Scorelines can sometimes be deceiving, indicating a game was closer than the final score might indicate or vice versa.
Tuesday’s Conference 18 quarterfinal matchup between Grafton and Denbigh fell into the latter category as the Clippers dominated Denbigh 58-37, but could have easily won by more than 30 points if not for playing bench players throughout the fourth quarter.
The win sets up Grafton with a potentially season-defining road game against Jamestown on Thursday in the Conference 18 semifinal round.
“We split with them in the regular season … and we know it’s going to come down to the wire,” Grafton Coach Jeremy Jordan said about the upcoming game against Jamestown. “It’ll be a possession or two game down the stretch. It could be an instant classic.”
Before turning their attention to Jamestown, the Clippers put on a defensive clinic through the first three quarters of Tuesday’s win against Denbigh.
Using an aggressive man-to-man defense in the first half, Grafton held Denbigh to just five points coming off two made field goals. At the same time, Grafton scored 19 first-half points to take a comfortable 19-5 lead into halftime.
The Clippers flexed their offensive muscles in the third quarter, draining four 3-pointers and putting up 24 points against Denbigh to blow the game wide open.
Leading the charge for Grafton was Adam King, who scored a game-high 18 points that included three 3-pointers. Bryce Alves also logged double-digit scoring for Grafton with 12 points.
With Grafton leading 43-13 heading into the fourth quarter, Jordan allowed reserve players to close out the game and gain some valuable postseason playing experience, albeit in a blowout victory.
“I thought we executed a good game plan tonight,” Jordan said. “We tried to take away the paint and contest every shot around the perimeter.”
Grafton (18-4) will now prepare to face Jamestown in a win-or-go-home semifinal game Thursday. The two Bay Rivers District teams split the wins during the regular season.
Denbigh: 3 2 8 24 — 37
Grafton: 13 6 24 15 — 58
Denbigh: Hill 14, Heard 2, Clay 17, Turner 2, Parker 2
Grafton: Durant 8, Parker 3, Alves 12, King 18, Murillo 7, Brown 2, Izzard 2, Robinson 2, Hawkins 1, Holmes 1, Bombay 2
3-point goals: Denbigh 2 (Clay 2), Grafton 6 (Durant, Parker, King 3, Murillo)
Tabb Pulls Away Late Against Booker T. Washington
Tabb was challenged all night by Booker T. Washington, but eventually came up victorious by a final score of 63-55 at home during Tuesday’s Conference 27 quarterfinal matchup.
Both teams were playing aggressively on defense and offense, which resulted in a plethora of fouls. In total, both teams combined for 60 free throws during the contest.
Tabb found itself leading by one point after the first quarter and holding a narrow 20-17 halftime lead against Booker T. Washington.
The Mighty Bookers responded strongly in the third quarter, cutting Tabb’s lead to one point entering the final quarter of play.
Jalin Jordan, who had a double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds, helped the Tigers close out the game in the fourth quarter thanks in part to his free throw shooting. He shot 10-of-13 from the foul line.
Tabb (11-11) will now prepare to hit the road Thursday against I.C. Norcom in the Conference 27 semifinal round. If the Tigers win, they will advance to the Group 3A East tournament.
Booker T. Washington: 7 10 17 21 — 55
Tabb: 8 12 15 28 — 63
Booker T. Washington: Case 4, Divguid 9, Edmonds 12, Palmer 15, Parker 11, Smith 2, Zachery 2
Tabb: K. Brown 8, Jansen 5, Eleby 8, Pearson 9, Jordan 26, Hunter 7
3-point goals: Booker T. Washington 7 (Divguid, Edmonds 3, Palmer, Parker 2), Tabb 4 (Jansen, Eleby 2, Hunter)
Warhill Keeps Season Alive With Win Over Southampton
Warhill staved off Southampton at home 70-65 during Tuesday’s Conference 25 quarterfinal game.
