Handley rally falls short against defending state champ Loudoun Valley
- By JERRY HOLSWORTH | Special to The Winchester Star
- Jan 7, 2018
PURCELLVILLE — Two of the state’s most celebrated boys’ basketball teams squared off Saturday before a packed house at Loudoun Valley High School, and it was the defending state champions who finished on top in its home gym.
Handley staged a dramatic comeback attempt that left the crowd breathless and the game in doubt.
But the Vikings’ ability to shoot at a much better rate than Handley from beyond the 3-point line — and the Judges’ foul trouble catching up to them at the end — resulted in a 78-68 victory for Loudoun Valley, the 2017 Class 4 state champions.
“They came out and were just hitting lights-out,” Handley coach Jason Toton said. “I think they hit five of their seven 3-point attempts in the first quarter. Our shots weren’t falling and they seemed to be hitting everything.”
The Vikings converted 10 of their 14 3-point attempts during the game while Handley was just 5 of 17, and two of those came in the final period. The Judges missed all of their 3-point attempts in the first half.
After a 27-point first quarter, Loudoun Valley (9-1) held a 13-point lead over the Judges (10-2). The Vikings were able to sustain their lead through three quarters and led 53-41 with eight minutes to play.
But before Loudoun Valley could celebrate, it had to withstand a heroic comeback led by Michael Brown and Gus Wise that left the game in doubt until the very end.
Handley pulled within four (66-62) with two minutes on the clock.
“We needed to push things in the fourth quarter,” said Brown (21 points). “I wish I had started that a lot sooner. You just can’t wait until the fourth quarter.”
Brown, who had only six points heading into the final period, exploded for 15 fourth-quarter points.
“Michael [Brown] can take over a game like that any time he wants,” Toton said. “He can be unstoppable when he gets going like that.”
Wise, who had managed just one 3-pointer through the first three periods — the only one the Judges hit over that time frame — nailed two in the fourth period.
The Vikings held on with the aid of Handley foul trouble in the final two minutes, as two players fouled out for the Judges.
Kevin Curry, who had helped propel the comeback with seven second half points, was the first to depart. Moments later, Handley lost the services of Wise (17 total points) with his fifth foul.
With just 47 seconds left, a scramble for a loose ball at midcourt resulted in a Handley personal foul and a technical foul. Valley forward Mark Melbourne (game-high 26 points) stepped to the line and hit all four of his foul shots, leaving the Judges behind 76-66.
“We need to learn to handle our emotions a little better,” Toton said. “We can’t afford to get a technical foul like that with just 47 seconds left in the game. We’ve drawn within six points, and they make those free throws and we’re down by 10. That was a back-breaker, and we have to learn from it.”
What made Handley’s comeback attempt so dramatic was the hole they dug themselves into in the opening quarter.
Melbourne and Jalen Williams (15 points, 10 in the first quarter) seemed unstoppable from beyond the 3-point line. The duo hit two 3s each and Trent Dawson added another during the period.
“You to give a lot of credit to Loudoun Valley,” Wise said. “They really shot the ball well. We didn’t do a very good job of controlling the tempo and finding their shooters.”
Handley began the game 1 of 4 from the field and the result was a Viking 12-2 lead with 4:38 left in the quarter. The Judges tried to match Loudoun Valley’s shooting, but missed all of the 3-point attempt during the quarter. The Vikings finished the period with a 5-0 run to take a 27-13 lead to put Handley in major trouble.
Although it didn’t show itself until the final quarter, the Judges began their comeback at the beginning of the second period with a display of rock-solid defense.
“We were pressing them to begin the game,” Totonn said. “That’s what we wanted to do. But it left open several of their shooters. We had to adjust to that. We dropped back to half-court defense after that, and it worked.”
The Judges, who still had trouble scoring points, managed only six in the second period, but their defense held the Vikings to just five and just 1 of 7 from the field in the period, and had no 3-pointers.
Loudoun Valley was able to get its offense back on track in the third quarter, scoring 21 points, including 12 on four 3s. But Handley was able to finally get its offense going and matched them in points.
The key was D’Andre James, who scored 10 of his 14 points during the third quarter. James got help from Curry — who scored four of his seven points for the night in the period — and Wise also finally got hot, scoring five points and connecting on his first 3 of the game.
Wise was pleased that the Judges finished as strong as they did.
“We just refuse to give up,” Wise said. “That’s one of the big things about this team. I have to give my teammates a lot of credit for battling back the way we did. This is a tough loss, but I think we’ll be fine.”
Loudoun Valley coach Chad Dawson — a former Handley assistant — said the Vikings’ strong start played a key role in helping his team emerge victorious.
“Obviously Handley is just a super team,” Dawson said. “It was a great game to be a part of and we’re very fortunate to get a win out of this. It was good to see us start so fast. We’ve started slow too much in the past.”
