By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Albemarle lagged in the rebounding battle all night, and so it was fitting that Stafford’s offensive rebound of a missed free throw with 30 seconds left sealed the game for the visitors.
“I was disappointed in our rebounding,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “The free throw they missed when we’re only down three, we give them an offensive rebound there. In the first half we had some stretches where they got a lot of offensive rebounds. You’re not going to beat teams when you give them two and three opportunities that often.”
In what was a one-possession game most of the way, a pair of Stafford seniors stepped up to account for 22 of the Indians’ final 27 points. In a sequence to close the third quarter that included two offensive rebounds, Evan Greening’s put back just beat the buzzer to give Stafford a 39-38 edge. Greening, who finished with 20 points and led the Indians’ rebounding effort, added seven points in the fourth before fouling out in the final minute. Guard Da’Shawn Harris matched him with seven in the frame, including five of six free throws that the Indians desperately needed after a shaky (two of five) start at the line in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a lot of pressure and the crowd was loud in the gym,” said Harris. “I’m usually not a great free throw shooter, but I had to concentrate and make sure I knocked them down, even though I missed one.”
Harris had a quiet first half (seven points) as Albemarle controlled the pace, but transition opportunities arose in the middle of the third quarter. With Stafford trailing 33-31 after a Harmon Hawkins three, Harris broke out with three straight buckets. Having been urged at halftime by his coaches to be more assertive and take more shots, he finished with a game-high 22 points.
“At halftime we talked about picking up the tempo, pushing the floor,” said Stafford coach Dan Tryon. “Even if we’re not running for layups, we were going to run the floor to make them sprint back and then setup our offense. I thought that [tempo] favored us.”
Hawkins led Albemarle with 16 points and created problems for Stafford defenders. He opened the game with back-to-back dunks that ignited the student section. The other Patriot forwards, first Ryan Londree and then De Mallory, found openings as the Indians’ defense shifted focus. Londree had six points by the end of the first quarter, while Mallory tallied seven in the second to lead the team at the break.
“They’re a tough matchup,” said Tryon. “They’re just so dynamic in that aspect that they’re playing three [big] guys that go inside-outside. You’re asking a guard to guard a post player [because Hawkins and Mallory] can stretch the floor and shoot it. It’s difficult to manage.”
In the second half, Hawkins hit a pair of threes and converted a three-point play, and Albemarle grabbed a lead twice during the third quarter. However, as Stafford succeeded in speeding up the game, Albemarle’s backcourt could not answer with enough scoring.
“I thought [Hawkins] had a great game, offensively,” said Maynard. “He does a good job rebounding defensively, too. We’re just not getting enough balanced solid play from throughout the team, and that showed we they put some pressure on us. We didn’t answer it.”
Albemarle (11-9, 7-7 Commonwealth) splits the season series with the Indians, and will travel to Riverbend Monday night before finishing the regular season at home vs. Brooke Point for Senior Night on Tuesday. With two wins, the Patriots would secure the fourth seed in the Commonwealth District Tourney, which carries the right to host a quarterfinal. Stafford (12-9, 7-8) is also in the mix should Albemarle lose again, and closes its schedule at Orange on Monday.
