Christian (8-0) was relentless on defense, holding Cape Henry’s leading scorer, Kennedy Beale, to five points.
Williamsburg Christian Academy 33, Cape Henry Collegiate 18
