Coming into a Conference 35 semifinal matchup against Bull Run District foe Clarke County, a team Madison County had defeated twice already this season, no one could have blamed the Mountaineer faithful for penciling the game into the win column when they took their seats for a rare Saturday night tipoff.
Instead the crowd got an entertaining game that wasn’t quite as decisive as the 77-61 final score may have indicated.
They also got to see a dazzling performance from their team’s offense. Madison got 17 points apiece from Isiah Smith and Kobi Alexander to lead four Mountaineers in double figures to spearhead a balanced offensive attack and used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from the Eagles, vaulting them into the conference championship game against either George Mason or Central-Woodstock on Tuesday night.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that head coach Ben Breeden’s team truly took control of the game, opening the stanza on a 10-2 run that turned what had been a tenuous lead into a comfortable double-digit one, and the Eagles never seriously threatened again.
“I thought we did a better job of finishing around the rim in the second half,” Breeden said. “They kept their big man down by the rim which helped them make us work. Us being patient, getting to the second and third layers of our offense helped us create opportunities.”
The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 9-2 lead thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Elijah Lewis and appeared to set the tone early, but the Eagles’ defense settled down after that and did a good job of keeping do-everything point guard Smith out of the lane to stop Madison from going too far ahead. Madison led 19-11 after one.
But the Mountaineers scored just two points in the first four minutes of the second period while the Eagles climbed back into it on the shoulders of Hayden Good, who scored five straight points to cut Madison’s lead to 21-20 midway through the period. Good put up 14 points in the half, helping close the gap to 35-32.
“Coach told us essentially that we’re better than this and [Clarke] shouldn’t have been taking it to us like that.” Alexander said. “So we adjusted.”
Madison stayed in front throughout the third quarter–in fact, the Mountaineers never trailed in the game–but Good, who scored a game-high 27 points, almost singlehandedly kept Clarke in it as every time Madison threatened to pull away, he came up with a basket or got himself to the foul line to keep the Eagles within striking distance, as Madison held a 55-48 lead after three.
But the Eagles eventually ran out of gas against the faster, more athletic Mountaineers. Smith ignited the decisive run with a fast-break layup, and by the time Clarke got another basket, Madison was safely in front.
“Teams that have multiple scorers are so hard to guard,” Breeden said. “And it helps hold our other players accountable on offense. There’s no doubt about it–you’re going to have to be ready to contribute every night when you step on the court here.”
Madison’s offense came to play as always, but the Mountaineers brought it on the defensive end as well, forcing 17 Clarke turnovers. Clarke forced 11 Madison miscues, but was much less effective at turning those chances into points.
In addition to Smith and Alexander, Madison got 14 points from Lewis and 13 from Gaines Swink. For Clarke, Brett McDonald was the next-highest scorer with 13, but no other Eagle scored in double figures.
“If we have just one guy scoring, something’s off,” Smith said. “Having multiple guys putting up points is our game. That’s who we are.”
