by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
Meadowbrook didn’t play in any Christmas tournaments.
Instead of getting fat off of holiday food and using all of his presents, Monarchs coach John B. Gordon III went to work, scouting upcoming opponents. It helped.
His guards pressured Prince George ballhandlers all night, which led to a 54-53 victory Friday night over the Royals, ranked third in the DigitalSports Top 10.
The fourth-ranked Monarchs didn’t stop Kartrell Claiborne (14 points) late, as he slithered into the lane and nailed a floater for a one-point lead with 20 seconds left.
Meadowbrook didn’t panick, pushing the ball up to star Paul Finn. He caught and released the leather from the right wing and hit nothing but net to steal the lead back.
Claiborne tested the paint again with two seconds to go, but Finn was there to help the shot fall short.
“It was just like a state of urgency,” said Finn, who knocked in a team-high 19 points. “I wasn’t thinking. I caught the ball, went down and had to make a big play.”
Finn and the Monarchs (2-1 Central District, 5-2) were in position to win the contest all night because of various full-court defenses and tight ball pressure.
Meadowbrook’s guards were like flies to a cookout plate, causing seven PG turnovers in the second quarter to help take an eight-point lead into the break.
Finn nailed a 3-pointer from Michael Williams at the end of the quarter for that margin.
It didn’t help that Prince George played without starting point guard Eric Johnson, as the Royals had a committee at point guard.
“I was afraid of that,” Prince George coach Bill Russell said of Meadowbrook’s tough man-to-man defense on his guards. “I thought we adjusted well to that. It’s just what we had to do.”
The adjustment was to be patient with the ball and make sure standout Andre Williamson touches it in some way. The 6-7 senior had a remarkable but usual night with 24 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.
He put in 16 points in the second half, nine in the fourth quarter. Williamson went on a personal 7-2 run to start the fourth quarter, the latter points a two-hand jam that sliced Meadowbrook’s lead to 47-43 with five minutes left.
“He’s Brad Byerson-esque,” Gordon said of Williamson, comparing him to the former Thomas Dale star now at Virginia Union. “He does a good job of timing.”
A few minutes later Prince George registered an 8-1 run, as Williamson nailed his 10th straight free throw to give Prince George its first lead since it was 19-17 in the middle of the second quarter.
But Prince George left Meadowbrook’s Malcolm Aiken alone underneath on an inbounds play with 50 seconds to go to go ahead. Williamson dove down the lane seconds later and was fouled, but missed his first free throws of the contest to set up the drama.
“I think the whole key was to pressure their guards,” Gordon said. “We really thought our guards could do a good job with pressure. The only thing that kept them in the game was their offensive rebounding.
“Whenever we play it always comes down to the end.”
Prince George 14 9 13 17 – 53
Meadowbrook 10 21 11 12 – 54
Prince George (2-1 Central, 8-2): Medina 1, Moody 2, K. Claiborne 14, Brown 0, T. Claiborne 10, Williamson 24, T. Johnson 2. Totals: 19 13-17 53. 3-point goals: Williamson 2.
Meadowbrook (2-1, 5-2): Doggett 5, Martin 3, Aiken 8, Bizzell 6, Brewer 9, Williams 4, Finn 19, West 0, Simmons 0. Totals: 22 6-10 54. 3-point goals: Finn 2, Martin, Aiken.
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