Patrick Henry-Roanoke finished as the Class 5 state runner-up last year.
Landon School fell in the Maryland state quarterfinals and was the state’s No. 7 seed among private schools.
Something had to give Thursday in the first round of the first annual Scrimmage Play Winter Classic.
Patrick Henry-Roanoke managed to weather the storm for a 62-58 victory over the Bears to earn a spot in Friday’s tournament championship.
“We’re a young team, but these young guys come to practice every day ready to go. If practice is at four, they’re there at 3:45,” said the Patriots’ Moosie Calloway. “They’re ready to work.”
Calloway and big man Rod Tesco were a big reason why the Patriots prevailed, with Tesco scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first half against a sizable Landon lineup and Calloway helping steady the Patriots against immense pressure from Landon down the stretch.
“Ron, that’s our big man, he comes to practice with energy every day,” Calloway said. “We expect him to get boards and play hard and that’s what he does.”
The win sets up the Patriots in Friday’s championship game against Charlottesville at 2:45 p.m.
Patrick Henry absorbed losses to Albemarle and William Fleming earlier this year while trying to break in a revamped roster that graduated a pair of first team all-state selections in Abu Yarmah and Brooks Derery. Against Landon though, they came out firing as both teams filled it up in the first quarter with Patrick Henry taking a slide 20-16 lead at the end of the frame.
Both teams stayed within striking distance of each other the entire game, with neither squad able to build a significant lead for any serious period of time.
With 1:16 to play and Patrick Henry up just two, Landon pressured and tried to force a turnover. Calloway eventually wriggled out of the pressure and found Tay Stanley. When Landon collapsed on Stanley, he deftly flipped it back to Calloway on the wing who drove, drew the foul and finished through contact. Calloway made his free throw and put Patrick Henry up five.
“They have good pressure on the ball,” Calloway said. “I made a tough finish and it definitely helped us because we needed a bucket.”
Landon responded with a putback by Frankie Mannino and then got a steal and Ethan scored to make it 59-58 but that was as close as Landon got. Patrick Henry’s Leron Lipford hit a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left and then Marcel Murray knocked down another free throw after a Landon miss to put the game out of reach.
Ari Hobson had 18 for Landon while Mannino had 12 and Ethan Apergis had 11.
Jakolbi Taylor had 10 for the Patriots while Calloway, Stanley and Lipford each had nine.
The Patriots will face Charlottesville in the Winter Classic final Friday at 2:45 p.m.
