Hampton trailed John Marshall 60-56 late in the 4th quarter but they made all the right plays in the final two minutes to pull out a 70-67 win. The Crabbers combo of Jalen Ray and Marquis Godwin made key plays down the stretch.
Godwin, who has committed to play basketball at Old Dominion University, was missing badly from behind the arc but Hampton coach Eric Brown told him to keep shooting.
The 1st half ended in a 33-33 tie with both teams having their moments. Hampton started the game with three triples from downtown to take a 9-0 lead. John Marshall junior big man Isaiah Anderson hit a three then scored inside in a 2+1 opportunity. His free throw pulled the Justices to within two (19-17). Isaiah Todd made a great block followed by a dunk on the other end which put the John Marshall up 29-24.
Both teams started raining 3's midway thru the fourth quarter. Ray and Godwin both drained 3's to give the Crabbers a 46-46 lead but Isaiah Todd - the talented freshman alredy with offers from Kansas, Maryland and several others - answered with a three to put the Justices back in front. James Madison University commit Greg Jones followed with a three for a 52-48 lead.
Moments later, Jones added two free throws to put John Marshall up 60-56 over Hampton with 2:30 to go.
Godwin made the biggest three of the game when he confidently sank a three with 1:35 to go. A steal and layup by Jacquez Yow push the margin to 65-61 with 55.2 seconds to go. Ray added two free throws which put Hampton ahead 69-63 with 22 seconds remaining; their largest lead since the 1st half. The Justices made two more baskets but simply ran out of time.
Ray, who's headed to Hofstra, earned the MVP award 16 points, four rebounds and five assists. It was the second MVP honor for Ray in the VaPreps Classic as he also received the trophy his sophomore year after a narrow win over Potomac.
Godwin made the MVP vote close with his 14 points and four 3-pointers including two big baskets in the 4th quarter. Norfolk State commit Mastadi Pitt had 13 points.
Anderson and Jones both scored 18 points for John Marshall with Anderson also pulling down 18 boards (tying a VaPreps Classic record set by Wakefield grad Dominique Tham) while Jones added eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Isaiah Todd had 14 points and nine rebounds while DeMarr McRae chipped in 10 points.
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