The John Marshall basketball team has the nickname Justices.
Saturday evening at the Salem Civic Center they rendered the final decision.
Jumping out to an early 8-0 lead, John Marshall held on for dear life the rest of the way to knock off never-say-die Lord Botetourt 58-52 in the Group 3A semifinals. The Justices advanced to Thursday’s final at VCU where they will meet George Wythe-Richmond at 2 p.m. for the all-Richmond showdown.
The Justices used their size and athleticism Saturday to put a Botetourt team in a position they were unaccustomed to facing – playing from behind. Add to that a Botetourt fan base that turned the Salem Civic Center into a sea of red.
“I definitely think we came out with the butterflies,” Botetourt senior standout Justin Goode said outside the Cavs locker room afterward. “We’d never played in front of a crowd like this. I’d say that would be a little bit of it.”
Goode, Botetourt’s leading scorer, also was faced with being guarded by 6-foot-5 John Marshall junior Taqqi Muhammed.
“It was definitely a different matchup for me,” Goode noted. “I’m used to having a short little guard on me. This guy was was long and athletic. It was definitely something I had to get used to throughout the game.”
Goode was held scoreless in the opening quarter as Marshall led 17-7 after the opening 8 minutes, but made the adjustments and finished with a game-high 25 points including 5 bombs from behind-the-arc. Goode’s play was not lost on John Marshall head coach Ty White after the game.
“Goode is just as advertised,” White said. “There’s no doubt he’s a next-level player. We had a game plan to pay extra attention to him. Fortunately, we got locked in defensively and got off to a good start. We’ve got height and speed and were able to get some second shots off misses.”
After the early deficit, the Cavs regrouped and made a statement they weren’t going away without a fight. They got to within seven points in the second quarter before trailing at the break 29-20.
Botetourt opened the second half with an 8-0 run fueled by a Goode 3-pointer, a score by Thomas Hickman and a drain from behind-the arc by Cav senior Dustin Hassell that made it 29-28. Hassell finished with 15 points and three long-range bombs for LB.
Jeremy Carter-Sheppard scored a pair of baskets for John Marshall to restore the Justices lead to 33-28, but Goode responded with two straight layups, the second on a coast-to-coast move, that pulled Botetourt to 33-32. John Marshall then used a Carter-Shappard 3-pointer to start a 10-3 run to close the third quarter. Marshall led 43-35 heading to the final frame.
The Justices looked ready to push the dagger in when Carter-Sheppard and Jerquante Broaduss each hit from long range to open the fourth quarter, pushing the Marshall lead to 49-35.
Goode rallied Botetourt with two straight 3-pointers and a pair of free throws with 4:04 left that cut the deficit to 49-43. Botetourt had possession to get closer, but a strip-and-slam restored the cushion for John Marshall. Goode’s 3-pointer with 18.1 seconds left got the Cavs to within 57-52, but it was too little, too late.
“It seemed like every time we made a run at them, they answered with a big shot,” Goode noted.
“It just didn’t go our way tonight,” Botetourt head coach Chad Conner said. “John Marshall hit those back-to-back 3s and it made it tough to catch up. They’re a tough defensive team, give them credit..”
Botetourt finished the season 24-3, bringing the Cavs to the upper echelon of local hoops.
“These seniors set a bar real high as far as the program’s concerned,” Conner added. “We’ve had a great season. The most team wins and reaching the Final-4. They need to keep their heads up and be proud of everything they’ve accomplished. They’ve shown how you should be on and off the court, how hard you should work and what kind of person you should be.”
Bill Turner
