Madison blocks Altavista's avenue to a state championship

RICHMOND — With Friday’s Group A, Division 1, state championship boys basketball game hanging in the balance, Altavista’s Tavonne Payne tip-toed along the top edge of the scorer’s table trying to save a loose ball from going out of bounds.

It was symbolic of his team’s performance in the final, with the Colonels walking a tightrope between pulling off a monumental upset of undefeated Madison County and falling flat on their faces before a partisan crowd in favor of the Mountaineers.

Altavista (18-6) gave Madison (26-0) all it could handle, capturing its first two leads in the fourth quarter on Mike Poindexter’s baseline jumper and third 3-pointer, off a crossover dribble and assist from Nick Ferguson. But the Colonels were unable to capitalize on a handful of late-game opportunities in a 41-38 defeat at VCU’s Siegel Center.

“I thought we played a real good game,” Colonels coach Mike Cartolaro said. “We had some chances and that’s all you can ask for in a game like this.”

Moments before Payne’s precarious save attempt, as Altavista was trying to force a turnover or foul to stop the clock and send Madison County to the foul line, junior forward Jerrell Jordan intercepted an inbound pass from Trey Hensley, giving the Colonels an opportunity to tie the game with a 3-pointer in the final 35 seconds.

On a play involving all four players who started on Altavista’s state championship football team in December, Johnny Wimbish (10 points) missed a jumper before Jordan grabbed an offensive rebound and Payne saved the ball to Hunter Shelhorse, who lost control of it out of bounds in the corner with 24 seconds remaining.

The Colonels, charged with only two second-half team fouls up to that point, were forced to foul five times before putting the Mountaineers in the bonus. When it finally got to the free-throw line with 19 seconds to go, Madison missed the front end of three one-and-ones. But Altavista couldn’t convert on the other end, with Poindexter (game-high 13 points) missing a long 3-point attempt from near the Colonels’ bench and Wimbish turning the ball over on transition before his half-court shot fell short at the buzzer on the third and final chance.

“I’ve been trying to get to this point my whole life,” said Poindexter, who was playing in his third Final Four but first championship game. “It’s a disappointment.”

“Hats off to Altavista,” added Region B player of the year Logan Terrell, one of three Mountaineers to finish with 10 points. “They played good and they’re well-coached, but we walked away with the win.”

Cartolaro, a 16-year veteran at Altavista, may have out-coached Madison’s Ben Breeden, who replaced Tim Taylor this year after he left to serve as an assistant with Virginia’s women’s team.

“Altavista came in with a great game plan,” Breeden said. “They slowed it down, they took time off, they did a great job of limiting the possessions and that makes it tough for us to use our depth and to get any type of rhythm.”

The Colonels, who made some big defensive stops in the paint with Shelhorse taking two charges, were content to let the Mountaineers try to beat them from 3-point range. That’s what they did in a 59-31 Region B final, sinking 8-of-9 from outside in the third quarter to break open a six-point game at the half.

“They’ve got (David) Falk and Terrell inside that are really good players (and) can finish with anybody,” Cartolaro said. “Our whole game plan was to cut the post off and make them earn it from outside. It’s (the Siegel Center) an arena that no one’s in until this time of the year so the shooting part of it can be inconsistent.”

The Mountaineers were 0-for-5 from 3-point range through three quarters, which ended with Ferguson (9 points) converting a breakaway steal into a layup and Wimbish tying the game at 27 with 3.9 seconds left when he took a kickout pass from Jordan on the right wing and finished a hanging shot in traffic despite being fouled.

But in the fourth quarter, Madison was 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, with Casey Campbell answering Poindexter’s third 3-pointer with his first, and Trey Hensley living up to his name by swishing his only trey from the right corner, lifting the Mountaineers to a 37-34 advantage.

“We didn’t shoot the ball great from the perimeter, but Trey stepped up and hit it when he needed to,” Breeden said.

“(Hensley) delivered the biggest shot of the year with that 3 in the corner,” Cartolaro added.

The Mountaineers set the tempo from the start with Falk, a 6-foot-5 forward, opening the scoring with an emphatic two-handed dunk after winning the opening tip, cutting down the lane and receiving an entry pass from Terrell.

“David got us going early with the dunk, that was big, it got the crowd involved, and that was key early in the game,” Breeden said.

Matt Garr and Falk hit point-blank putbacks that boosted the Mountaineers to a 13-4 advantage late in the first quarter before the Colonels cut it to 15-12 on a jumper from the left baseline by Wimbish and 17-15 on Poindexter’s first 3-pointer from the left corner.

“Madison is extremely talented,” Cartolaro said. “If you let them get out in transition, they’re the type of team that can put you away pretty quick. We talked about surviving their runs. When it was 11-4, we hung in there and really showed a toughness that I’m real proud of. We hung in there and battled and kept it even.”

After being out-rebounded 31-14 in the Region B final, and 11-2 in the first quarter Friday, Altavista out-rebounded Madison County 17-9 for the rest of the game.

Terrell missed a jam off an alley-oop pass from Jerel Carter (10 points, three steals, three assists) to start the second half before Carter made a leaping interception of a long Altavista inbound pass and went in for a half-court layup.

ALTAVISTA (18-6)

Jordan 6, Ferguson 9, Mike Poindexter 13, Johnny Wimbish 10. Totals 15-33 4-5 38.

MADISON COUNTY (26-0)

Campbell 4, Jerel Carter 10, David Falk 10, Garr 2, Logan Terrell 10, Hensley 3, Butler 2. Totals 17-37 5-11 41.

Altavista6 14 7 11 – 38

Madison County 13 8 6 14 – 41

3-point goals: Ferguson, Wimbish 3, Campbell, Hensley.

Highlights: A – Jordan 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Wimbish 6 rebounds; Ferguson 3 assists. MC – Falk 8 rebounds, 1 block; Carter 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks; Campbell 3 assists.