Foul trouble and free throws were the defining factors during Warhill’s crucial 49-46 home win against Grafton on Tuesday.
Grafton started the game with a 9-0 run within the first three-and-half minutes of the contest.
Warhill (14-4, 11-4 Bay Rivers District) countered by attacking the heart of Grafton’s zone defense. The Lions were able to draw fouls while on the offensive, sending Kieran McClure to the line to break Grafton’s run.
The Lions worked inside-out on offense, kicking the ball out to Kasey Grainer, who splashed a 3-pointer from the left wing that sparked a quick 5-0 Warhill run.
The second quarter dragged along as Warhill continued to draw fouls while throwing bodies into the paint. Free throws became a regularity in the second quarter with both teams combining for 21 attempts.
Of those 21 free throw attempts, Warhill took 12. An encouraging statistic for Warhill coach Bingo Brungot was the free throw efficiency by his team in the first half when they sank 15 of 18 attempts.
“We’ve been struggling at attacking teams,” Brungot said. “The goal from the beginning was to attack them. We work on [free throws] every day. Any coach that doesn’t work on them every day, it doesn’t pay in the end. We take probably 30 minutes every practice to work on them.”
McClure, who finished with a team-high 16 points, sank seven of eight free throws in the second quarter.
While Warhill earned a good chunk of their points from the free throw line, Grafton’s Haley Cunningham, who logged a game-high 17 points, scored points from all areas of the floor. After missing a pair of free throws at the beginning of the second quarter, Cunningham responded by draining a 3-pointer, a 2-pointer and three free throws.
Grafton (13-6, 10-5) carried a 26-24 lead heading into halftime.
The Lions continued their offensive game plan from the first half into the second, continuing to draw fouls on drives to the hoop.
The repeated fouls put Grafton coach Tommy Bayse in a tough situation, as three of his starters had four fouls before the end of the third quarter.
Tensions grew on the court as Grafton players became visibly frustrated with the foul calls, leading to some chippy play in the paint. Both teams calmed down after a brief stoppage of play by the officials to discuss the physicality of the game.
The fourth quarter opened with a 7-0 Warhill run that extended the Lions’ lead to 42-36.
When it seemed the game might be slipping away from Grafton, Danijela Celar stepped up with three consecutive baskets to tie the game at 42.
With 45 seconds left and Warhill leading 47-46, Olivia Schulz missed a wide open layup underneath the basket. On the other end of the floor, Grafton got an open look from Christa Hall, who scored 12 points, but the shot clanked off the rim into the hands of a Warhill rebounder.
The Lions pushed the ball down the court with a 2-on-1 break. Instead of dribbling the ball in an attempt to kill the clock, Warhill threw the ball into the arms of the lone Grafton defender while trying to feed the ball to her teammate underneath the hoop.
The Clippers tried to slip the ball inside, but the Warhill defense was ready and stripped the ball away. After Grainer, who finished with 15 points, sank a pair of free throws on the ensuing foul, Hall chucked up a 3-pointer from the top of the key as time expired that clanked off the left side of the rim, giving Warhill the win.
Warhill travels to take on Jamestown on Thursday, when Grafton will play a road game at Bruton.
Warhill 49, Grafton 46
Warhill (14-4, 11-4)
Walters 2, Rochard 9, Schulz 7, McClure 16, Grainer 15
Grafton (13-6, 10-5)
Cunningham 17, Hall 12, Celar 8, Marshall 5, Swann 2, Koehnle 2
Warhill: 9 15 11 14 — 49
Grafton: 13 13 7 13 — 46
3-point goals: Warhill 4 (Rochard, McClure, Grainer 2), Grafton 4 (Cunningham 2, Hall, Marshall)
Strong Second Half Lifts Tabb Over Bruton
Imani McDowell-Jarmon attacked the basket late in the game, scoring 14 of her 18 points in the second half, to help give Tabb a 52-38 home win against Bruton on Tuesday evening.
The win allows Tabb (14-4, 12-3 Bay Rivers District) to stay atop the Bay Rivers District standings.
