by Shawn Nowlin
After countless hours of building team chemistry, film study, and practice, it all came down to four 8-minute quarters inside the 7,600 seating capacity Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University on March 11.
The Patriots of Patrick Henry High versus the Wolverines of Woodside High for the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 5 State Basketball Championship.
At the start of the season, PH head coach Jack Esworthy told his players that if they buy into his vision and believe in each other, they will be state champions when it is all said and done. Ten games into the season, the Patriots suffered just one loss by two points. After losing to their cross-town rival William Fleming High on Jan. 18, the team would lose just one more game. Over the 32-game season, the Patriots registered 2,060 points (64.3) while holding their opponents to 1,460 points (45.6).
This year’s squad consisted of two upperclassmen and eight underclassmen: seniors Brooks Derey and Sidney Webb, juniors Amauriay Calloway, Abubaki Yarmah, Joseph Beasley, Carl Edwards, sophomores Roderick Tasco and Cameron Ogletree and freshmen Tay’marion Stanley and Leron Lipford.
After defeating Highland Springs on March 6, PH clinched its invitation to the VHSL Class 5 State Basketball Championship game. Four days later, the school held a pep rally in its gymnasium before the team boarded a bus to head to Richmond.
Said Superintendent Verletta White to all in attendance, “Our team has had a long year, but they have persevered. That is a lesson to all of us about grit, determination, and how to stay focused.”
Added Mayor Sherman Lea Sr., “We are very proud of all of you. Let’s make sure that we support all of our Patriot student-athletes.”
A back-and-forth contest the whole game, Yarman, who scored 12 of PH’s points, made a 3-pointer in the second half to give the Patriots a 16-point lead, 39-23. University of Richmond signee Trevor Smith proceeded to connect on back-to-back 3-pointers for Woodridge to reduce the deficit to 39-29. Those shots ultimately propelled the Wolverines to go on a 25-0 run.
Lipford chipped in 12 points, including two free throws after getting fouled driving to the basket, to cut the deficit to 50-46 in the fourth quarter. After forcing a five-second violation, PH decided to hold the ball for a potential last shot.
It’s been three decades since Patrick Henry won a boy’s basketball state championship. Christian Greenlaw crushed PH’s dreams this year when he made an under-the-basket stick back with 0.03 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, propelling Woodside to a 54-52 victory. Instantly, PH’s entire starting lineup fell to the ground in disbelief once the shot went in.
While they didn’t achieve their ultimate goal, many PH alumni, former players, and supporters of the program still deem this season a successful one. “One of the toughest pills to swallow in life is that sometimes, regardless of how hard you work, your best will not be good enough,” Corey Jackson said. “After you fail, it’s best to truly examine what happened so if there is a next time, you put yourself in a position for a different outcome. Words can’t express how proud I am of this year’s basketball team.”
