Millbrook outlasts James Wood in OT in Conference 21 West playoffs

By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI | The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Millbrook boys’ basketball coach Ben Bates calls his players “the cardiac kids,” and their hearts just wouldn’t stop pumping Friday night.

The sixth-seeded Pioneers rallied from nine points down with three minutes to go and five points down with 1:23 to go to force overtime, then came back from five points down in overtime to claim a thrilling 60-55 win over No. 3 James Wood in the Conference 21 West first round at the Colonels’ Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium.

Millbrook (12-11) did all this despite losing point guard Jordan Jackson with 21 seconds left in the third quarter to a left-leg injury and leading scorer Jordan Funk (12.6 points per game) with his fifth foul with 3:46 left in overtime.

James Wood (8-15) fought just as hard as the Pioneers in a game the Colonels called their best of the season, but Millbrook just made a few more plays to move on to Monday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal game at No. 2 Sherando (13-9).

“They were the cardiac kids, and we’ve been like that all season,” said Bates, whose team improved to 2-2 in overtime games this season. “We’ve lived off the next-man-up philosophy all season. We’ve had kids hurt, kids suspended, kids be sick, kids not be there, and we’ve just rolled with the punches.”

Millbrook junior wing Trammell Anthony (11 points, nine rebounds) said it wasn’t easing losing two of their best players, but he was proud of how his team dug deep to keep their season alive and beat James Wood for the third time in three meetings.

A Pioneers team that came in making only 56.7 percent of its free throws hit 80 percent (24 of 30) on Friday, hitting 17 of 19 from the line in the fourth quarter and overtime. Jalen Tyson (23 of 51 on free throws coming into Friday) led Millbrook with 13 points on the strength of a 9-of-10 performance on free throws.

Funk hit three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt to tie the game at 48 with 45.6 seconds left in regulation. Freshman guard Taralle Hayden hit two with 15.2 seconds left in overtime to make it 58-55, 36 seconds after his driving layup gave Millbrook the lead for good at 56-55.

The Pioneers also made some key defensive stops and fought hard for rebounds down the stretch in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Pioneers held the Colonels scoreless for the last 4:17 of regulation and went on a 9-0 run over the last three minutes, and they outscored James Wood 12-2 after giving up the first five points in overtime.

“We took it upon ourselves to reach down deep and pull our eveything we had left to win,” said Anthony, who had a critical rebound with 20 seconds left in overtime. “It was all about effort, and we went after it.”

James Wood senior forward Noah Sullivan (game-high 19 points, seven rebounds) went after it in a big way too, and with 1:04 left in overtime, he made the Colonels’ fans roar with a driving layup toward the right side of the basket in which he drew heavy contact. For a split-second, James Wood thought it had taken a three-point lead and would have a chance to go up four.

But instead of issuing a blocking foul, the ref called a charge on Sullivan to leave the Colonels’ lead at 55-54.

“Obviously I tried to avoid [the defender],” Sullivan said. “I don’t know how long he set up there. I didn’t know if he was bouncing.

“I had been driving to the hoop a lot all game. I kind of had a feeling they were going to set up for a charge. It was definitely a bad time for me to commit a charge.”

James Wood coach Tim Wygant did not feel it was a charge.

“I didn’t think it was a legal guarding position,” Wygant said. “[Sullivan] had already started his shooting motion to the rim, and [the defender] slid in, which is not a legal guarding position.”

Millbrook did not waste the opportunity to take the lead. After Hayden received the ball on the left side of the floor even with the free-throw line, he drove past Ben Sear to give the Pioneers a 56-55 edge.

“I saw [James Wood’s] Aidan [Houser] step out [to guard one of my teammates],” Hayden said. “I saw I had an opening, and I took it.”

The senior guard Houser (12 points, eight rebounds, 7 of 7 from the line) nearly gave the Colonels the lead back on his own drive to the basket, but his shot fell off the rim. Anthony grabbed the rebound, and Millbrook called a timeout with 19.4 seconds left.

James Wood howled for a travel on the Millbrook player who caught the ensuing inbounds pass, but play continued and the Colonels fouled Hayden with 15.2 seconds left.

After Hayden made both, James Wood elected to attack the basket on its next possession rather than go for tie. But the Colonels missed the layup, Tyson grabbed the rebound, and Ben Curtin (12 points) finished James Wood by making two free throws with 4.8 seconds left.

Millbrook’s free throws were huge, and so was its defense Friday.

“I didn’t think we’d pick them up with a full-court press, but when you’re down with three minutes to go [in regulation], you have to,” Bates said. “I think we sped them up a little bit and made them play faster than they were playing, forced them into some tough shots, and we got some rebounds and got out in transition.”

Friday’s loss was a crushing one for the Colonels, but they were definitely pleased with their effort. Senior forward Samuel Costin added 16 points for Wood.

“At the end of the fourth and the end of overtime, [Millbrook] made their shots and we didn’t,” Wygant said. “It’s that simple. We got the shots that we wanted for the most part, and we literally needed one more to fall. Credit to them for finishing the game better than we did.

“In terms of chemistry and continuity, I thought that this was the best game that we played all season. We went [eight deep] and everybody really contributed who got in there. It’s tough for the seniors, because we’re going to miss them. Those seniors fought really, really hard tonight, the best I’ve ever really seen them play.”

“This is the first home playoff game I’ve played in during my career at James Wood,” Sullivan said. “We really wanted to go out and show the fans something, and really give it our all, knowing this might be our last game.

“We told everyone to walk out of here with our heads held high. We knew we gave it our all. As a senior captain, that’s all I can ask for. I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”

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