By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
FORK UNION – A renewed intensity in the second half gave Fork Union all it needed to come away with a win over Trinity Episcopal School on Tuesday in the first round of the Prep League tournament.
The Blue Devils used a stingy defense and a third-quarter run to pull away from the visiting Titans for the 57-45 victory, the team’s second straight over Trinity.
Fork Union advances to play top-seed Christchurch on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the semifinals at St. Christopher’s.
“Right when they went out in the third quarter, their body language was different, their intensity was different, their focus was different,” Fork Union coach Matt Donohue said of his team. “We were able to hold them to six points in the third quarter and that just pushed us ahead.”
Fork Union held a two-point halftime lead, but Trinity quickly tied it on a pair of free throws from Evan Mcgill. The Blue Devils took the lead on a Christian Hackenberg 3-pointer, which sparked a 13-2 scoring spurt. The run was highlighted by a crowd-pleasing one-hand dunk from Jonah Dew after a miss by Xavier Holland. During that stretch, Fork Union crashed the boards as big men Kion Brown and Samer Bandak limited the Titans to one shot most trips down the floor. Brown and Bandak finished with seven rebounds apiece.
Fork Union held Trinity to one field goal in the third quarter, and five in the second half.
“I can’t say that we looked as good defensively as we have in other games, but it was good enough,” Donohue said. “We were able to rattle them a little bit – we know they are a 3-point shooting team, so limiting them to one shot, getting the rebound, [was key], which I thought we did a better job of in the second half.”
The Blue Devils continued to pull away in the fourth, and although the Titans cut the lead to six, FUMA extended it to double digits with a layup from Dew and a pair of free throws from Brown, who was double and triple-teamed much of the night and finished with 10 points. Trinity never threatened from there as Fork Union went 5 of 8 from the foul line in the final 1:09 to preserve the win.
As usual, Fork Union had a balanced attack as six players scored at least six points. Hackenberg paced the Blue Devils, the reigning Prep League champions, with 13 points. Dew added 11, and Holland finished with seven points.
Up next is a tough test for Fork Union in Christchurch, a team that swept the Blue Devils in the regular season.
“They’re a real good team – they beat us twice. The first game was a little competitive and the second game was competitive at the end,” Brown said. “I just can’t wait to play them. I have a lot of friends on [the team], so it’s going to be fun.”
