The first meeting had the hype of two one-loss teams meeting up, and ended in an overtime classic. The second meeting had the Bull Run District title on the line. Round two of the Madison County and William Monroe boys basketball clash this year found a way to live up to a sold out billing — as in there were literally people lined outside of the doors before tipoff hoping people would leave so they could get in.
With a seemingly infinite number of lead changes and no margin over six points, this second one in the Dragon’s Lair found a way to be tighter from start to finish. And while this time it was Monroe finding a way to force overtime, the end result was the same with the Mountaineers pulling away at the free throw line late in that extra period for a 53-47 win to complete a second straight season sweep of the Dragons.
“Last time we played we struggled early so that was a focus and not settling early for quick looks,” said Madison coach Ben Breeden. “That made a difference in not falling behind early in this environment. We talked about focusing on each other, not what was going on around us. This group has great leaders and they stepped up.”
That Madison has won four in a row now seems to be fitting for this rivalry where Monroe found a way to win each contest from the ‘10-’11 season through the ‘14-’15 campaign.
While the first meeting was almost a track meet that featured a bevy of three’s, this second meeting was decidedly different in terms of pace. For starters, the Dragons struggled from beyond the arc. But beyond that, both teams were intentionally patient with the two squads trying to attack the basket. While Monroe looked to get Madison’s Dre Twyman and Kobi Alexander in foul trouble, the reverse was true with the Mountaineers driving and trying to get Malique Shackelford and Anthony Terry in the same situation.
Madison put together the first big run of the game with a 10-2 spurt in the first to make it 10-5. But with Monroe answered with a 9-2 run of its own as Terry put together a big second quarter to make it 16-12 for a fired up home crowd. Madison even things up at 16-16 but the Dragons leaned on Terry down the stretch and took a 24-20 lead into the break.
“I was really, really proud of our effort defensively,” said Monroe coach Brett Maynard. “We played so much better there than we did in the first meeting. In the end though, tonight, our shots just didn’t fall like they did last time. That was main thing. We had the looks, missed some free throws. That’s been a problem here where the emotions are so high but we do that against everyone else so I still have a lot of confidence in our guys. We’ve got games coming up that will mean a lot more to our success as a team coming up, so that’s good.”
With the first of Elijah Lewis’ three 3-pointers coming right of the gate to start the second half, Madison chipped away at the lead before it claimed a 31-30 lead on, what else, a Lewis trey. Monroe rallied through behind Jaden Anderson and Shackelford to take a 37-34 advantage into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, Madison got a big frame from Isiah Smith who poured in six of his 11 points during that stretch, including what was a go-ahead basket with 11.6 seconds to play to make it 45-43.
“We knew we wanted him to have the ball it was just a matter of where,” Breeden said. “Three guys contested that shot in the lane and he still finished. Very happy with that obviously.”
Out of a timeout, Monroe responded with Anderson getting a friendly roll on a layup to make 43-43 and send things into overtime.
Early in the extra period, the Mountaineers were able to draw Shackelford’s fifth foul. That changed things as Madison tried to take advantage of play in the key without him. Alexander and Smith were able to make it a 4-point lead early and from their, Monroe tried to foul its way back into the contest but the Mountaineers came up clutch at the free throw line to wrap up a 53-47 victory and their first Bull Run District crown since 2010.
“It felt good to get four in a row against a tough team like Monroe and to finally get this district championship,” Smith said. “We’re playing harder. In past years we took too much for granted. Now we’re coming out playing hard, finishing games out.”
Monroe will look to have a short memory, as its playoff future will be set today. With a win over Skyline, the Dragons can clinch the top spot in Conference 28 and secure home field advantage.
“We’ve responded to every loss really well so I expect the same after this,” Maynard said.
Madison will look to wrap up the top spot in Conference 35 with a win over George Mason on Tuesday. The Mustangs are the only Bull Run squad to have beaten the Mountaineers this season.
“It’s fulfilling,” Breeden said. “Guys like Dre and Isiah who played as freshmen, those weren’t our years but they and the guys that have come in, they’ve been aggressive. They’ve stuck with the program. It’s rewarding for them but also for us to watch them stay so positive with each other through this. They’ve grown together.”