The Lions used double-digit performances from Braden Troy-Wilson (16), Jimmel Davis (14), Joseph Anzola (12) and Terrell Ashby (11) to extend their postseason run.
Warhill took a seven-point lead in the first quarter, but saw Southampton cut into that lead by four points in the second quarter. By halftime, Warhill held a 27-24 lead.
A dead-even third quarter set up a pivotal fourth quarter that was nearly as even as the third quarter. However, the Lions found themselves on the better end of a 25-23 points advantage in the fourth quarter to hang on for the five-point victory.
Warhill (7-15) will now travel to take on Park View-South Hill on Thursday in the Conference 25 semifinal round.
Southampton: 12 12 18 23 — 65
Warhill: 19 8 18 25 — 70
Southampton: Bell 16, Banks 2, Fennel 19, Long 2, Simms 5, Lankford 5, Artis 8, Haley 4, Briggs 2, Smith 2
Warhill: Ashby 11, Brooks 6, Troy-Wilson 16, Stovall 3, Belle 6, Davis 14, Anzola 12, Brungot 2
3-point goals: Southampton 2 (Simms, Lankford), Warhill 6 (Ashby, Troy-Wilson 4, Stovall)
Heritage Ends Lafayette’s Season in Lopsided Win
Lafayette’s season came to a disappointing end Tuesday evening as the Rams were blown out 69-32 on the road against Heritage in the first round of the Conference 18 tournament.
The Rams were outmatched and outplayed from the outset of the game, falling behind by nine points in the first quarter. Heritage blew the game open in the second quarter by outscoring the Rams 20-4 to take a commanding 41-16 halftime lead.
Things stayed bleak for Lafayette in the second half as the Rams struggled to slow down a highly efficient Heritage offense that moved the ball more than normal.
With Heritage leading 57-22 heading into the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes were able to sub in bench players in the fourth quarter and close out the game with ease.
Lafayette (10-10) was held to a season-low 32 points by the Hurricanes during the season-ending defeat.
Lafayette: 12 4 6 10 — 32
Heritage: 21 20 16 12 — 69
Lafayette: Jefferson 16, Woollum 3, Edwards 5, Underwood 2, Parrot 4, Neville 2
Heritage: Rudolph 4, Marrow 25, Outlaw 1, Greenlaw 2, Dixos 2, Huff 12, Walker 2, Thomas 6, Richardson 9, Mayfield 2, Woods 2, Boyd 2
3-point goals: Lafayette 5 (Jefferson 4, Woollum), Heritage 3 (Thomas 2, Marrow)
York’s Season Ends With Blowout Loss to Phoebus
York’s long and arduous basketball season came to an end Tuesday evening as the Falcons were blown out by Phoebus 90-36 on the road in the first round of the Conference 17 tournament.
After a competitive first quarter that saw the Falcons trailing by three points, the tempo of the game picked up significantly and York struggled to keep pace with Phoebus.
As the pace of play increased, so did York’s sloppiness with regards to taking care of the ball. In total, the Falcons committed 34 turnovers during the loss.
With York turning the ball over, Phoebus began pulling away from the Falcons. The Phantoms outscored York 26-5 in the second quarter to take a 39-15 halftime lead.
Phoebus continued extending its lead in the second half, cruising over the final two quarters of play and ending York’s season.
It was a tough season for a young York (0-22) squad, but Falcons Coach Bobby Pearce praised the tenacity shown by his players throughout the year.
“The guys stuck with it and played hard. They could have quit, but they didn’t,” he said. “We were asking for guys to make shots they have never made before. I was proud of how we fought through it.”
York: 10 5 13 8 — 36
Phoebus: 13 26 22 29 — 90
York: McFadden 3, Patrick 9, Kimrey 8, Simmons 6, Marteniez 2, Nanartowich 2, Christian 6
Phoebus: C. Miles 14, Cuffee 10, Peddrew 6, A. Miles 11, Edwards 8, Jackson 4, Gorham 8, Todd 2, Wingate 3, Davis 4, Smith 12, Payton 2, Mitchell 6
3-point goals: York 3 (McFadden, Patrick, Kimrey), Phoebus 9 (C. Miles 3, Cuffee, Peddrew, Edwards 2, Gorham 2)
HRA Edges Greenbrier Christian
Hampton Roads Academy held off Greenbrier Christian for a 79-75 win at home Tuesday.
