10 Best: VHSL Class 3 State Championship
The VHSL Class 3 State Championship featured two teams who have been very good the past few seasons, but haven’t been able to pull off a championship yet. Northside out of Roanoke came into the game at 27-1 while Phoebus…
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Continue ReadingThe VHSL Class 3 State Championship featured two teams who have been very good the past few seasons, but haven’t been able to pull off a championship yet. Northside out of Roanoke came into the game at 27-1 while Phoebus came into the game at 25-2, and the game played itself out the way you’d expect.
The first quarter both teams were a little sloppy, but they settled in and got things going toward the end when Northside junior Jordan Wooden hit a three to beat the buzzer and Northside was up 12-8 at the end of one. In the second quarter, Phoebus ramped up their press and really bothered Northside. They forced 10 turnovers in the first half, getting 8 points off of them and they parlayed that into a 29-20 lead at halftime.
However, the Vikings made adjustments and Northside came out focused. Senior shooter and the football team’s quarterback Jalen Jackson hit three big triples in the quarter, and the momentum completely shifted toward Northside as they headed into the final quarter up 44-43 after a Julien Wooden three-point play.
The Vikings continued their hot play early and executed well. They looked in the driver’s seat with two minutes left as they were up six with the ball. Phoebus then forced four straight turnovers, and while they couldn’t convert on all of them they were able to tie the game at 58 a piece with 40 seconds left. It looked like Phoebus had got a 10 second violation, but Northside broke the trap and got into their set. They found senior Kasey Draper diving toward the basket, where he missed the first contested attempt, got the rebound and was fouled with 3.8 seconds left. Draper sank both, a Phoebus heave for the win was off the mark and Northside clinched their first ever state championship!
Here’s a breakdown of the game in our signature 10 Best format.
MVP: Julien Wooden | Northside 2019
Wooden was phenomenal throughout the game, as he did a little bit of everything for his team. He was almost perfect in terms of pure shooting, he was their primary ball handler and made plays for others and he was the team’s top rebounder. He was spot in almost every facet of the game, and being the best player and senior leader he came through when his team needed it the most. More on him below.
Play of the Game
There were quite a few highlight worthy plays to mention, but my nod goes to 2020 Jordan Wooden early in the fourth quarter. With all of the momentum going Northside’s way, Wooden ignited the crowd when he was cut off, changed direction and went baseline, throwing down a big two handed slam right in front of the Northside student section.
Best Offensive Performer: Julien Wooden | Northside 2019
As said before, Wooden was phenomenal as the go-to guy, especially in the second half. He scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, all while being the primary ball handler as well. He showed wiggle off the bounce and great body control in the paint, and he got to the free throw line often where he converted every time. He finished with 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting form the field and 8-for-8 shooting from the line, and he pitched in 9 rebounds and two steals as well.
Best Defensive Performer: Khyree Temple | Phoebus 2019
What a battle it was watching Temple and Wooden go at it on both ends. Temple was phenomenal offensively, finishing with a team high 21 points and 13 rebounds, 12 of which came on the defensive end. A freak athlete, Temple used his athleticism on the defensive end to jump passing lanes and get blocks in transition. He had 6 steals and two blocks to go along with his great offensive game as well.
Best Guy off Bench: Kaheem Zariff | Phoebus 2021
Zariff came off the bench and provided big minutes for the Phantoms as far as scoring and defending go. In their run to tie things up, Zariff, who’s bout 5’8”, had a big tip in to pull the score to within 4. He finished with 9 points and 2 steals in the loss.
Best Intangibles: Kasey Draper | Northside 2019
It takes a special kind of kid who has a terrible first half in the state championship game and turns around and makes the two free throws to win the game. Draper has been one of Northside’s top scorers all season, but he didn’t look that way in the first half where he was 1-for-8 from the field with just five points. However, he came out in the second half and stayed aggressive and stopped settling for jumpers, getting to the basket where he’s a crafty finisher. He finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds and the biggest free throws in Northside history.
Best Under the Radar Performer: Jordan Wooden | Northside 2020
The younger brother of Julien, Jordan has been kind of an afterthought all season next to Draper and his older brother but he made some big time shots and plays to help them win. He made some tough shots in the first half and had the aforementioned big time dunk, and he did a great job defensively keeping ball handlers in front. He finished 3-for-4 from the field with 7 points and 4 rebounds, but he did much more than the stat sheet shows in the victory.
Best Under the Radar Performer 2: Mahir Sharif | Phoebus 2020
Sharif was the attacking guard on a big team that made plays for himself and others with his ability to make shots and get in the lane. He hit some big three-pointers in the second quarter during their big run, and stayed in attack mode throughout the game. He finished with 13 points in the loss.
Best Underclassman: Shakir Dawan | Phoebus 2021
The 5’6” point guard was far from the biggest dude on the floor, but he did a great job handling pressure and getting them into their stuff. Defensively he was all over the floor in their press and he made good decisions and took good shots for the most part. He finished with 7 points on just five shots from the field.
Best Storyline: Northside First Championship
It’s not really a surprise when a program gets their first state championship, but Northside has come so close over the past five seasons that it feels as right as ever to give them their first title. In 2015 they fell to George Wythe in the state semifinals, in 2016 they fell to Hopewell in the state semifinals, in 2017 they fell to Norcom in the state championship and last year they fell to Western Albemarle in the state semifinals. It was the first state championship for the Roanoke area since Salem won in 2015, and the whole community that came to support them can go home happy knowing their team pulled it out.