It has been 11 years since Covenant’s boys basketball team won a state tournament game.
Eleven years, five different coaches, countless players.
That drought is over.
The No. 5-seeded Eagles, despite missing big man Will Maupin who was out with the flu, held off Williamsburg Christian 52-49 in the VISAA D3 state first round, the first state playoff victory for the program since a 2009 first round win over Cape Henry.
“It’s awesome to go out on our home court with a win and get that 20th win of the season — Covenant hasn’t done that in a long time,” said Covenant senior Nic Sanker. “This was huge for our confidence to play well as a team, execute down the stretch and advance to the next round.”
The Eagles (20-6) now get a shot to extend this strong season when they take on Fairfax Christian in the D3 quarterfinals Wednesday
Jonas Sanker finished with 18 points and seven boards in the gutty win where the Eagles’ defense really led the way. Covenant couldn’t get any real separation from the No. 12 Eagles, in large part because they may have been a touch underseeded.
“I watched the film and I was like ‘that’s the toughest 12 seed I’ve seen’,” said Covenant coach Clark Walker. “They were aggressive, they were able to get shots in that third quarter but we settled down, closed them off defensively and shared the ball a little bit better offensively.”
Nic Sanker gave the Eagles a big lift though, shouldering much of the load inside with Maupin out of the lineup. Sanker had 10 points and six boards while regularly extending possessions with tap outs or fighting for the ball underneath.
Covenant led just 25-24 at the break and then 42-38 at the end of the third. They just couldn’t seem to get the kind of decisive run they needed to put Williamsburg Christian away as the Eagles just kept getting timely buckets to stay within a possession of the Eagles. In the fourth, the Sankers both went scoreless and Michael Seelman stepped up, scoring all seven of his points in the final frame.
While Nic Sanker didn’t pour it in down the stretch, he was taking care of business on the defensive end, moving teammates around and making sure WCA didn’t catch fire and stun the Eagles.
“Nic is such an analytical guy, he’s going to Princeton for a good reason,” Walker said. “In those moments where we knew we needed to be sound defensively, I love his leadership.”
Eli Bennett finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. The win was Walker’s first state playoff win as a head coach as well.
“We’re extremely thankful for another game tomorrow night,” Walker said. “It’s just a testament to these guys who’ve been in the program for years.”
