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Press the Issue: Albemarle boys win Holiday Classic, round one with Western

Photo by Bart Isley

Albemarle boys basketball’s run in the second quarter against Western Albemarle was a run in the truest sense of the word. It wasn’t a slow-rolling burn, it happened in a matter of minutes and it was a complete, dominant transformation of the game. 

 

“We just played great as a team (during the run), the defense was great too,” said Albemarle’s Ben Wesson. “The press was working well.”

 

The Patriots ripped off 18 straight points, turning a narrow Western Albemarle lead into a distinct Albemarle advantage that sparked the Patriots to a 70-59 win in the Holiday Classic championship game, snapping a four-game losing streak to Western that stretches back to January of 2020. 

 

“That’s a great win, the stands were packed and Western is always a fun game,” Wesson said. “I’m glad we were able to come in here and get it done.”

 

The 18-0 sprint got going in the opening seconds of the second quarter with Noah Grevious leading the charge. Usually a defensive stopper in the paint who overcomes giving up some size down low, the Patriots’ star wideout during football season caught fire on the offensive end, scoring 12 of his 14 points. His 3-point play underneath took the run to another level. 

 

“We just stayed poised and we stayed with our game plan,” said Albemarle coach Greg Maynard. “We just weren’t getting any good shots but then once our press took hold we started getting some real good scoring opportunities because of our defense.”

 

After Grevious’ big play, Ben Wesson made a steal and buried a 3-pointer. Western managed to recover and trailed by just 10 at the break, but the damage was done by that point. Albemarle finished with five players in double figures, led by La’mari Parler with 16 points, Grievous with 14, Ben Wesson with 11, Carter Wesson with 10 (and six rebounds) and Christian Humes with 10 points. 

 

“That’s the best game Noah has had offensively all year — he’s always good defensively,” AHS coach Greg Maynard said. “He did a real nice job defensively on Josh and he’s giving up eight inches and he’s battling for everything he has.”

 

The run got a boost from the fact that Western had to sit big men Josh Sime and Elliott Kessler due to early foul trouble. The ramped up pressure and turnovers largely came in the backcourt though, where Albemarle’s speed and on-ball pressure created some serious problems for the Warriors. 

 

“That was too long of an extended run, that was a big lapse and we lost a lot of our toughness right then,” said Western coach Darren Maynard. “And then having to play without Josh and Elliott was a big part of it.”

 

Western responded after that devastating run, getting off the mat behind an explosive effort from Wes Gobble who scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Western cut the Albemarle lead to just two points when Gobble hit a three and drew a foul for a four-point play with 6:06 left to play.

 

“We definitely fought for it and had a chance to win,” WAHS coach Darren Maynard said. “I’m very proud of them for fighting back. They’re really good and we knew they were good.”

 

Albemarle responded though and eventually seemed to put the game out of reach when Carter Wesson unleashed a fastbreak dunk with 3:11 left to play. Wesson earned tournament MVP honors for his performance over three days. 

 

The Patriots and Warriors, who now both sit at 7-1, will square off at least two more times this year, with the next meeting scheduled for January 13th. Next week though the Patriots travel to take on Goochland while Western hits the road to take on Louisa County.

 

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