BRISTOL, Va. – Thrill rides can be a bit too thrilling for some folks, but apparently not Fred Selfe. The veteran boys basketball coach at Patrick Henry was feeling just fine after jumping aboard a doozy Tuesday night in the state tournament.
Producing the only spurt that mattered in a back-and-forth game, Patrick Henry overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to steal a decision that could have gone either way, beating the Parry McCluer Blues 67-61 in Class 1 quarterfinal play at the Bearcat Den.
Patrick Henry traded first-half runs of 14-3 and 10-2 with Parry McCluer runs of 17-5 and 6-0 – all of which left the Rebels with a 29-28 advantage at intermission.
Parry McCluer then ripped a 20-7 blast midway through the second half to gain a sudden stronghold, and the Blues appeared to be in complete control of the game. Until they weren't.
And now Patrick Henry (24-3) is back in the state semifinals for the second straight season, following its 18th consecutive victory. The Rebels will play Fort Chiswell on Friday.
"That was a rollercoaster, for sure," Selfe said. "I'm still in disbelief over that fourth quarter.
"That was probably the grittiest team performance I've ever been a part of, as a player or as a coach. I mean, way to persevere, way to overcome, way to battle through adversity."
Selfe couldn't elude to much else before referring to standout senior Cade Caywood, who scored 22 points and fought through serious foul difficulties to provide the offensive anchor.
"To win a game like this after your best player sits on the bench for a quarter-and-a-half of the first half, that really says something," the seventh-year boss said. "I mean, just the grit on the defensive end to get us back in the game in the fourth quarter.
"That's what we pride ourselves on, that awkward 1-3-1 defense. And by gosh, that saved us in the fourth quarter."
Patrick Henry's trapping zone, energized by guards Jeb Stewart, Carson Street and Kolby Hicks, created four straight Parry McCluer turnovers in the fourth frame, flipping the final script.
The Blues (22-5) had ridden the microwave heat of Quentin Rosser, a sophomore who hit 4 of 4 shots from 3-point range in a four-minute span to score all of his 12 points, and a couple of buckets from gifted 6-foot guard Langston Cook, who would lead all scorers with 28 points, erasing a 38-36 deficit to claim a solid upper hand.
And when Jamier Jordan nailed a 3 from the corner, the Blues led 56-45 with 7:27 to play.
Perhaps against his better judgement, Selfe eschewed a timeout when Patrick Henry could've used one. And the Rebels rewarded his faith with the game's last and most important spurt.
Beginning with a seemingly innocent corner 3 by Hicks, Patrick Henry put together a stunning 15-0 stretch, good for a 61-56 advantage with 2:37 left on the clock.
And smack in the middle of it was Caywood, a bearded, 6-foot-4, 250-pound manchild who can do it all and did do it all – despite picking up his third foul with 2:31 left in the first period.
"You can try to front him, but you've got to have backside help ... you can dig down, but easier said than done – he does a great job of holding off," Parry McCluer coach Tyler Kerr said. "He's very wide and stable and holds his position, and it's easier said than done to get around him.
"He's got amazing touch, and he can step out and shoot it. He's also an amazing passer, and that's what makes it so difficult because if you double down, he will find the open guy -- he makes the right play. He's very difficult to defend, a really tough player. A great player."
The 1-3-1 effect notwithstanding, Caywood fueled the decisive rally with buckets buckets, all inside the lane. Hicks, who assisted Caywood on one of the hoops, also made a key play to help put PH in front for good, purposely tipping a teammate's missed free throw out to another teammate, allowing the Rebels to maintain possession.
Seconds later, Carson Street paid it off with a 3 from the corner, giving Patrick Henry a 57-56 edge with 5:20 on the clock. Caywood then assisted Aidan Monahan for an easy deuce, before Hicks capped the blast with a baseline jumper.
Now up 61-56 with under three minutes to play, Patrick Henry (24-3) withstood a second 3-pointer from Jordan and couple of good-look misses by Cook, to ease to victory.
Caywood, Hicks and Jeb Stewart scored down the stretch to help hold off the Blues.
Stewart, Hicks, Street, Monahan and sixth man Jay Barfield all provided excellent support for Caywood, who was asked what exactly he means to the Rebels.
"You'll have to ask Coach about that," said the humble star, who made two 3-point jumpers. "The only thing I know is that they mean the world to me.
"There's a lot of eye candy on me, I think – a lot of doubles and triples coming – and we've got a number of guys in that locker room who like to step up in these moments we live for."
The athletic Stewart was all over the floor and contributed 16 points for the winners, who got 10 points from Hicks and three 3-point bombs from Street, who drew particular praise from Selfe.
"He battled all night and gave us tremendous leadership for all 32 minutes," he said. "He is our lone captain and our lone speaking captain, and he was the definition of a captain tonight.
"That is the senior leadership you need in the locker room and on the floor, and without number 0 [Street] on that floor tonight, I worry how we might have ended up at the end of the game."
Although it did provide openings for Rosser and Jordan, the 1-3-1 slowed Cook after halftime. A junior with terrific springs, Cook already has right about 1,600 career points.
"We had to triple him – I mean, let's be honest," Selfe said. "He passed it out and they hit some shots, but you have to get the ball out of his hands. He's a fabulous player."
Athletic forward Nathan Glass scored 14 points before fouling out for Parry McCluer, which committed 13 turnovers and shot 44.6 percent (25 of 56) from the floor.
"We didn't shut the door," said Kerr, whose team lost to the Rebels in this same game a year ago. "A couple of inopportune turnovers, and it turned on us."
Region D champion Patrick Henry, which shot 57.1 percent (28 of 49) and turned it over 19 times, advances to the Class 1 semifinals to meet Region C champion Fort Chiswell, a runaway quarterfinal winner over Twin Springs. The site of the game is yet to be determined.
The Rebels lost to eventual state champion George Wythe in last year's semifinal round.
Region A champ Northumberland plays Region B champ Luray in Friday's other semifinal.
PARRY McCLUER (61) -- Cook 11 3-6 25, Rosser 4 0-0 12, Jordan 3 0-0 8, Glass 6 2-4 14, Griffin 1 0-0 2, Snider 0 0-0 0, Coleman 0 0-0 0, Smals 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 5-10 61.
PATRICK HENRY (67) -- Street 3 0-0 9, Stewart 8 0-0 16, Hicks 4 1-4 10, Monahan 2 0-0 4, Caywood 8 4-8 22, Barfield 3 0-0 6. Totals 28 5-14 67.
Parry McCluer 18 10 22 11 -- 61
Patrick Henry 19 10 16 22 -- 67
3-point goals -- Parry McCluer 6 (Rosser 4, Jordan 2), Patrick Henry 6 (Street 3, Caywood 2, Hicks). Total fouls -- Parry McCluer 16, Patrick Henry 12. Fouled out -- Glass, Snider. Technical fouls -- none.
