Norcom Wins OT Thriller

Fans arrived early on Tuesday night to pack the Treehouse, the place known as Norfolk Collegiate's basketball gym where they hosted reigning two-time State Champion Norcom out of Portsmouth in a much anticipated private school vs. public school showdown.

Those spectators didn't head for the exits after 32 minutes of action either as they got their money's worth with a battle that ranks among the most fierce and competitive seen all year in Hampton Roads.

Although they would see an 11-point lead with 2:10 play in regulation vanish, Norcom composed itself and re-grouped as you would expect a Championship level team to do, holding off the host Oaks 74-69 in overtime.

"I thought overall we played good. Down the stretch, we missed free-throws. You can say that's from the layoff because of the snow and whatever, but that's no excuse," commented Norcom Head Basketball Coach Leon Goolsby.

"Hopefully this is a wake-up call for us. We just made enough plays in overtime to get a win."

Trailing by six in the opening quarter, Norcom went on a 10-0 run to take the lead in the second period. Norfolk Collegiate would briefly go back in front before the Greyhounds closed on a 9-4 spurt to grab a 29-24 advantage at intermission.

Much of the offense for the Greyhounds was supplied by 6-foot-6 junior wing K.J. Davis, who scored 15 points before half-time with a trio of three-pointers.

A tough finish on the break late in the third quarter by junior guard Travis Ingram would give Norcom a double-digit cushion. They would get up by 11 points in the fourth quarter, seemingly putting away Norfolk Collegiate and its boisterous student section.

However, the Oaks, who beat Norcom on the road last year, would make a rally behind their senior threesome of Bash Townes, Kyonze Chavis and Adam Grant.

All three came in ranked among the top scorers in the TCIS and each eclipsed his scoring average; Townes entering at 18.6 points per game, Grant at 17.2PPG and Chavis at 16.1PPG.

Townes ended up with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds. Grant tallied 22 points on 10-of-26 shooting to go with six rebounds and three assists. Chavis posted a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, drawing his team closer on a pair of late fourth quarter three-pointers and also dished out four assists.

"The crowd got to us and we took some shots we shouldn't [have] took. We should've took our time with what we did. That's the main reason they came back, plus we weren't hitting free-throws," acknowledged Ingram, who scooped up a new offer from Hampton University afterwards.

Norcom's 7-of-16 shooting from the charity stripe in the fourth period aided the Oaks in their comeback effort. But in the overtime, the Greyhounds fixed that, going 8-of-10 at the foul line. Davis scored 11 points in OT.

"Norfolk Collegiate played hard tonight. They hit 3's, the crowd got into it and it was a great atmosphere tonight," Goolsby added.

"We got a little rattled and need games like this to help us down the stretch. Understand if you get a chance to put people away, put 'em away. You've got to kill an ant with a sledgehammer. You just can't step on it because an ant still may crawl a little bit and get to his destination."

With the loss, Norfolk Collegiate falls to 14-3 overall. They have another showdown coming up at home on Friday, January 29th against Cape Henry, which has won two state titles in the past three years.

As for Norcom, they move to 16-0 overall and are one of just two undefeated teams left in Hampton Roads along with Green Run (also 16-0). The Greyhounds' 25-game winning streak is the longest in all of Virginia.

"We take one game at a time and we're going to practice how we play," Ingram said. "And we're going to win."

As college coaches from Charleston Southern, Hampton University, Norfolk State and Old Dominion watched on, Davis enjoyed one of the best performances seen in the state all season. He scored 22 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, surpassing his previous career-high of 33 points set earlier this season against Kecoughtan.

"I just wanted to do the best I can, bring energy and contribute," Davis modestly said.

"We had to keep our heads on straight and try to listen to our coach the best we can. He's been in this situation and we've been in this situation."

As the game went along, the Norcom players and coaches noticed he was in a different zone.

"Once he got hot, Travis Fields came to me and said, 'Coach, let's go to K.J.' So that's what he did and he delivered," recalled Goolsby.

It's the most points poured in by a Norcom player in one game since Darius Theus dropped 42 points on Booker T. Washington in a 101-89 overtime triumph during the Eastern District Tournament semifinals back on February 19, 2008. Theus went on to play his College Basketball at VCU.

Davis, who came to the Greyhounds last year after spending his freshman season at Nansemond River, continues to blossom. His shooting has always been a forte - going 12-of-24 from the field, 5-for-10 from long distance and 11-for-16 at the foul line - yet other dimensions of his game are starting to develop.

To go with his scoring exploits, Davis also had six rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Additionally, he's putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket more frequently than in the past.

"That's something he worked on during the off-season that we talked about," Goolsby noted.

"For him to really improve his level of play and be more consistent with his scoring that he has to put the ball on the floor. Like tonight early on when they got that lead, we didn't get enough paint touches and we were shooting the 3 ball."

Coaches often belabor the point that everyone that is playing deep in the playoffs has marquee players. Nevertheless, it's the role players that make the difference in the quest of winning a Championship.

Norcom, which is seeking its fifth state title in seven years, got lifts from three relatively unknown players to the common basketball junkie - 6'6" senior Jalin Gordon, 6'4" sophomore Dasean Roberts and 6'0" sophomore Darien Allison.

"Everybody was talking about their Big 3 (Townes, Grant & Chavis) versus our Big 3 (Davis, Ingram & Fields). But I said we can't win a game without each and every one of you," Goolsby remarked.

"There are going to be times where your name is called and you're going to have to make plays. You're going to have to defend, rebound and make tough plays."

Allison scored eight points, including two key free-throws with 25.1 seconds left in OT to extend the advantage to 72-67. Roberts had five points and three steals, all in either the fourth period or extra session.

Asked to defend Townes much of the night along with Saiquan Clark, Gordon recorded seven rebounds and three blocks. He also scored late in the third quarter to push the team's lead to seven.

While most will remember the virtuoso performance turned in by Davis and understandably so, he even recognizes it's a collective effort.

"It's definitely not just us," Davis said in regards to the Greyhounds' Big 3. "There are plenty of other parts - like Tommie [Pope], Dasean, Darien, Jalin - and they all contribute in a huge way."

Norcom Greyhounds 74: (16-0 Overall)
K.J. Davis - 40Pts. 12-24FG, 5-10 3's, 11-16FT, 6Reb. 4Blk. 3Stl.
Travis Ingram - 14Pts. 5-11FG, 2-4FT, 9Reb. 3Blk.
Darien Allison - 8Pts. 3-8FG, 4Reb.
Travis Fields - 5Pts. 2-11FG, 1-5FT, 9Reb. 7Ast.
Dasean Roberts - 5Pts. 2-3FG, 3Stl.

Norfolk Collegiate Oaks 69: (14-3 Overall)
Bash Townes - 23Pts. 7-16FG, 9-13FT, 12Reb.
Adam Grant - 22Pts. 10-26FG, 2-10 3's, 6Reb. 3Ast.
Kyonze Chavis - 18Pts. 7-17FG, 2-7 3's, 12Reb. 4Ast. 2Stl.

Matthew Hatfield serves as State Basketball Analyst for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a staff writer for Tar Heel Illustrated. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1, plus watch him on the Cox 11 Sports Report.