Boys - Southwest District Tournament - 1st Round - Virginia High 59 Marion 56 - FINAL
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SOUTHWEST BOYS: Virginia High outlasts Marion
With six seconds left in the game against the Marion Scarlet Hurricanes, 6-foot-3 Gavin Austin launched a full-court pass to 6-4 sophomore John Clifton.
Clifton converted a layup and Marion then misfired on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer, giving the Bearcats a 59-56 victory.
“I stayed back down court on that play and Gavin gave me a perfect pass,” said Clifton, who doubles as a centerfielder and pitcher. “I thought about going up to dunk the ball but we just needed the points.”
VHS opened the game with a 4-0 deficit. Following a timeout, the Bearcats dissected the Marion zone defense with smart entry passes, ball movement and eight 3-pointers.
The Bearcats led 45-35 with 1:05 left in the third quarter before Marion mounted a rally.
“Everybody wants to play a zone against us and we’ve got some shooters. I don’t understand that, but we took advantage,” said VHS coach Wayne Rasnick.
The long-armed Clifton finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Rohon Spyke (12 points), 6-3 leaper Tyler Strong (11 points, seven rebounds, two blocks) and Austin (10 points) also reached double figures for VHS.
The hidden hero for VHS (6-17) was senior point guard Johnny Nguyen, who handled the Marion zone pressure in style while adding seven points and four steals.
“Johnny is all heart,” Rasnick said.
According to Nguyen, basketball is about the basics.
“I don’t really like scoring. I’d rather turn defense into offense and share the ball,” Nguyen said. “If we’re winning, I would be happy just sitting on the bench.”
VHS has relied on five sophomores this season, including Clifton, Austin, Will Brown, Jake Johnston, and Strong. The Bearcats were without two players due to illness Wednesday with guard Alex Inman playing through an illness.
“We played up here earlier this season and went down by 30 points before losing by 15,” Rasnick said. “The sickness has gone through this team from the coaches to every player. These kids are resilient and they played hard.”
VHS will face regular season SWD champion Graham in Friday’s semifinals in a 6 p.m. start at Graham Middle School.
“It’s been a growing process, but we’ve put in a lot of work and I’m glad to see another win,” Rasnick said.
Clifton hopes the best is yet to come for VHS.
“We’ve got a young team and we’re finally coming together,” Clifton said. “That will be good for us in the future. This was a fast-paced game and we responded with a big win.
Marion (10-13) hit six free throws to ignite a furious rally in the final minutes.
“I was proud of how we battled back,” said ninth-year Marion head coach Chad Bailey. “We never quit and rebounded well, but our problem all year has been going into ruts where we can’t score.
“We’ve probably worked on shooting more this year than we ever have, but we just have times where we can’t hit the shots.”
The Bearcats harassed Marion with a transition and a trapping defense.
“That made it hard for us to get into a set offense, but I thought we attacked it well,” Bailey said.
Marion senior point guard Devin Wolfe attacked the entire game with fearless drives, speed and rapid ball movement. Junior Caleb Osborne (15 points) also hit several jumpers in the Marion comeback.
Marion was also led by senior football star Kelby Ford (18 points, 10 rebounds).
The tallest starter for Marion, which started four seniors, was the 6-foot Ford.
“We had a good look there at the end, but the ball just didn’t fall and Virginia High clinched it with that full-court pass,” Bailey said.
- Allen Gregory | Bristol Herald Courier
With six seconds left in the game against the Marion Scarlet Hurricanes, 6-foot-3 Gavin Austin launched a full-court pass to 6-4 sophomore John Clifton.
Clifton converted a layup and Marion then misfired on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer, giving the Bearcats a 59-56 victory.
“I stayed back down court on that play and Gavin gave me a perfect pass,” said Clifton, who doubles as a centerfielder and pitcher. “I thought about going up to dunk the ball but we just needed the points.”
VHS opened the game with a 4-0 deficit. Following a timeout, the Bearcats dissected the Marion zone defense with smart entry passes, ball movement and eight 3-pointers.
The Bearcats led 45-35 with 1:05 left in the third quarter before Marion mounted a rally.
“Everybody wants to play a zone against us and we’ve got some shooters. I don’t understand that, but we took advantage,” said VHS coach Wayne Rasnick.
The long-armed Clifton finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Rohon Spyke (12 points), 6-3 leaper Tyler Strong (11 points, seven rebounds, two blocks) and Austin (10 points) also reached double figures for VHS.
The hidden hero for VHS (6-17) was senior point guard Johnny Nguyen, who handled the Marion zone pressure in style while adding seven points and four steals.
“Johnny is all heart,” Rasnick said.
According to Nguyen, basketball is about the basics.
“I don’t really like scoring. I’d rather turn defense into offense and share the ball,” Nguyen said. “If we’re winning, I would be happy just sitting on the bench.”
VHS has relied on five sophomores this season, including Clifton, Austin, Will Brown, Jake Johnston, and Strong. The Bearcats were without two players due to illness Wednesday with guard Alex Inman playing through an illness.
“We played up here earlier this season and went down by 30 points before losing by 15,” Rasnick said. “The sickness has gone through this team from the coaches to every player. These kids are resilient and they played hard.”
VHS will face regular season SWD champion Graham in Friday’s semifinals in a 6 p.m. start at Graham Middle School.
“It’s been a growing process, but we’ve put in a lot of work and I’m glad to see another win,” Rasnick said.
Clifton hopes the best is yet to come for VHS.
“We’ve got a young team and we’re finally coming together,” Clifton said. “That will be good for us in the future. This was a fast-paced game and we responded with a big win.
Marion (10-13) hit six free throws to ignite a furious rally in the final minutes.
“I was proud of how we battled back,” said ninth-year Marion head coach Chad Bailey. “We never quit and rebounded well, but our problem all year has been going into ruts where we can’t score.
“We’ve probably worked on shooting more this year than we ever have, but we just have times where we can’t hit the shots.”
The Bearcats harassed Marion with a transition and a trapping defense.
“That made it hard for us to get into a set offense, but I thought we attacked it well,” Bailey said.
Marion senior point guard Devin Wolfe attacked the entire game with fearless drives, speed and rapid ball movement. Junior Caleb Osborne (15 points) also hit several jumpers in the Marion comeback.
Marion was also led by senior football star Kelby Ford (18 points, 10 rebounds).
The tallest starter for Marion, which started four seniors, was the 6-foot Ford.
“We had a good look there at the end, but the ball just didn’t fall and Virginia High clinched it with that full-court pass,” Bailey said.
