Fearlessness. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need when the big moment arrives. More than skill. More than speed. More than a quick trigger release.
Western Albemarle’s Aidan Sims was completely fearless Monday night.
“That’s an awful big shot – he’s fearless,” said Western coach Darren Maynard.
The junior guard buried a 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Warriors to a 57-54 victory over Albemarle in the Jefferson District championship game.
“I’m not afraid at all,” Sims said. “Coach always preaches toughness and I think that’s what we brought today.”
The play came at the end of regulation following a late push by Albemarle that tied the game at 54-54 after Carter Wesson flushed a baseline dunk and then hit a floater with under 30 seconds to play. Western responded, calling a timeout after crossing halfcourt to set up a play. Not surprisingly, sharpshooter Wes Gobble – who scored 13 points – was the initial target of the possession.
“It was supposed to be twins for Wes but we knew they were going to double team him coming off that screen,” Sims said. “Alex (Keeton) went to the left because the off ball defender was sagging off a little bit and I was fortunately wide open.”
Sims caught and shot in rhythm, buried the 3-pointer and sprinted toward the crowd before being enveloped by his team and the Western student section. It was something of a redemption arc for Sims, who’d committed four turnovers earlier in the contest
“Sometimes his fearlessness works in our favor, sometimes it doesn’t but he’s fearless,” Maynard said. “He probably had a few things to make up for but that’s an awfully big shot. It’s hard to win here, you have to have so much toughness to win here.”
The Warriors (21-3) built a huge lead out of the gate against the Patriots, leading 17-5 at the end of the first quarter. Albemarle righted the ship in the second quarter and trailed by 11 at the break, but really made a push in the third, cutting Western’s lead to just 41-39.
Western was at its best when Josh Sime, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, was helping the Warriors break Albemarle’s relentless press. The big forward took care of the ball well as the outlet in the middle and set the table for a ton of productive possessions for the Warriors.
“He helps us break presses and this was the first game against Albemarle where he got to play the whole game,” Maynard said, referencing Sime’s foul trouble in previous matchups. “It was nice to have him out there, he relieves pressure, he’s so tough on the glass and you can’t take it away from him. I thought he played a magnificent game.”
Sime finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Sims had 10 points on the night including the game-winner.
Then in the fourth Western built another small lead, but Albemarle refused to go quietly, with Wesson leading the charge. The senior finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
La’mari Parler had nine points, seven rebounds and four blocks while Christian Humes and Ben Wesson each scored eight points and dished out three assists.
Both squads – who split the 4-game season series 2-2 – now turn their focus to the region tournament. Albemarle hosts William Fleming Friday at 6 p.m. in Region 5D play while Western Albemarle hosts Salem the same night at 7:30 p.m.
