Saturday, February 22, 2014

THE WRAP: Another Tournament Classic for Patrick Henry; Hanover, Atlee Fall...

Late in the second half Friday night in Ashland, the Conference 16 Tournament Championship began to sound echoes of a game played 53 weeks earlier...

...the 2013 Colonial District Tournament Championship, where a outmanned Patrick Henry squad knocked off Mills Godwin in double overtime to win an emotional championship.

Fast forward a calendar year plus a few days, and the Patriots found themselves in a fierce battle with another set of Patriots, these from Albemarle High.

Last year Ashley Samuels fouled out early and had to watch. This year it was Amber Lee, leaving the game with 15 points, five minutes plus still on the clock. Samuels watched two overtimes from the bench last year.

Lee would watch three.

Patrick Henry and Albemarle would battle for 12 extra minutes before the visiting Patriots' immense size advantage wore down the Patrick Henry bench, called into duty after three starters were disqualified, capturing the 82-76 win in triple overtime.

Summer Price, who played all three extra sessions with four fouls of her own, scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had 10 steals. Price went over the 1,500 career point mark, but would gladly give that up to have made two three-point attempts in the final 70 seconds of the third overtime which could have forced yet another session.

PH had their chances, especially in the first overtime, when Albemarle went 0-for-7 at the free throw line at one stretch. Last year, Mills Godwin missed all of their free throws in the second overtime, not scoring a point in the final extra session on the way to the Patriot win.

This year, though, Patrick Henry couldn't take advantage. Critical turnovers doomed them. One in particular, a traveling call on Ashley Samuels when the Patriots led and had the ball. Samuels herself fouled out with 1:42 left in the first overtime.

PH led 66-63 in the final seconds of that extra session when Albemarle's KK Barbour, who led all scorers with 35 points, drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with seven seconds left to force a second overtime.

Price's drive to the basket to win at the end of double overtime fell off the mark. By then, Adams had also fouled out and the homestanding Patriots were short on height. Albemarle took full advantage, going on a 7-0 run to start the third and final overtime, mostly by drawing fouls on offensive rebounds down low. Their size simply overwhelming the remaining Patriots on the floor.

Patrick Henry is now 16-5 and turns its attention to the 5A North Regional Tournament First Round, where on Monday night at 6pm they will host Massaponax.

OTHER CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS:

Conference 16 Boys: Halifax County 57, Patrick Henry 39 (Patriots host Massaponax in 5A North First Round Game Monday, 7:30pm)

Conference 20 Boys: Glen Allen 71, Hanover 44 (Hanover plays winner of Saturday's Conference 19 Final between Grafton and Smithfield on the road Tuesday in 4A South Region Quarterfinal)

Conference 11 Girls: Highland Springs 91, Atlee 32 (Raiders play Prince George Tuesday, 8pm at L.C. Bird High School in Chester in 5A South Region Quarterfinal)

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