New Kent lands AA state tournament berth

Three seconds left on the clock and a tie score, Justin Williams stepped to the free throw line with a chance to take his New Kent teammates to where no Trojan team has gone before — a berth in both the Region I basketball title game and the Group AA Division 3 state tournament.

Fouled by James Monroe’s Farkeen French on a drive to the basket just moments before, Williams calmly sank the first of two from the stripe to give New Kent a 64-63 lead. Then after time out, Williams buried the second as the packed stands on the home side of the court erupted in jubilation.

The visiting Yellow Jackets managed a last ditch effort, but Gregory Edwards’ shot from just inside the half-court stripe fell short at the buzzer. New Kent’s student body rushed the floor, engulfing their team in a frenzied victory celebration.

Last Thursday’s 65-63 triumph propelled the Trojans into the next night’s Region I final at top-seeded Brunswick, secured a state berth, and upped their overall record to 24-1.

Afterwards, Williams confessed he had no doubt he would sink both of the deciding free throws.

“I had made up my mind I was going to make them,” he said.

But as the game entered the stretch run, the Yellow Jackets appeared to have momentum as well as a last shot opportunity with sufficient time remaining, but a quirky turnover with 10 seconds to go placed the outcome in the Trojans’ hands.

As the clock ticked down to a minute left and New Kent operating out of a stall to protect a one-point lead, the Trojans’ Everett Christian could not shake off French’s defense to avoid a five-second violation. The turnover led to French penetrating the lane at the other end for an errant shot, but teammate Taquan Alers stuck back the miss and drew a foul. The resulting three-point play handed James Monroe a 63-61 lead with :39.5 to play.

Staying with the stall, the Trojans looked for open driving lanes against sticky Yellow Jacket man-to-man pressure as precious seconds ticked away. Steven Allen then got a step on defender Tyran Bates and drew a hard foul from Bates on a drive down the lane. Allen bounced in the first of two foul shots and swished the second to forge a 63-63 deadlock with :22.3 left.

James Monroe called time at :16.6 to set up last shot strategy, but things did not go as planned. When play resumed, New Kent’s defense cornered Bates, the Yellow Jacket point guard, in front of the scorer’s table just inside the half-court stripe. In danger of traveling and unable to pass to a teammate, Bates pivoted and slammed the ball off Allen’s leg. But before sailing out of bounds, the ball struck Bates’ hand creating a turnover to New Kent with 10 seconds on the clock.

“Trying to get layups was the only way to win,” Williams said, recounting the game’s final minutes. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well, but Everett got a couple of good layups and Steven and I got the free throws and that was the difference in the game.”

New Kent had its shooting woes throughout, and especially early on. The hosts shot only 33 percent from the floor in the first half, including a miserable 21 percent in the second quarter alone.

“Probably we were forcing it a little bit and needed to get back to running our offense,” Williams said.

James Monroe took its largest lead (16-10) in the first quarter. But the Trojans’ Kaleb Lamb came off the bench to register a steal and lay-in and follow that with a three to help pull the hosts within one at 19-18 after one period. Despite poor shooting, the hosts held a 29-27 advantage at halftime.

New Kent could not put away the Yellow Jackets after intermission. An Allen trey early in the third quarter staked New Kent to a 36-29 lead, but the Yellow Jackets regrouped with a time out, catching the hosts moments later at 37-37. Then a Lamb three from the corner climaxed a 7-0 run, putting New Kent on top 44-37. With under a minute left in the third, however, the visitors tied the affair at 48-48.

New Kent led by as many as four in the final quarter and never trailed until Alers completed his three-point play with less than a minute to go.

“Heart,” said Trojan coach Ed Allen when asked what won the game for his squad.

“It was heart and nothing else,” he said. “We took bad shots and didn’t run our offense, but we played hard.

“We turned the ball over in crucial situations, but we didn’t quit,” he said. “I think we were just so excited to get here that we played with a little more individualism than I’d like. I don’t like the way we played, but I like the way we won.”

Steven Allen poured in a game-high 23 points. Paul Kearney finished with 13 and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds while Lamb and Adam Otey each scored 10. Otey also yanked down six boards. Williams added five points and dished out six assists while Christian chipped in four points.

Alers’ 16 points topped James Monroe (17-5).