The Westfield Bulldogs are many people’s pick to win a Class 6 Virginia state title this season. So, it was no surprise they made it to Friday night’s Northern Region Championship Game versus Marshall.
Down double digits in the second half, it was a surprise to see Marshall furiously rally to give Westfield a scare late. Westfield passed the test, however, defeating the Statesmen 49-46 to win the regional title.
Even if Westfield had been upset, the team’s dreams of a state title would still be alive, as both teams advance to the state tourney. The result was significant, however, in many ways. This group of players had never won a regional title, falling to eventual state champion South Lakes last year. Plus, it made the road at states easier, as Westfield will now open up that tournament at home.
It may have also shown Westfield (27-1) is better suited than last year, when they fell to Woodson in the State Quarters, to win the state title. Coach Kevin Harris has won state titles before, when he coached Centreville, and after the game he identified what makes his current team somewhat unique.
“Next man up mentality,” Harris said after the game. “If one of our guys isn’t having a great night…we’ve had six leading scorers this year. First time I’ve ever coached a team like this. Have so many guys that want to score the ball but also want to share.”
That’s how it was Friday night. 6’7″ senior William Robinson was active inside early, pacing his team’s attack with 14 first half points. Robinson had nine in the first quarter, and Northern Region MVP Jemon Price added eight as Westfield took a 21-16 lead after a quarter.
Marshall (24-4) then slowed things down with a plethora of zone defenses. The second quarter was almost completely opposite to the first in terms of pace, and at intermission Westfield led 28-25.
After halftime Harris’ team demonstrated another trait which might eventually earn the Bulldogs the state title: defense.
“Always defense first,” said Harris. “Our defense turns into offense. When we’re able to hold them [teams] to one shot, turn them over, we then run in transition, share the ball all around, hit threes.”
The Bulldogs held Marshall scoreless the first six minutes of the third quarter, extending their lead to 37-25. It seemed Marshall was dead in the water, having scored just nine points in almost 14 minutes of game time, but then the Statesmen slowly began to claw their way back into the contest.
Senior Shreyas Vaidya hit a three-pointer to get Marshall within 43-40 with just 1:22 left. The Bulldogs had been burning time atop the Statesmen defense with the lead, but sophomore swingman Malachi Lee attacked the basket to extend the Westfield lead to 45-40.
Westfield led 46-42 with 28 seconds left when it got crazy, with Marshall refusing to quit. Westfield senior guard Colin Stemberger was flying down the court with the ball, but he clipped Lee who was approaching to set a screen, and Stemberger lost possession. Then, with 13 seconds left, Marshall’s Trey Lonardo hit junior Jonas Rohde for an open three-pointer in the corner. Rohde hit the shot to make it 46-45.
When the ball went through the net, a Marshall player interfered with the ball in an attempt to stop the clock, as Marshall had no time outs left. He was assessed a technical foul, and Price made one-of-two free throws to put Westfield up 47-45 with the ball and 8.5 seconds left.
Lonardo then tipped the Westfield sideline in-bounds pass and stole the ball, passing the ball to Vaidya, who was fouled. Vaidya also only hit one-of-two free throws, however, and Marshall had to foul Stemberger a second later on the in-bounds. Stemberger hit both free throws, Marshall’s last gasp to tie was no good, and Westfield had prevailed.
“I mean, back-to-back games, then going for the championship against a team like this,” said Harris of Marshall and the end of the game. “They run so much good stuff…their perimeter did a better job late, our legs were a little tired…ended up haunting us [at the end] but we came back to win.”
It was a hard-earned victory with many heroes. Lee had a good all-around game with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and wowed the crowd with a couple of dunks. Robinson finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds–he and the athletic Lee also did a good job defending the paint. Price finished with nine points, while Stemberger scored all eight of his points in the second half.
The Bulldogs will now host the loser of today’s Edison-South County Occoquan Championship on Tuesday, while Marshall will be the road team against the winner to open States.
Vaidya (13 points) and Rohde (nine points) each had three three-pointers for the Statesmen, while Lonardo and junior guard Jackson Fraser added eight points apiece.
–Chris Jollay