In their VIC Division 1 Conference opener, Hargrave Military Academy dropped a hard fought game to Virginia Episcopal by a final score of 69-65. With the loss, the Tigers drop to 4-1 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.
From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the gym in Lynchburg was teeming with excitement and energy for this matchup between two highly ranked VISAA programs. Both teams were well prepared for the game and it showed. The Tigers took an early lead after the first quarter, 19-17-led by Senior Maurice Wilcox nailing three early three-pointers, only to see the Bishops hold them to just eight second quarter points and Hargrave found themselves down 30-27 at halftime.
The second half was a mirror image of the first, as both teams traded blows back and forth, matching each other shot for shot and stop for stop. With the amount of great players on the floor, there’s no surprise this one went down to the wire. After a barrage of three pointers from both teams, Hargrave trailed by one, 48-47, heading into the final period. During the fourth quarter, Virginia Episcopal was able to control the pace and made clutch free throws which ultimately ended the Tigers’ chances of victory, as the Bishops were able to stretch their lead to as many as 5 points down the stretch giving the Tigers their first blemish this season with a final score of 69-65.
Notable Performances:
#0 Maurice Wilcox ’18–22 Points (7-15 FG, 7-13 3FG), 5 Assists, 3 Steals, 2 Rebounds
#4 Korbin Spencer ’19–12 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 1 Assist
#5 Cam McNeil ’18–12 Points, 7 Rebounds (5 Offensive Rebounds)
#11 Seneca Louis ’18–9 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals
#14 Benson Lin ’18–9 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 2 Assists
The Tigers return to the court this weekend as they travel out to Virginia Beach for a back to back starting with Atlantic Shores on Friday January 12th, 7:00 PM tip-off followed by a neutral court matchup with defending VISAA D3 State Champion, Williamsburg Christian Academy, on Saturday January 13th, tip-off scheduled for 12:00 PM.
