Near the end of the third quarter of Monday’s Region 5D Quarterfinal clash between No. 3 Albemarle and sixth-seeded Stafford, Patriots sharpshooter Wilson Hagen launched a three-pointer from his sweet spot- the left-hand corner.
The ball hit the far side of the rim, bounced high in the air, and stalled in the air for a few moments, before ultimately sailing through the net.
Hagen had to stand by several seconds before knowing whether to crash the boards or to get back on defense, but it was all smiles from the home bench when the shot ultimately dropped.
Things being worth the wait was a theme of the night for the Patriots. Albemarle, behind a game-high 18 points from Hagen, broke the game wide open in the third quarter, and cruised to a 68-34 triumph over the Indians.
The start time of Monday’s game was delayed by roughly 15-minutes, due to a late arriving Stafford County bus. The AHS offense also got started a little later than head coach Greg Maynard would have liked. The late-arriving Indians closed the first quarter on a 9-3 run, and grabbed a four-point lead midway through the second.
It took until the end of the first half for the Patriots to find their footing, but once they did, there was no looking back. Albemarle turned a three-point lead at intermission into an 18-point advantage heading into the final quarter. The Patriots opened the second half on a 10-0 run, which set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Led by Hagen, the Patriots exploded for 43 points in the game’s final 16 minutes.
After netting just two points in Albemarle’s win over Monticello last Thursday, the junior hit four three-pointers to help lead an impressive team effort in the second half.
“I had been in a little bit of a slump in the past few games, so coach just told me to keep shooting in practice, and once a couple go down, it just boosts your confidence,” Hagen said.
Leading by three after a seesaw first half, Hagen kicked off the third-quarter run with one of his four three-pointers. The junior scored eight of his 18 points in the game-changing stretch, and also came up with arguably the assist of the night.
Following a Stafford miss, backup point guard Christian Humes launched a near-full-court pass in Hagen’s direction, only for him to tap the ball to a cutting Will Hornsby, who finished off the fast break play with a layup. Speaking of Humes, the sophomore guard dribbled the length of the floor with just over three seconds left in the quarter to beat the buzzer, and stake the Patriots to an 18-point lead heading into the fourth frame.
The advantage only grew larger in the closing eight minutes. What was once a three-point game quickly evaporated into Albemarle’s second-most decisive win of the season.
“Coach wasn’t too happy with how we were playing in the first half,” Morse said. “At halftime, he told us to just buckle down on defense, remember the fundamentals, don’t go for too many steals, and when we get the ball, go out on the fast break.”
Morse finished the win with eight points and a team-high, nine rebounds.
The 2021 regional, and possibly state tournament marks a special opportunity for Albemarle’s three seniors, but also represents a chance for Morse to make his mark in the postseason.
Morse, along with point guard Jackson Rose were sidelined for last winter’s playoff run due to their respective season-ending injuries. As per usual, Morse was a marked man every time that he touched the ball on Monday, but the senior was one field goal and one rebound away from securing a double-double.
After watching his team fall in the state quarterfinals from the bench last year, Morse is excited for an opportunity to help his team go the distance this time around.
“It’s super exciting,” Morse said. “When you’re on the sidelines, you see the game totally different, but it’s nice to be out there playing and trying to help my team as much as possible.”
In his postseason debut, Rose dished out seven assists, despite being hampered by foul trouble in the second half.
Albemarle got a nice lift from its bench mob for the second game in a row. The reserves played key minutes in the first half, and for the majority of the fourth quarter. Carter Wesson scored six points and pulled down six rebounds. TaeVeon Wilson chipped in six points, and threw down a vicious, one-handed dunk in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row.
The Patriots kept the Indians off the scoreboard for the first 5:58 of the third quarter, and allowed just four made field goals in the entire second half.
Stafford County big man Amari Moorer scored the Indians’ first three buckets of the game, but only managed two of his team-best 12 points in the second half.
The stout effort on defense marked the third time this season that the Pats held their opponents to less than 40 points scored.
AHS will face a familiar foe in William Fleming on Tuesday night in Roanoke.
The Patriots knocked off the Colonels at home to qualify for the state tournament last year, but the 2021 meeting will take place in Roanoke.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented Maynard from scouting teams in person this year, but thanks to the rise of live streaming, he is plenty familiar with the second-seeded Fleming squad.
“We’ve seen them a couple of times on the network that shows the games, and we’ve been able to catch them on demand,” Maynard said. “I’ll be studying them a lot tonight and tomorrow and try to come up with the best game plan I can get, but I have seen them play. They’re a talented team. We played them twice last year, so we know what we’re up against.”
