The Madison County faithful deserved it, because the first four quarters were hard to watch if you were wearing blue. The Mountaineers had to fight tooth and nail not just against a scrappy, hustling Amelia defense, but also against one of those nights where seemingly every given layup found a way to rim out.
In a Region 2A East semifinal that had substantial seeding ramifications for the Group 2A tournament next week, Madison won yet another game this season in overtime. Thanks to a huge run to start to the extra period that was an extension of how the Mountaineers dug out of their fourth quarter deficit, the 61-56 win was iced with defense and points in transition.
“Amelia’s a physical team and we got a lot good looks underneath the basket, but there was just a lid on it tonight,” said Madison coach Ben Breeden. “But we stuck together and battled through it. Eventually things opened up for us. I just love how resilient this bunch is. They stick together and I just don’t what else I can say about them but that they’re a great team. They just know how to play together.”
Getting those points in transition was almost non-existent for the Mountaineers until late in the fourth. The first three quarters with Amelia were a bogged down struggle of offensive woes. But down by two with less than a minute remaining, Elijah Lewis sniffed out an opportunity to try and create a turnover before the Mountaineers would have needed to foul the Raiders.
“The ball pressure was just great at the end of the game,” Breeden said. “We didn’t press a lot early, but we did late and it worked out.”
When Lewis pounced on a chance to create a turnover, Isiah Smith jumped in too and just managed to poke the ball loose. Then the senior dove on the floor and recovered the ball, took it the rack and finished to tie things up. Seconds later, after a missed shot by Amelia, Smith just happened to be there for a rebound, and he found Kobi Alexander to give the Mountaineers a 48-46 lead.
“I think throughout the game we were a little down on defensive pressure,” Smith said. “In the fourth quarter Coach told us to pick it up. We picked it up. We got them to turn the ball over and we finished at the basket.”
Madison went up 49-46 after a steal from Lewis and Gaines Swink was able to hit the front end of a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left in regulation. But, as was the case up until overtime, Amelia simple found a way to hit big time shots. With 11 seconds left the Raiders got a game tying 3-pointer from Eric Medley, and then the defense came up with a stop to send things into overtime.
“These walls, the sound coming off them, it was something,” said Amelia coach Kevin Rathers. “We didn’t score there on the play that was designed, but hey, we were happy to take (the result). Eric stepped up and just hit a big, big shot.”
In overtime, the Mountaineers simple found their game and opened things up with an 8-0 run before hitting just enough free throws at the end to win some-what comfortably. Smith continued to wreak havoc and along with Swink and Lewis, the trio scored all over Madison’s 12 points in the frame.
“The intensity picked up,” Smith said. “We got them to play faster than they wanted to and that always works out in our favor.”
Madison was in a 16-9 hole to start the night but with Swink and Lewis combining for a trio of 3-pointers in the second quarter, the tides changed. The Mountaineers went into the break up 25-21 despite the fact Smith and fellow standout senior Dre Twyman has just five points combined.
Amelia closed the gap in the third quarter, getting to within a point of the lead behind the shooting of Medley and Jared Baker. The Raiders took a 46-44 lead with 1:33 left in the fourth on a contested jumper from DeQuante Meadows. And with possession following a stop, it appeared as though the Raiders were going to have a shot at wrapping up the game at the free throw line, of course until Lewis and Smith intervened.
On the night, Smith led the Mountaineers with 21 points, getting 18 of them in the second half and in overtime. Swink was the saving grace offensively in the first half, as he picked up 12 of his 18 in that stretch. Alexander finished with 11 points while Lewis had eight.
With the win, Madison finished the year unbeaten in their own gym. The Mountaineers will advance to face R.E. Lee in the Region 2A championship game which will be played at Hanover High school on Saturday at 8 p.m. Win or lose, Madison will play at James Madison University on Friday March 3rd, but Saturday’s results will determine the following Friday’s opponent.
