10 Best: VHSL 1A State Championship
What a way to start the VHSL State Championships! It was a rematch of last year’s state semifinal between Radford and George Wythe, and it was a dogfight until the very end. The younger Bobcats of Radford jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, and were in control after sophomore Quinton Morton-Robertson hit a hail mary 40 footer to beat the buzzer to put Radford up 33-22 at halftime. The Maroons didn’t roll over however, and made a big push in the third quarter to get back into it, heading into the fourth trailing 44-37.
The fourth quarter was as entertaining as possible, with both teams making big shots and leaving it all on the line. While their were some questionable calls late, the two teams were neck-and-neck going into the final minute. After some back-and-forth action, Wythe senior point guard Malik Johnson leaned in and hit a three pointer while trying to draw the foul, but didn’t get the call and the time expired after the basket allowing Radford to escape with a 61-60 win and their second straight 1A State Title.
Here’s more from the thrilling matchup.
MVP | Quinton Morton-Robertson | Radford ’19
Morton-Robertson, who started last year as a freshman at point guard in the state championship, was absolutely phenomenal for the Bobcats in their win. He finished with 29 points and controlled the tempo so well throughout the game. He made big plays in crucial moments on both ends of the floor, including a late steal and going 3-for-4 from the line in the last minute of the game.
Play of the Game
While he made clutch plays down the stretch, Morton-Robertson’s most impressive play of the game came at the end of the first half. After a deflected pass, he ran the ball down right in front of half court, took one dribble, switched to his left hand, his off hand, and throw it up from 35 feet and made it to end the half. The shot ended up being huge in the grand scheme of things with Radford winning by one point.
Best Offensive Performer | Quinton Morton-Robertson | Radford ’19
He has to be in this one as well, because Morton-Robertson was not just the game’s high scorer, but he did so by being efficient from the field and clutch down the stretch. He shot 10-for-19 from the field and 6-for-8 from the line, and at just 5’7” he pulled in 5 big rebounds for his team as well. He controlled the tempo, using his end-to-end speed to beat GW down the floor a number of times after a made basket, and he showed toughness by taking a number of shots and getting right back up and making another play.
Best Defensive Performer | Malik Johnson | George Wythe ‘17
Being a 6’4” combo guard at a small school like GW presents some unique challenges, and one of those is that Johnson has to guard whatever position they need him to. If they go small, he’ll guard the other team’s big man, and if they put in on of their true posts he’ll guard whoever he needs to guard. Johnson did a great job switching to different players and playing the whole second half with foul trouble, and still managed to force three steals in the game.
Best Guy off the Bench | Taylor Newcome | Radford ‘18
Newcome provided great energy off the bench for Radford, and hit some big shots when the defense forgot about him. He filled lanes well on the break, was always in help side defense, competed on both ends and did a good job not making mistakes in his time on the floor. He finished with five points, an assist, a rebound and most importantly, a ring.
Best Intangibles | Malik Johnson | George Wythe ‘17
As a member of the media I have to be unbiased, but watching Johnson collapse on the floor after time expired was hard for anyone to watch because he left everything out there. He went after every 50-50 ball, even crashing into the Radford bench and spilling gatorade everywhere, and his leadership down the stretch was the main reason GW was in it late. After he hit the shot and Radford didn’t take it out, Johnson collapsed on the floor in tears, a tough moment for anyone, even Radford fans, to watch. He finished with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals on the game.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer | Jake Martin | George Wythe ’18
Talk about stepping up in a big way, Martin was the most consistent shot maker throughout the game for GW, and was Johnson’s favorite target to find in the third quarter when they made their big run. He finished with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field, and 12 of those came in the second half including his two three-pointers. He played with intensity and was always looking for his shot, and he’ll be a key returner for GW moving forward.
Best Underclassman | Miles Jones | Radford ’19
It’s scary to think that Radford has won back-to-back titles and their three best players are sophomores. Jones, who’s father Mike is the Head Coach at Radford University, has improved immensely from last year where he was a reserve role player, and he enforced his will in the paint Thursday. The sophomore, who’s sprouted to a legit 6’7” now, finished with 15 points and six rebounds, and his efficiency was off the charts. He shot 5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-4 from the line and 2-for-2 from deep showing his versatility offensively.
Best Aspect of Environment | Rivalry in State Championship
Listening to Radford Head Coach Rick Cormany talk about growing up in Wytheville and learning the game playing at George Wythe HS put into perspective how big this rivalry is in the Western part of the state. Located about 40 minutes away down I-81, Wythe and Radford have been two of the best programs in that area over the past 20 years. They played each other in the state semifinals last year and had two previous meetings this year, with each going to George Wythe. It isn’t a rivalry where they hate each other, but it’s even better because both the coaching staffs and players have a lot of respect for each as well.
Best Story Moving Forward | Radford Dynasty?
It was Radford’s fifth state championship in the past decade or so, but the first time they won back-to-back titles in that span. They lost six seniors from last year, so many weren’t expecting them to make another run at the title, but they now return their top three scorers from this season for the next two years. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to compete for state titles with a big target on their backs the next couple of years.