The two teams battled tightly in the first half, with Tabb holding an 18-17 lead heading into the locker room.
Tamia Smith matched McDowell-Jarmon’s scoring output by recording 18 points of her own for the Tigers.
Kelsey Sluss paced Bruton (7-12, 5-10) with 15 points, while Gabby Calloway added 11.
Tabb 52, Bruton 38
Tabb (14-4, 12-3)
McDowell-Jarmon 18, Royal 8, Smith 18, Macfarlane 6, Harper 2
Bruton (7-12, 5-10)
My. Johnson 4, Calloway 11, Wynne 2, Sluss 15, Ma. Johnson 2, Lucas 4
Tabb: 6 12 15 19 — 52
Bruton: 6 11 9 12 — 38
3-point goals: Tabb 3 (Smith 3), Bruton 4 (Calloway 2, Sluss 2)
Jamestown Holds Off York After Strong First Half
Jamiyah Johnson scored 16 points to lead Jamestown to a 48-40 road win against York on Tuesday.
The Eagles (3-13, 3-12) built a 25-15 halftime lead before tying with the Falcons 9-9 in the third quarter.
Rakeema Willis scored a team-high 14 points for York (4-12, 3-12).
Jamestown will play host to Warhill on Thursday, while York will host first-place Tabb on the same night.
Jamestown 48, York 40
Jamestown (3-13, 3-12)
Johnson 16, Graves 11, Weisflog 9, Peterson 7, Sim 5.
York (4-12, 3-12)
Willis 14, Van Dyke 9, North 4, Winfree 4, Eckstein 2, Sanders 7.
Jamestown: 8 17 9 14 — 48
York: 10 5 9 16 — 40
| Girls Basketball | Overall Record | District Record | District Games Back | Games Remaining |
| Tabb | 14 – 4 | 12 – 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Lafayette | 12 – 4 | 11 – 4 | 1* | 3 |
| Warhill | 14 – 4 | 11 – 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Poquoson | 11 – 4 | 10 – 4 | 1.5 | 5 |
| Grafton | 13 – 6 | 10 – 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Smithfield | 10 – 6 | 9 – 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Bruton | 7 – 12 | 5 – 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Jamestown | 3 – 13 | 3 – 12 | 9* | 3 |
| York | 4 – 12 | 3 – 12 | 9 | 4 |
| New Kent | 0 – 16 | 0 – 14 | 11.5 | 5 |
Lafayette holds a head-to-head tiebreaker against Warhill because the Rams defeated the Lions earlier in the season. Jamestown holds the tiebreaker with York due to the Eagles defeating the Falcons.
Poor Third Quarter Sinks Navigators
Hampton Roads Academy played a close basketball game for three quarters against Cape Henry. The lone lopsided quarter proved costly as Cape Henry defeated Hampton Roads Academy 39-29 at home.
HRA lost control in the third quarter, in which Cape Henry outscored the Navigators 25-9.
Leigha Arcand led Hampton Roads Academy with 10 points.
Hampton Roads Academy will host Walsingham Academy on Friday.
Cape Henry 39, Hampton Roads Academy 29
Cape Henry
Williams 9, Beale 22, Old 6, Haddad 2
Hampton Roads Academy (3-8, 1-5)
Kingsbury 2, Arcand 10, Voigtlander 3, DeChirico 8, Ross 6
Cape Henry: 4 5 25 5 — 39
Hampton Roads Academy: 9 5 9 6 — 29
3-point goals: Cape Henry 3 (Beale 2, Williams), Hampton Roads Academy 3 (Ross 2, Voigtlander)
Eagles Soar Over Isle of Wight
Imani Bryant had a huge game for Williamsburg Christian Academy (17-3, 9-1 Metro Conference) with 29 points, 15 rebounds, six steals and five blocks during a 69-36 rout of Isle of Wight on the road Tuesday night.
Charnissa Chillers contributed 16 points for Williamsburg Christian Academy, while Daizhua Jones added 14 points.
Williamsburg Christian Academy hosts Alliance Christian on Friday.
Williamsburg Christian Academy 69, Isle of Wight 36
