Don’t let the score line fool you: Grafton’s 45-40 win at home against Grafton on Tuesday was more one-sided than the final score might indicate.
On a night in which two normally prolific offenses were held in check, Grafton’s defense came up big for four quarters to hold Jamestown’s to its worst offensive performance of the season.
“Defensively tonight, it’s as good as a performance defensively that I’ve seen in quite some time,” Grafton Coach Jeremy Jordan said. “We like to hang out hat on defense and as a result, I’m proud of our defensive effort.”
Things did not look promising for Grafton in the early going as Jamestown scored seven quick points to jump out to a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.
However, Grafton responded with an 8-0 run that helped push the Clippers into the lead, which they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
The two teams traded blows in the second quarter with the bulk of Jamestown’s scoring coming from Evan Wang, who scored seven of Jamestown’s nine points in the quarter.
With Grafton leading 19-14 with under a minute left in the first half, Jacob Murillo put together one of the most impressive sequences of the night that gave Grafton major momentum heading into halftime.
As the Eagles attempted to set up their offense, Murillo intercepted a pass in Jamestown’s backcourt, executed a timely spin move to avoid a collision with an Eagles defender near midcourt and completed a difficult falling layup with his right hand while drawing a foul in the process.
Murillo stepped to the free throw line and completed the old-fashioned 3-point play to give Grafton a 22-14 lead over Jamestown. By halftime, the Clippers held a 25-17 advantage over the Eagles.
Coming out of the break, both offenses slowed to a near halt as Tabb continued to run its smothering man-to-man defense while Jamestown opted to switch to an extended 3-2 zone defense in an attempt to slow Grafton’s perimeter offense.
After a quick 5-0 run by Grafton during the first two minutes of the third quarter, both teams combined for just six points over the final six minutes of play.
Grafton’s Adam King, who has been battling knee issues this season, came up with a huge 3-pointer with .2 seconds left in the third quarter to extend Grafton’s lead to 33-20 heading into the final quarter of play.
In the fourth quarter, Jamestown began chipping into Grafton’s sizable lead.
A Mason Wang 3-pointer with 6:40 left brought Jamestown within 10 points of Grafton. With 4:13 left, Jamestown was within seven points of Grafton before closing the gap to three points with roughly 2:30 left to play.
With Grafton reeling, the Clippers had a major break as a Jamestown player was called for a shooting foul. The player’s reaction to the foul also resulted in a technical foul, which sent Grafton’s Bryce Alves to the line for four free throws.
Alves sank three of the free throws to give Grafton a 38-32 lead and possession of the ball.
“It did stop the bleeding,” Jordan said about the free throws. “Against really good competition, it comes down to the little things. We’ve got to get better in those regards, being able to make fourth-quarter free throws, because the good teams do it.”
On Grafton’s next possession, LaVonte Brown streaked through the paint for an uncontested layup to give Grafton an eight-point lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Jamestown connected on a pair of late 3-pointers to make the score more respectable, but the Eagles were never in a position to complete a late rally against the Clippers, who are undefeated at home this season.
Grafton (17-3) will cap its regular season at home against Smithfield on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Jamestown (15-4) is trying to buck a trend of poor play that has caused the Eagles to lose three of their last four games. Jamestown will try to rebound at home Thursday against York.
Jamestown: 8 9 3 20 — 40
Grafton: 11 14 8 12 — 45
Jamestown: Schmidt 6, E. Wang 14, Swain 7, M. Wang 7, Lipscomb 6
Grafton: Murillo 5, Parker 12, Durant 7, Alves 12, Brown 6, King 3
3-point goals: Jamestown 5 (E. Wang 2, Swain, M. Wang 2), Grafton 5 (Parker 3, Durant, King)
Warhill Completes Upset of Tabb
Warhill earned a 68-60 upset road win against Tabb on Tuesday night during what proved a physical matchup in the post.
The Lions, who have won five of their last nine games after starting the season 1-10, were able to successfully drive the lane against the Tigers on Tuesday and earn contested points in the paint.
When not connecting on layups, Warhill often drew contact and went to the line for free throws. The Lions attempted 31 free throws during the game.
Dcarius Brooks provided a spark for Warhill, scoring a team-high 18 points. His teammate Jimmel Davis chipped in 12 points in the winning effort.
The Lions took a four-point lead against Tabb in the first quarter and outscored the Tigers 21-13 in the second quarter to take a 37-25 halftime lead.
Tabb made a hard charge at Warhill in the second half behind strong offensive performances from Jalin Jordan and Tyson Jackson, who scored 28 and 17 points, respectively, with all coming from inside the paint.
With Warhill leading by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter, Tabb managed to cut Warhill’s lead to six points down the stretch. However, the Tigers were unable to get any closer as the Lions completed the upset win.
Warhill (6-14) will conclude its regular season on the road against Bruton on Thursday, while Tabb (9-11) will try to rebound during a road game against Poquoson on the same day.
