Western Albemarle’s boys basketball team is no stranger to knock down, drag out clashes and they found themselves in another one in the Region 4D semifinals Tuesday night.
“We’re a strong defensive team,” said Western’s Josh Sime. “We weren’t shooting well but we really executed on our game plan and took it strong to the rim.”
The Warriors survived, and this time it earned Western its sixth state tournament berth in the last seven years (excluding a season cut short by COVID protocols) as the Warriors beat G.W. Danville 48-40.
Sime was a big reason why they kept it moving with 13 points and 11 rebounds, on the night, a performance that included a critical bucket with 3:29 left to play that pushed Western’s lead to 39-33 and forced a G.W. Danville timeout. Western shook off a miserable third quarter where G.W. Danville held the Warriors to just seven points and scored 18 points in the fourth, knocking down 10 of 16 free throws, with the makes mostly coming in the closing seconds.
“We play a lot of slug-it-out games especially with our rivals that know us really well so we’re used to it,” said Western coach Darren Maynard. “We showed a lot toughness tonight and that’s what we were asking because I know (Danville) can put tremendous pressure on you. We had a few turnovers tonight but we didn’t fall to pieces.”
It helped that 6-foot-3 Warriors forward James Meenan pulled down nine rebounds, with six of them coming on the offensive end. He also scored 11 points and bolstered an inside effort for Western that has been impressive of late.
“I thought James Meenan played out of his mind tonight,” Maynard said. “He was great.”
It’s coming back in part because guard Isaac Sumpter returned to the lineup and finished with 13 points, including a 6-for-6 night at the line including 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter to help close it out. Sumpter hit Western’s lone 3-pointer on the night.
“His leadership was really big tonight,” Maynard said. “He handles the ball and his free throws were big.”
Western led 23-15 at the break with the defense completely locked in, but G.W. Danville got loose in the third while Western’s offense faltered and the Warriors’ lead dwindled to 30-27. Danville even briefly took the lead in the fourth, but Western got right back in the mix and then closed the door with free throw shooting and Sime scoring eight of his 15 in the final frame.
Western will square off with E.C. Glass Friday at home in the Region 4D championship game at 7 p.m. and for the Warriors, it’s just another step in the process.
“Our goal is to win a state championship this year so it’s one of the first steps but the job is not finished,” Sime said. “We weren’t celebrating as much as we normally do (tonight) because we know we’ve got four more wins.”