While not leading the team in scoring, HRA’s Patrick Phillips put together a strong performance in just 24 minutes of action Tuesday night. Phillips logged a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Other notable performers for the Navigators were Anthony Picott and Brian Hart, who scored 24 and 19 points, respectively.
HRA held a two-point lead after the first quarter and grew that lead to 11 points by halftime.
The second half consisted of HRA holding on for dear life as Greenbrier Chrsitian made a late charge and nearly tied the game in the fourth quarter. However, the Navigators were able to withstand the comeback attempt and secure the win.
HRA (16-6) will finish its regular season at home against Norfolk Collegiate on Thursday.
Greenbrier Christian: 17 22 15 21 – 75
Hampton Roads Academy: 19 31 11 18 – 79
Greenbrier Christian: Schlick 12, Richmond 38, Bradley 4, Porter 4, Hester 9, Williams 8
Hampton Roads Academy: Humphrey 11, Wingfield 9, Hart 19, Picott 24, Phillips 16
3-point goals: Greenbrier Christian 7 (Schlick 2, Richmond 3, Bradley, Hester), Hampton Roads Academy 8 (Humphrey 3, Wingfield 3, Hart 2)
Walsingham Blows Past Nansemond-Suffolk Academy
Walsingham Academy had no trouble scoring a comfortable 74-52 road win against Nansemond-Suffolk Academy on Tuesday.
The Trojans jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, taking a 21-10 advantage after the first eight minutes of play. The second quarter was nearly identical as Walsingham outscored Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 21-9 to take a 42-19 halftime lead.
Points kept coming for Walsingham in the second half as the Trojans extended their lead by six points in the third quarter before allowing reserve players to close out the game in the fourth quarter.
Walsingham (18-6) will finish its regular season on the road against Bishop Sullivan on Friday.
Walsingham: 21 21 16 16 — 74
NSA: 10 9 10 23 — 52
Walsingham: Gero 3, Washington 19, Blow 2, Jones 3, Norris 2, West 8, Forrest 4, Demodna 2, Stewart 14, Jones 1, Vicentic 14, Ptacek 2
NSA: Lokie 14, Smith 3, Askew 5, Brinkley 9, Richter 3, Shiembob 7, Patterson 11
3-point goals: Walsingham 7 (Gero, Washington, West 2, Stewart 2, Vicentic), NSA 10 (Lokie 4, Askew, Brinkley 3, Shiembob 2)
Green Drops Triple-Double as WCA Routs Alliance Christian
Xavier Green posted a triple-double of 18 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists to held Williamsburg Christian Academy take down Alliance Christian 100-76 on the road Tuesday.
Leading the way for the Eagles was Cle’Von Greene, who logged a game-high 29 points to go with 10 rebounds.
WCA took an early seven-point lead against Alliance Christian before ballooning that lead to 50-31 by halftime.
In a similar manner to the first half, WCA put up another 50 points in the second half to score 100 points for the third time this season.
WCA (23-5) will host Hampton Christian in its penultimate regular season game on Friday.
WCA: 22 28 22 28 — 100
Alliance Christian: 15 16 21 24 — 76
WCA: Kean 3, D. Cook 7, Duncan 14, Brown 9, R. Cook 12, Greene 29, Ortiz 6, Green 18, Anderson 2
Alliance Christian: Jennings 8, C. Butts 22, Britt 8, Prescott 12, G. Dickerson 6, Gross 3, Z. Butts 2, U. Dickerson 12, Crutchfield 1, Gardner 2
3-point goals: WCA 7 (D. Cook, Duncan 2, Brown 3, Greene), Alliance Christian 2 (Britt 2)