Warhill: 16 21 21 10 — 68
Tabb: 12 13 17 18 — 60
Warhill: Ashby 8, Brooks 18, Troy-Wilson 1, Lewis 6, Stovall 7, Hunt 2, Belle 5, Davis 12, Anzola 9
Tabb: Jackson 17, Jansen 7, Myatt 4, Pearson 2, Jordan 28, Hunter 2
3-point goals: Warhill 2 (Brooks, Stovall)
Smithfield proved too much for York to handle Tuesday evening as the Packers earned a decisive 95-60 win at home over the Falcons.
Despite double-digit performances from Rayvon Patrick and Josh McFadden, who scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, York was unable to keep pace with Smithfield’s potent offense.
The Packers jumped out to a six-point lead after the first quarter, but ballooned their lead in the second quarter by outscoring York by 14 points to take a 20-point halftime lead.
Smithfield continued its hot streak in the second half by edging York 20-9 in the third quarter before easing through the fourth quarter for the win.
York (0-20) will conclude its regular season Thursday on the road against Jamestown.
York: 13 15 9 23 — 60
Smithfield: 19 29 20 27 — 95
York: McFadden 11, Patrick 12, Jimrey 8, Simmons 3, Marteniez 3, Nanartowich 6, Jordan 3, Villarta 3, Christian 11
Smithfield: Bryant 5, Ryan 4, Turner 13, Jones 20, Gundy 2, Stafford 8, Hopson 9, Shepherd 17, Tucker 6, Robertson 11
3-point goals: York 7 (McFadden, Patrick, Kimrey 2, Simmons, Jordan, Villarta), Smithfield 12 (Bryant, Turner, Jones 2, Hopson 3, Shepherd 3, Tucker 2)
Hampton Roads Academy earned a big 69-57 win at home against Cape Henry on Tuesday.
The Navigators came out of the gates slowly, falling behind to Cape Henry by six points in the first quarter. HRA battled back in the second quarter, cutting Cape Henry’s lead by four points and trailing 31-29 at halftime.
A strong third quarter allowed HRA to take the lead against Cape Henry and pull away late. The Navigators outpaced the Dolphins 21-11 in the third quarter before winning the fourth quarter by a 19-15 margin.
HRA (14-6) has now won 10 consecutive games and will look to keep that streak going on the road against Walsingham Academy on Friday.
Cape Henry: 16 15 11 15 — 57
HRA: 10 19 21 19 — 69
Cape Henry: Morris 2, Marrow 9, Siroh 13, Roach 2, Seaman 9, Weathers 20, Rucker 2
HRA: Humphrey 7, Wingfield 3, Hart 27, Picott 17, Mather 2, Phillips 13
3-point goals: Cape Herny 3 (Siroh, Weathers 2), HRA 4 (Humphrey, Wingfield, Hart 2)
Washington Rains 3-pointers in Win Against Greenbrier
Richard Washington scored 30 points during Walsingham Academy’s 65-59 road win against Greenbrier Christian Academy on Tuesday.
Washington and Dusan Vicentic carried Walsingham’s scoring load in the first quarter. Washington scored nine points in the first quarter, while Vicentic logged eight points in the quarter.
With Walsingham trailing 21-17 after the first quarter, Washington scored 16 of Walsingham’s 22 points in the second quarter, with 12 points coming off four made 3-pointers.
Behind Washington’s scoring efforts, Walsingham outscored Greenbrier 22-11 in the second quarter to take a 39-32 halftime lead.
The Trojans grew their lead by one point in the third quarter and were able to hold off Greenbrier in the fourth quarter for the six-point victory.
Walsingham (17-5) will host Hampton Roads Academy on Friday.
Walsingham: 17 22 15 11 — 65
Greenbrier: 21 11 14 13 — 59
Walsingham: Washington 30, West 8, Demodna 4, Stewart 4, Vicentic 19
Greenbrier: Fortne 9, Schlick 4, Richmond 23, Hester 2, McGlone 13, Williams 8
3-point goals: Walsingham 7 (Washington 7), Greenbrier 6 (Fortne 3, McGlone, Williams 2)
Bruton won its sixth consecutive game Tuesday, topping Lafayette 54-41 on the road.
After falling behind three points in the first quarter, Bruton put together a pivotal second quarter in which the Panthers outscored Lafayette 23-10.
By halftime, Bruton had established a 29-19 lead over the Rams.
With Bruton holding a double-digit lead in the second half, the Panthers were able to keep Lafayette at bay and hang on for the win.
Bruton (13-5) will host Warhill on Thursday, while Lafayette (9-9) will visit New Kent on Thursday.
Individual statistics were not reported for this game.
Bruton: 6 23 12 13 — 54
Lafayette: 9 10 13 9 — 41
WCA Cruises Against Broadwater Academy
Williamsburg Christian Academy defeated Broadwater Academy 79-54 on the road Tuesday.
With the win, the Eagles have now won four consecutive games and are perfect in the month of February.
WCA (21-5) will host Isle of Wight Academy on Friday.
Individual statistics were not provided for this game.
Williamsburg Christian Academy 79, Broadwater Academy 54
