by Bill Turner
Patrick Henry broke away from a 25-25 tie midway through the third quarter as the Patriots captured the crosstown rivalry and Western Valley District regular season crown with the win on Colonel senior night last Friday in the William Fleming gym.
In a game which could be called ragged, at best, both teams struggled to find their shot most of the evening. PH managed to take a 19-17 lead to the halftime break on a last second shot from behind the arc, and the teams exchanged leads early in the third quarter before Fleming went cold. Patrick Henry seized the opportunity and gradually increased its lead to 41-29 to settle the final outcome.
“The first half was a typical ugly PH-Fleming game,” Patriot head coach Jack Esworthy said after the game. “That run we made late in the third quarter was huge. We were relying on our defense to keep us in the game. Our guys were playing into Fleming’s tempo. I was getting concerned and about ready to go into some type of full-court trap to force the action.”
“I thought we had a game plan that would work,” Fleming coach Mickey Hardy said in the Colonel locker room afterward. “This is a big rivalry and the games are always close. It was senior night and it was emotional. PH is a seasoned team. We just didn’t make shots down the stretch.”
Patrick Henry was led in scoring by Marcus Banks’ 14 points, while K.J. Epps added 10 for the Patriots. Vincent Wyatt led the Colonels with 10 points.
Patrick Henry (15-3;7-1) locked up home court advantage for the district tournament and is assured a spot into the regionals. Fleming needed to win its final game at GW Danville and get some help with a Halifax loss to avoid its season coming to an end.
“We still have a shot,” Hardy said. “We’re a young team. Every high school team goes through this type of cycle. The fans just don’t understand that.”
