Albemarle’s boys basketball team knew if it could just get past Potomac Falls’ initial trap, they had an advantage on the other end.
“In the third quarter, they started getting after us and pressing,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “It really helped us and I kept preaching that if we get that first pass through the trap we’ve got numbers. We were just getting so many good shots against their press.”
Albemarle took advantage of Potomac Falls’ aggressiveness and in turn won 65-55 in the Region 5D semifinals, clinching a state tournament berth and a spot in the region championship game.
“It was extremely exciting to win tonight, in a packed house of mostly their fans, we had maybe 20-30 parents in the stands,” Maynard said.
With the Patriots’ wealth of ball-handlers from Christian Humes to Jason Breen to La’mari Parler to Amaje Parker taking care of business, Albemarle got going, transforming a four-point halftime edge into a 19-point lead with six minutes to play.
Breen exploded for 26 points and 11 boards, a monster double double in a hostile environment.
“Breen was helping break the trap and he just played a great game, shot it well and made all of his free throws,” Maynard said. “He got a lot of and ones weaving through some guys. He just really played well.”
It took a team effort to break that press, but Humes, AHS’s lightning quick point guard who also had 10 points, was a one-man press break at times for the Patriots.
“He’d beat the press single-handedly sometimes,” Maynard said. “He’d just be gone.”
Parler finished with 13 points and TaeVeon Wilson hauled in 15 rebounds while Carter Wesson chipped in eight points. But the starters weren’t the only players carrying the load.
“Our depth really came through, Amaje, Benny Koutone and Noah Grevious really gave us valuable minutes so we didn’t wear down,” Maynard said.
With the road team on the other side of the bracket, Riverside, getting a win by beating Massaponax, Albemarle gets to host the Region 5D title game Tuesday at 7 p.m.
