By Richard Carrier, Contributing Writer
richwrites@netzero.net

One team escaped the consequences of late-game errors in judgment and the other paid the price for a final-second turnover. Prince Edward High School lost the patience that had helped them control the Southside District Tournament Semi-final contest and Powhatan High School lost the ball with the go-ahead possession in-hand and fell to the Eagles 48-45.

Targeting control of the Indians’ Shawn Minor, Prince Edward used either Dajuan Wardell or Mishawn Davis for a game-long blanketing of Davis in a box and one defense. Although as quick, if not quicker, than the Powhatan squad, the Eagles chose a controlled offense to match their controlling defense; walking the ball up-court for most of the game and employing four-corners offense to slow the game down ever further in the final moments. But Minor contributed a game high 18 points and had control of the ball at crunch time.

The Eagles’ Raynard Johnson opened the scoring with a pull-up three but Minor answered with two free throws. Dujuan Wilburn arched in another three and Minor found Phillip Barden under the basket. Powhatan turned the ball over on three successive possessions while the Eagles converted all three of theirs for a 13-4 lead. Coach Steve Washburn’s time out produced a Minor scoring drive and two Ellis Moore free throws. Barden’s put-back closed out the first quarter with PHS down 10-16.

The Indians came out in the second quarter with a ramped-up defense, but Wilburn posted the first points with a put-back.

Deon Berry rifled in a three and Minor followed with a long distance bomb of his own to bring teh score to 18-20. Daniel Prillaman’s assist to Moore tied the game and Minor’s run-out gave the Indians their first lead with 3:15 left in the first half. Prillaman scored on an inbounds play to stretch the lead to four, but Wilburn’s corner three and two free throws by Davis earned the the Eagles the lead as the first half ran out at 24-25.

A Berry to Barden lay-up opened the third quarter before Prince Edwards’ slender center Janaul Randall powered to the rim to recapture the lead. Wilburn’s runner, Prillaman’s hard drive to the hoop, Randall’s score on an inbounds play and Minor’s coast-to-coast score ran the points to 30-31 Eagles. Wilburn casually arched in a three off another inbounds play and Wardell powered to the rim to run the lead to six. Berry again found the range from distance, but Randall’s tip-in put the Eagles up by five at the end of the third stanza.

Randall stretched the lead to seven with a follow. Moore’s free throw got one back and his slick back-door feed to Minor brought the Indians to within four at 36-40. A Prince Edward free throw was followed by two short range misses by Powhatan. With 3:13 left, after an Eagles time out, Wilburn (16 points) fired in a dagger three from the corner for a 36-44 lead. Prillaman responded with a put-back, but Tyandre Harris took two back on a drive to the rim at 38-46.

Minor made one foul shot then fired in his second three-pointer to draw the Indians to 42-46. His free throw at the 1:45 mark left a three point margin in favor of Prince Edward.

With the Eagles firmly committed to the slow-down four corner offense, Wilburn launched an ill-advised three-pointer from the corner. He missed and Minor pulled down the rebound. But Powhatan failed to convert with Berry and Barden both missing and the Eagles escaped Wilburn’s blunder unscathed. But the subsequent Eagles possession resulted in the exact same blunder. With 43 seconds left, Wilburn inexplicably launched and missed the same corner three. Moore skied for the rebound and beat every one down the floor to bring the margin to a single point. Up by one, the Eagles again set up in their four corners and let nine or 10 seconds tick off before Wardell lowered his shoulder and charged through the packed lane. He failed to convert as he went through two Powhatan defenders and probably would have drawn the foul if he had not turned his back to the basket- as he reached the rim he threw up a prayer. But no foul was called and the Indians had the ball with 27 seconds left. Coach Washburn called a time out to set up a final play.

With Berry at the point, Powhatan steadily worked the ball around the perimeter with cutters flashing through the lane and along the baseline. Minor cut into the lane at the free throw line and took the pass from Berry. Three Eagles immediately covered him and he wisely returned the ball to Berry. Berry was not where Minor’s pass touched the court.

Whether Berry had moved from where he was supposed to be or Minor threw the pass to where he wasn’t made no difference to Wardell, who scooped up the loose ball and streaked for the basket. He took a hard foul at the rim but converted both free throws to give the Eagles a three point lead with six seconds left. After Coach Washburn’s final time out, the inbounds play found Moore open on the left side-line just past mid-court. He took three strides and launched a three which caromed off the front rim.

The Eagles’ cheerleaders and fans rushed onto the court as Minor lay prostrate near the Indians’ basket.