It wasn’t technically over at that point.
But it kind of was.
When Blue Ridge’s Andy Nwaoko exploded off the floor for a block he made somewhere in the stratosphere during the third quarter of Saturday’s VIC title game, there was time left on the clock, but it didn’t feel that way.
“It was ridiculous — I think we were probably up 10 or 15 at that point and it was just like we won the game,” said Blue Ridge captain Kobe Jerome. “It’s over now.”
The Barons rolled 79-57 past Hargrave to win the 2020 VIC tournament championship in Salem, with Nwaoko’s block highlighting an impressive defensive effort that went hand-in-hand with a balanced offensive performance as four Barons reached double figures led by Michael Brown’s 19 points.
Blue Ridge’s Maliq Brown posted a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to give the Barons a sizeable edge in the post. Two of Brown’s 16 points came on a third quarter dunk created by a beautiful series of passes — from Jerome to Michael Gray at halfcourt to a streaking William Lee to a dump off to Brown for the jam. The ball touched the floor just once in the sequence and Lee gave up what could’ve been a lay-in for him for the uncontested bucket for Brown.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played for a team like this where everybody just wants to play for each other,” Jerome said. “No one on our team is really selfish, we just get the job done with everybody we have together.”
It helps that the Barons’ three lead guards are pinpoint passers, but it’s particularly important that their big men run the floor, including Brown who was a menace all over the floor in the second half in particular. Brown is extremely athletic, but he’s also smart about where he positions himself when he flies down the court.
“I know our guards are going to look up and it keeps the floor spaced out,” Brown said. “It keeps everybody involved and spread out.”
The Barons didn’t stumble out of the gate or anything but they didn’t put Hargrave away immediately either. Blue Ridge led 39-31 at the break thanks in large part to a late second quarter surge with William Lee leading the way as part of his 15-point, five assist night. But Blue Ridge got locked in in the second half, taking control of the game with some hard-nosed defense, quickly expanding its lead to double digits. Then Nwaoko’s block made it clear that the Barons were going to be collecting the trophy at the end of the night.
“We’re a third quarter team, we come out of halftime with more emotion,” Brown said.
Gray added eight rebounds and six assists to his team-high 19 points. Derrick Jones had a big second half for the Barons, finishing just a board shy of double double with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Sasha Glushkov had seven points and six boards.
The Barons now await their seeding in the VISAA D2 tournament where they’re the presumptive No. 1 seed in the field. They’ll host a state quarterfinal game Wednesday night.
