by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
(804) 240-2191
slewis@digitalsports.com
VIDEOS/PHOTOS ADDED!!
Stephen Lewis back for the final of the doubleheader, live at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax for the state Group AAA quarterfinals.
Central Region runner-up John Marshall (25-4) is up to face T.C. Williams (27-2), the defending state champion and winner of 71 straight district games. Unbelievable.
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Things are about to get started. Introductions are coming. This should be a good one!
First Period
T.C. Williams gets the tap, doesn’t score. Maurice Johnson opens the scoring for JM. But Tyrell Sitton answers on a third-chance shot from the Titans.
Edward Jenkins, the heart and soul of TCW, gets a steal from Tahir Little. But Little gets it back with a steal of his own. Quantae Cooley gets to the line off the TO. He misses the first, knocks in the second as the TCW student section waves TC signs.
Ryan Yates knocks in a jumper for a TCW 4-3 lead. Cooley is back at the line for JM, TCW’s fans don’t like it. He hits the first and second. JM 5-4., 5:36 left in the first.
Travis McKie picks up his first foul as Jenkins drives in. He misses his first free throw, and the second. McKie rebounds, but JM turns it over.
TCW misses in close and sets up its full-court press. JM breaks it but turns it over again. McKie goes coast and finds Maurice Johnson, who bangs a two-hander. JM 7-4, 4:10 left.
Another TC shot trickles off the rim, but leads to another JM turnover. Jenkins swishes two free throws and quiets the JM crowd after hitting each. YET ANOTHER JM turnover. They are too excited, but still lead 7-6.
There’s 1:47 left, still no pace to the game. Jenkins hits a 3-pointer from the left wing, 9-7 TC. Little answered with his patented dart into the lane, but misses his bonus free throw. 9-9 tie.
Gavin Peterson hits a 3-pointer as TC is finding its mojo. Another JM TO leads to Jenkins at the line. First is good. Second too. TC 14-9.
McKie is called for a charge, bad call. Then he nearly hits a 3-pointer from half court at the buzzer. T.C. Williams up 14-9 at the end of the first.
Second Period
Oh, the place is near capacity. Both bands are playing at the same time, that was weird. And oh, me and Northern Region rep Phil Murphy nearly got knocked out by Jenkins coming at us on the sideline. We get in the game. Back to action.
Tayron Chambers finds the lane and scores, McKie answers with a two-hand jam from Cooley. TC 16-11. Jenkins strikes another 3-pointer and let’s the crowd know about it.
Cooley answers, then Chambers scores. TC 21-13 with 5:27 left.
Jenkins is doing what he wants. He’s a 5-10 sparkplug, super quick. He’s at the line again. Hits the first and second. TC 23-13, 5:00 to go.
Randall Braxton scores plus the basket, getting away with a walk. He misses the FT. TC 23-15. Randall Ward is handling the point now for JM. He gets fouled, it’s one-and-one. He hits one and two. TC 23-17.
The Justices seem to be settling down. McKie DUNKS on Darriss Porter. OH MY!! Phil Murphy caught it on VIDEO. It will be on the site by tomorrow.
Cortez Taylor answers for TC, 25-19, 2:50 to go.
McKie dunked so hard the basket was stuck. Porter goes one for two from the line, and Cooley uses nice footwork to cut TC’s lead to five.
Brilliant bounce pass from Ward to Ernest Brown for two, Ward shoots an airball, but Braxton is there for the board and gets fouled.
Braxton at 1:44, misses the first free throw after it bounces around for a few seconds. He hits the second, TC 26-24 with 1:35 to go in the half.
Taylor’s at the line now for TC. He hits both. TC 28-24. Marcus Via is now at the line for TC after a JM miss. He’s a 6-3 senior with dreads. Misses the first and second, but TC rebounds the miss, misses two more times, then Via bangs in a 3-pointer from the left corner. Tough possession for JM. TC 31-24, 36 seconds.
Tight defense from Taylor on Ward. The officials need to get control of the game, a lot of jawing from Johnson and Chambers. Technical assessed to Chambers. Four-point swing for JM, two free throws from Cooley and McKie AND possession for JM. 31-28, TC, 18 seconds.
Offensive foul on Ward, TC is pressuring the ball very, very well. Via leans in and gets a foul on Ernest Brown with .4 seconds to go in the half. Misses the first, hits the second.
Halftime, T.C. Williams 32, John Marshall 28.
Third Period
Third’s started. Quantae Cooley is at the line for two. First good. Cooley’s been key in the playoffs for the Justices. Second off, but Johnson gets rebounds and scores. TC lead is one, 32-31.
Further defensive pressure plagues JM, as TCM gets the steal. Tyrell Sitton misses his free throws, McKie with the rebound. He has to have 10 already.
Ward misses a 3-pointer, he’s off on his shot. JM needs him to get going. JM steal. Kool-Aid Cooley with the finish. JM leads 33-32, forces TCW timeout, 6:06 to go.
Little goes by the TCW pressure and is fouled. First free throw is off. Second is good. JM 34-32.
Four jump balls in 2:30 of play in the period. Crazy. McKie block, McKie assist to Johnson. JM 36-32. Another block from Johnson this time.
