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Third time is a charm: Albemarle wins first ever region championship in battle with Harrisonburg

Photo: Ashley Thornton

Any good rivalry has carry over. The Albemarle boys basketball team had a pair of regular season meetings with Harrisonburg with the Patriots taking both by a combined 15 points in contests where the games only got chippier. Throw that on top of a loss to Harrisonburg in football this past Novermber with a handful of both rosters participating all along and its safe to say that these two kind of don’t like each other.

 

Tuesday night’s Region 5D final between the two was spicy and busy. After a tight first half, Albemarle was able to beat the Chargers in convincing fashion though, 76-62, in a whistle laden affair where the Patriots outscored their opponents 18-4 in the third quarter.

 

“I was extremly pleased with that third quarter because their physicality disrupted our flow in the first half but we kept scrapping,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “A lot of the drive in the first half we didn’t convert on but in the second we did. That’s to our credit, our kids keep fighting.”

 

The Patriots got off on the right foot in the first quarter with J’quan Anderson leading the way to a 12-4 start midway through the frame. But Harrisonburg’s Steven Gilbert got hot from beyond the perimeter and the visitors were able to go on a 20-7 run over the next eight minutes to take a 24-19 lead. Albemarle fought back, mostly at the free throw line and a Cartier Key 3-pointer with 1:12 left in the second made it 28-25. The Patriots went into the half up 30-29.

 

“We knew what they were about,” Anderson said. “We just came out (in the second) and played stronger and smarter. Coach Maynard preached defense and to lock up, we didn’t play that much defense in the first half so we just came out trying to play better defense.”

 

With both teams getting into the bonus in the first half, the third saw Albemarle’s Na’il Arnold and Gilbert from Harrisonburg each pick up their third fouls early in the second half. The Patriots leaned on Chris Cox and Derrick Jones and they both delivered. Jones knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 43-31 in what was a 13-2 sprint. Cox had 12 points with all of them in the second half and 10 of them in the fourth.

 

“I honestly feel like without Derrick Jones and Chris Cox we wouldn’t be where we’re at right now,” Anderson said. “Our whole team is just amped up to get to states. We’ve got a lot of young people on this team but the starting five just knows what’s at stake — but the bench, we’re treating each other like it’s all our last game.”

 

The Patriots entered the fourth up 48-33 and both squads traded 3-pointers from there with Key and Anderson keeping pace with Gilbert’s hot hand. With a pair of free throws from Cox, Albemarle had a 58-44 lead with 4:03 to play.

 

“I just think these guys are winners, they just know how to win,” Maynard said. “They learned how to do it the last couple of years and it’s just carried over. I don’t know how they do it sometimes because we didn’t blow out too many teams this year, we’ve played in so many close ones. But this team just figures it out.”

 

The last four minutes of play were painstakingly slow with things getting increasingly feisty. The Chargers were hit with a technical foul when Arnold got mixed up with AC White underneath the basket. Things calmed down physicality wise after that, but it didn’t stop an Albemarle free throw barrage with Maxx Jarmon going 5-for-6 down the stretch to make it 70-56 with 1:12 to go. Albemarle put the game out of reach after that with baskets from Kaysean Allen and Cox.

 

“There was just a lot more energy in this game than the others and there was obvisouly a lot more at stake,” Cox said. “I know I tried as hard as I could and I’m sure that was the case for everyone of us. We knew if we lost we’d still go on but we wanted to do this for the school, for each other.”

 

On the night, Albemarle had four players finish in double figures with Key the way with 17 points paced by a trio of 3-pointers.

 

“Coming in and doing (this) with the guys I came in with as a freshman and putting that first regional (banner) up there, it’s very special,” Key said. “I hope we can do it in state’s too.”

 

Anderson had 16 points and six assists. Jarmon chipped in 15 points. Cox had 12. Allen put together six points and four steals. Arnold, despite missing the bulk of the second half, managed to finish with eight rebounds and five blocks.

 

For Harrisonburg, Gilbert was the only one in double figures but he led all scorers with 26 points and hit four three’s.

 

The first ever regional championship sets up the Patriots with Thomas Edison in the Class 5A quarterfinals. This is the third straight trip to the state tournament for Albemarle, but this time they’ll play at Monticello on Friday 7 p.m.

 

“It makes a big difference, about a 120 mile difference since we get to play at Monticello,” Maynard. “That’s huge not playing at TC Robinson in Fairfax. You keep the momentum of winning and we’ll have our fans behind our backs and that’s what these kids have play for all season.”

 

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