James Monroe has been the massive canine in Class A the previous two seasons, successful two state championships and posting a 45-game common season streak and a 59-2 document since dropping right down to Class A in 2021.
The one place the Mavericks wrestled was at Higher Beckley Christian.
This development continued on Saturday night time.
Freshman Keegan Davidson hit a free throw with six seconds left and sophomore James Monroe got here up brief on a nook 3 as time expired because the Crusaders' 9 made it a 62-61 victory.
The loss was the Mavericks' first common season loss to a Class A staff since Higher Beckley beat James Monroe 58-55 on April 13, 2021.
“It means quite a bit (to this system),” Higher Beckley coach Justin Arvon mentioned. “They’re very properly educated. They make nice changes all through the sport. They're all the time arduous to beat as a result of they're so lengthy, robust, bodily and their youngsters are such nice youngsters. They play with such ardour and depth. That's arduous to beat. However right now we managed to push by way of.
“Matt (Sauvage, James Monroe's coach) and I simply had a chat, it appears like dwelling and residential. We by no means received down there. I feel they received right here in 2022. It was a superb match. I'm excited to win. We'll see them once more (within the postseason).
“It's form of, I hate to make use of the phrase humorous, however (however) I've by no means received right here,” Sauvage mentioned. “We've misplaced right here as soon as (that was in 2022 as a result of an eligibility problem with some gamers that value GBC a number of video games) however I've by no means received right here.
It didn't seem like shut early within the fourth because the Crusaders used an unlikely ally, a 3-pointer, to go up 56-44.
James Monroe massive man Brady Baker, who sat a lot of the interval after selecting up two fast fouls within the first 1:56 and sitting the remainder of the quarter, had a fast basket to make it 43-42 early within the fourth. quarter boy
Kash Hendrix hit a 3-pointer — he was one among seven completely different Crusaders to mix for 9 3-pointers — and Davidson scored on a drive to the rim earlier than Cooper Ridgeway had two free throws for James Monroe to chop the Mavs' deficit to 48-44.
However Hendrix, who not too long ago returned to the Higher Beckley lineup from damage, had three extra, Isaiah Kincaid scored inside and Averyk Woodson hit a 3-pointer to make it 56-44. All the injury from that 8-0 run got here in a span of 52 seconds.
The 2 3-pointers had been Hendrix's solely baskets of the sport, however they had been large and key, Arvon mentioned.
“He's been injured for a number of video games right here and had a badly sprained ankle,” the coach mentioned. “He's an excellent shooter and he's not afraid to shoot and shoot. Once you get him within the recreation, he can hit a number of and actually provide you with a lift. And he did it for us. Defensively, he's nonetheless injured and might't do as a lot as we'd like him to. However once we wanted them, he actually gave us some massive pictures.”
The Crusaders had 4 triples within the fourth to construct a double-digit lead.
“We didn't do it (the three) in any respect this yr. The distinction is we hit layup threes, huge open appears to be like, good bounce pictures in rhythm and we didn't try this,” Arvon mentioned. “It occurred tonight. We by accident made them. I don't suppose it's an accident.”
James Monroe didn't depart.
If Higher Beckley owned the primary 4 minutes, the Mavericks took over the past 4, at the very least till the ultimate six seconds.
After happening from the 12, Baker, a two-time first-team all-state lineman on the Mavericks soccer staff, had 5 in a row on two robust baskets inside and a free throw.
It was nonetheless a nine-point recreation, 61-52, with 3:59 left when Davidson once more obtained to the rim and hit a layup.
From that time, the Mavericks went on a 9-0 run to tie the sport. Ryan Mann, Ridgeway and Ryan Cole had baskets to make it 61-58.
With 1:22 left, Layton Dowdy made one among two free throws and with 26 seconds left, Ridgeway scored on a layup to tie the rating at 61-61.
That left freshman Davidson fouled on a drive with six seconds left and hit the primary to win on Senior Night time.
“He's an enormous man in all places,” Arvon mentioned of Davidson, who had 21 to steer all scorers, totally on a string of good strikes to get to the rim. “He's an excellent child, an excellent athlete, an excellent participant. He will probably be one thing particular to observe on this space for the subsequent 4 years. He’s a born chief. We knew he would do the primary. I want he had performed the second, however we didn't care what we did. The clock began instantly, which was good for us.'
Senior Landon Rose added 10 for the Crusaders.
There have been a number of damaging droughts for James Monroe all through the sport, together with a virtually six-minute stretch within the second quarter the place the staff scored 5 factors and a five-minute stretch between the third and fourth when GBC went from 4, 38-34, to up 12, 56-44 , with a run of 22-6.
“Within the second quarter, I assumed we stopped transferring,” Sauvage mentioned. “Plenty of our offense is learn and react to cuts and we simply didn't try this and it turned a stalemate, it turned a defensive battle as a substitute of simply taking part in basketball.” It’ll occur, nevertheless it's been too lengthy.'
Baker was in foul hassle and didn't assist a lot of the second and third video games.
Along with Baker, Cole additionally had 15 and Ridgeway had 14.
Higher Beckley (11-6) will face Independence Tuesday at dwelling and James Monroe (13-3) will probably be at River View Monday, the primary of 4 video games subsequent week.
James Monroe
Wil Boggess 0 0-0 0, Layton Dowdy 2 2-4 7, Chaz Boggs 0 0-0 0, Cooper Ridgeway 6 2-2 14, Ryan Mann 3 0-1 6, Bannon Goodman 1 2-2 4, Ryan Cole 6 0-0 15, Brady Baker 6 3-4 15. TOTALS: 24 9-13 61
Higher Beckley Christian
Keegan Davidson 8 4-6 21, Aaron Corridor 1 1-2 4, Kellen Heffernan 3 0-0 7, Averyk Woodson 2 0-0 5, Kash Hendrix 2 0-0 6, Isaiah Kincaid 3 0-1 6, Hunter Laxton 0 1-2 1, Landon Rose 4 0-0 10, Eli Gunter 1 0-0 3. TOTAL: 24 6-11 6
JM 19 5 16 21 — 61
GBC 18 8 17 19 — 62
3-point subject objectives – JM: 4 (Dowdy 1, Cole 3). GB: 9 (Davidson 1, Corridor 1, Heffernan 1, Woodson 1, Hendrix 2, Rose 2, Gunter 1) Off – none.