McKie turns it over, Jenkins takes advantage getting to the line. He’s so quick. First one is good. Second off, JM 36-33. McKie beautiful feed to Cooley, JM 38-33.
Another TC miss, push by McKie to Ward, layup, his first field goal. TIMEOUT T.C. Williams, as JM leads 40-33 with 3:57 to go in the third.
Another miss in close from TCW. Good interior passing from JM lands Johnson on the line. The first bounces in. Second, off, JM 41-33.
Jenkins deposits a trey, TCW’s first field goal of the second half. Then the Titans trap Little and get the TO. Gavin Peterson got to the line. First one rims out. The second rims out for the lefty as well, but it bounces off of JM. TC can’t take advantage, turning it over.
McKie goes HIGH for the putback. JM 43-36, until Chambers’ putback makes it 43-38. Ward strikes back, getting fouled for JM. Noise level raises, Ward hits anyway. 44-38 JM, one more coming. It bounces in, 45-38 JM.
Peterson bombs a trey, hits all net for TC. Lead cut to four, TC has the ball. Bad shot, JM break, Little to McKie, bucket and the foul for the junior star being recruited by everyone. The 6-6 forward hits the free throw, JM 48-41, 1:00 to go in the third.
Yates puts back Jenkins’ miss. JM’s lead five, another Justices turnover. It doesn’t hurt as McKie deters Jenkins’ reverse layup.
JM 48, TCW 43 at the end of the third. JM won that quarter by nine points, a dominant defensive performance,
paced by their 2-1-2 halfcourt zone. It’s really helped in the playoffs.
Fourth Period
McKie shakes the D and finds Cooley for two, then Peterson goes to Chambers. McKie tries to handle to relieve pressure, but Yates plays good defense and forces two straight turnovers and a bucket. JM 50-47 with 6:56 called a timeout to regroup
Cooley scores to stop the bleeding, but Peterson answers, then Ernest Brown scores. JM 54-49, I can hardly keep up.
Yates scores, then Cooley seems to get an and-one, but the call is on the floor. Confusion on the court. The score is trying to be figured out. 56-51 JM, now 58-51 on Brown’s score.
Hold up, game is stopped again. Scoreboard out, now back on. OK, the correct score is 56-51, even with Brown’s score. That IS correct.
Cooley gets called for a foul, Billy Rowland to the line. He hits the first bonus, the second is off. Cooley loses rebound though, and Peterson hits a floater over JM’s Brown and gets fouled.
Peterson misses the FT. Cooley goes in, misses, Maurice Johnson is called for his fifth foul. He’s done. Rowland misses the FT, but McKie throws it away.
TC TO, Little to Ward, 58-54 JM, 4:24. Rowland’s BIG dunk from Yates cuts the lead to two.
Delayed call, charge on Little. 3:49 to go, TC with the ball. Peterson ties it with a 15-footer. McKie answers, 60-58 JM, 3:10 to go.
Peterson is just short on a 3-pointer, JM with the ball. Crowd at a fever pitch. Ward crosses Jenkins, gets fouled. One-and-one. First is clean, JM 61-58, 2:32 to go. Second, off, but Braxton is called for a foul to send Rowland to the line for two.
Billy Rowland, a 6-6 junior center. He misses the first. Hits the second, two-point JM lead. McKie turns it over on the pass, then fouls Peterson. 2:02 to go, he goes to the line. First is good, 61-60 JM. Tie game at 61. Timeout Titans, 2:02 to go. WHAT A GAME!!!
McKie makes up for it with a big two, 63-61 JM. Peterson is short on a wide-open 3-pointer. Little is fouled with 1:19 to go. The first of a one-and-one: good. JM 64-61. The second: butter. JM 65-61, TIMEOUT JM.
TC student section going nuts trying to get the Titans going. But they turn it over. Ward finishes with a sick layup. JM 67-61. Then McKie blocks Peterson. Cooley is fouled with 58.2 left. TIMEOUT!
Cooley at the line for two. Cooley calmly hits the first. Second comes out, but Cooley gets a steal and finds Ward for two. Braxton gets two. It’s OVER!
JM finishes game on 11-0 run to end it. JM 72, T.C. Williams 61. The Justices will play in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Wednesday at VCU’s Siegel Center.
Highlights: John Marshall, Travis McKie – 15 points, 15 rebounds; Quantae Cooley – 19 points, 14 rebounds; Randall Ward – 13 points; T.C. Williams, Gavin Peterson and Edward Jenkins, 16 points apiece
John Marshall 9 19 20 24 – 72
T.C. Williams 14 18 11 18 – 61
John Marshall (26-4): O’Neil 0, Ward 13, Johnson 9, Cooley 19, Little 5, McKie 15, Brown 6, Braxton 5. Totals: 26 20-29 72.
T.C. Williams (27-3): Peterson 16, Via 4, Taylor 4, Chambers 8, Moses 0, Copeland 0, Sitton 2, Jenkins 16, Porter 1, Rowland 4, Yates 6. Totals: 20 16-28 62. 3-point goals: Jenkins 3, Peterson 2, Via.
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