Nobody on either roster has played in more of these games. Tuesday’s meeting with Miller was the eighth such occasion for Blue Ridge’s Andre Roberts. And so it seemed somewhat fitting that the ball kicked out to him with his team up by just a basket in the final seconds of play.
“We know how to work together as a team, so we knew we had it, but that it was just a matter of taking our time and finishing out the game,” Roberts said.
The senior was immediately fouled and went to the free throw line looking to give his team a two possession lead. He hit both free throws, and so for the sixth-straight time in just a little under two years, the Barons were able to dispatch the Mavericks in a thrilling contest that was as good as it is always advertised, 58-56.
“Miller is so hard to guard, you have to be impressed with the defense tonight,” said Blue Ridge coach Bill Ramsey. “Our game was let’s rebound and go, but when had to slow down, it only worked because Ahmad Fields, Darryl Smith or Jarod Williams, nobody can figure out how to guard them and they do a great job of finishing. If you don’t play us in man-to-man, it’s really hard to guard them all.”
A 6-point margin was the biggest deficit in the game, twice, and both came late in the fourth quarter and did not last long as Miller’s Andrew White cut it back down to four just outside of the 2-minute mark and then again inside of it. After a costly relatively unforced turnover for Blue Rridge, Mavericks guard Devon Anderson made it a 2-point game for Miller with 66 seconds on the clock.
“I felt like we battled,” said Miller coach Scott Willard. “It was a possession-by-possession game. It’s tough to win in this gym, but I’m certainly proud of my guys’ effort.”
Barons guard Jarod Williams hit two free throws off of a 1-and-1 with 36 seconds to make it a two-possession game, but Travis Hester answered back for Miller. The Mavericks tried to close in on the lead on their next possession but a shot kicked out and Roberts hauled it in with 9.4 seconds. He then hit his two foul shots. The final seconds of play were frantic with White hitting a shot with 0.6 seconds to play to. While officials initially allowed the clock to run out before the inbounds play, that decision was eventually overturned but the Mavericks could not force a turnover and tie the game.
For all four quarters, the paint was the scene of incredible athleticism for both teams, where there was rarely any such thing as an easy layup. Blocked shots were a theme all night with Blue Ridge big men Corbyn Jackson and Paris Margakos leading the way for the Barons and Tony Washington, White and Markell Lodge getting the job done for the Mavericks.
“It was really difficult in there at first,” Smith said. “I thought Ahmad did a really good job inside there for us.”
Three-point shooting dominated the fourth quarter, with the two teams combining to convert five of their first six field goals from beyond the arc. The difference after the first quarter was just one point for Blue Ridge. That margin increased to three points heading in to halftime. Not surprisingly, there was little separation in the third quarter with the Barons finishing the frame with that same three-point lead.
Facing the scorn of Blue Ridge’s defense from start to finish, White still managed 15 points and was absolutely huge defensively for Miller with 12 rebounds and four blocks. Hester and Anderson stepped up in a big way offensively with Hester getting hot in the first half, and Anderson finding a rhythm in the second. Hester scored 11 points while Anderson added 12. Blue Ridge held Chase Cannon to just four points, but he had four blocks and seven rebounds.
Fields led Blue Ridge with 17 points and nine rebounds. Smith added 11 and six assists. After that the scoring was impressively balanced for the Barons. Roberts and Williams had nine points while Jackson finished with seven and also added seven rebounds.
Miller (10-5) hosts Middleburg on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Blue Ridge (9-3) heads to Liberty Christian on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
