Grafton had answers all night, but none bigger than Jacob Murillo’s 3-pointer from the left wing with just over a minute to play.
Prior to Murillo’s shot, three consecutive Grafton turnovers fed an 8-0 Bruton run late in Friday night’s Bay Rivers District matchup.
Bruton drew within four points, 43-39, with 2:35 remaining. With momentum and, seemingly, the game slipping away, Murillo came off a high screen on the left wing and drained a deep 3-pointer.
The gymnasium erupted, and Bruton did not have an answer. An Isaiah Moore breakaway dunk for Grafton erased any lingering hopes of a comeback as the Clippers topped visiting Bruton, 48-43. The win moves Grafton into first place with three games remaining in its district schedule.
“I just trusted [Jacob Kiedinger] to throw a good pass and when I got it I just let it go,” Murillo said. “I was excited for the team. We deserve a win like that.”
Both teams started slowly in a first quarter dominated by defense. Neither team scored over the final 2:36.
While Grafton (18-1, 14-1 Bay Rivers District) quickly found their touch in the second, Bruton struggled offensively. Bruton (16-2, 14-2) didn’t score for 6:01, a span stretching from the end of the first into much of the second quarter.
With 4:35 to play before the half, Bruton scored to end the skid, but not before the Clippers capitalized. Four players scored in the frame as Grafton used a 16-5 second quarter to enter the break up 48-43.
“We really wanted to do a good job to force them to play with their weak hand. We also had to be committed to be willing to step in and take charges,” Grafton coach Jeremy Jordan said. “We had to limit them to one possession. They’re so athletic and they send a number of guys to the boards. To go that stretch against a team that talented is really good, and I think we did a really great job handling the tempo.”
Bruton opened the second half with a two minute, 6-0 run. Any rhythm the Panthers found, though, met a hot-shooting Grafton lineup. Murillo’s jumper from the right wing with 1:15 left in the third quarter ensured a 10-point advantage entering the final quarter.
Bruton’s Jalen Carr scored five of his game-high 15 points in the fourth as the Panthers mounted a late 8-0 run.
“Jalen Carr is a great player. Him and Daniel [Jones] brought us into a good stretch,” said Bruton’s Shaquan Edwards, who finished with five points. “What can I say? [Murillo] hit a good shot. He hit a great shot.”
Evan Sperling scored a team-high 14 points for Grafton, and largely had his way in the post. Murillo scored 11, and Kiran Durant chipped in seven points in his third start of the season.
For Bruton, James Taylor added 12 points; other than Taylor and Carr, no player scored more than five.
The Clippers enter their final three games with the district lead, but Jordan focused on the immediate impact of the win more than post-season implications.
“I’m really proud of these guys. They’re been through a lot this season, and overcame a bit of adversity these past couple of weeks,” Jordan said. “This team really deserved that staple win with the new identity of our team. We knew it would be a tightly contested game, but I’m really proud of the way our guys handled adversity tonight.”
Grafton 48, Bruton 43
Grafton (17-1, 13-1)
Sperling 14, Murillo 11, Durant 7, Kiedinger 6, Alves 6, Moore 4
Bruton (16-2, 14-2)
Carr 15, J. Taylor 12, Kissoon 5, Edwards 5, Jones 2, Adkins , D. Taylor 2
Grafton: 8 16 14 10 — 48
Bruton: 9 5 16 13 — 43
3-point goals: Bruton 1 (Kissoon), Grafton 4 (Kiedinger, Murillo, Sperling 3)
—Chris Weber
Kevin Greene scored a game-high 14 points to help lead Jamestown over Warhill 62-53 on the road Friday evening.
The two teams were within three points of each other for three of the four quarters, minus the second quarter when Jamestown (8-9, 7-8 Bay Rivers District) held a 12-6 advantage.
Mason Wang logged 13 points for the Eagles, while Connor Swain added 10.
The Cook brothers, Da’Shawn and Ra’Shawn, scored 11 and 10 points for Warhill (6-14, 5-11), respectively. Keron Dedmon chipped in 11, while Holden Lipscomb recorded 10.
Jamestown 62, Warhill 53
Jamestown (8-9, 7-8)
Lipscomb 8, Wang 13, Devine 4, Swain 10, Schmidt 6, Greene 14, Slade 5, McDevitt 2
Warhill (6-14, 5-11)
D. Cook 11, R. Cook 10, Dedmon 11, Aadahl 2, Lipscomb 10, Cretney 2, Johnson 2, Stovall 2, Belle 3
Jamestown: 16 12 15 19 — 62
Warhill: 14 6 13 20 — 53
3-point goals: Jamestown 6 (Wang 3, Swain, Greene 2), Warhill 2 (D. Cook, R. Cook)
Tabb Completes Comeback Against York
Trailing by as much as 10 points in the third quarter, the Tabb Tigers managed to pull off a 59-55 home win against York on Friday.
With Tabb (15-5, 12-4 Bay Rivers District) up by one point in the fourth quarter, an official called an intentional foul that gave the Tigers two free throws and possession of the ball. The Falcons (8-12, 5-11) were unable to overcome the ensuing five-point deficit.
Antwuan Hicks led all scorers with 24 points for Tabb, while Terrell Sheffey added 11.
Eric Harp recorded a double-double for York with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Riggsbee logged 11 points for the Falcons in the loss.
Tabb 59, York 55
WCA Crushes Alliance Christian
Xavier Green posed a triple-double for Williamsburg Christian Academy (19-9) during an 81-46 home rout against Alliance Christian on Friday night. Green finished the contest with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Ryan Flanagan paced the Eagles’ offense with 20 points. Mike Duncan scored 15 points for WCA, while Andre Brown logged 11.
Williamsburg Christian Academy 81, Alliance Christian 46
Walsingham Cruises Past HRA
Richard Washington’s game-high 28 points led Walsingham Academy over Hampton Roads Academy 79-53 on the road Friday night.
Walsingham (19-5, 5-2) took a lead on HRA from the jump and never looked back.
Mark Seaman scored 19 points for Walsingham, while Kai Brown poured on 17.
Bryan Hart paced Hampton Roads Academy (12-8, 3-3) with 25 points.
Walsingham Academy 79, Hampton Roads Academy 53
Walsingham Academy (19-5, 5-2)
Washington 28, West 7, Brown 17, Seaman 19, Chisam 8
Hampton Roads Academy (12-8, 3-3)
Wingfield 3, Hart 25, Picott 9, Phillips 14, Roberts 2
Walsingham Academy: 24 13 24 18 — 79
Hampton Roads Academy: 11 17 17 8 — 53
3-point goals: Walsingham Academy 3 (Washington, West Brown), Hampton Roads Academy 5 (Wingfield, Hart 4)
