VES, Timberlake reach Holiday Classic finals

With the four area private schools on public display Friday, one small losing streak continued while a much bigger one finally came to an end. Timberlake Christian School used an often-amazing perimeter shooting display to hand defending champion Holy Cross its fifth straight loss, 57-54, in the second game of the 8th Annual Holiday Classic at the Holy Cross gym.

In the opener, Virginia Episcopal School waltzed to a 72-49 victory over Lynchburg Christian Academy in a foul-marred game that snapped VES' 18-game losing skid dating to last season.

"It was just time for us to get one," said VES coach Bob Leake, whose team meets Timberlake in tonight's championship game at Holy Cross, following the consolation game at 6 p.m. "I felt like the players had to want to do it. We didn't talk about (the streak) until after the game."

It was more difficult for Timberlake (4-2) to advance, holding off the winless but improving Gaels (0-5) with the hot first-half shooting of Jason Spear and the almost-as-hot shooting of Jon Phillips in the second half.

Spear sank six of his seven 3-pointers before intermission, while Phillips made four of the bonus shots overall and had 15 of his 23 points in the second half.

"(Phillips) kind of carried us at the end," Timberlake coach Charlie Williams said. "And Jason definitely carried us in the first half. We were fortunate, because we played terrible in the first quarter."

Phillips made what turned out to be the game-winner, taking a kick-out pass from Paul Fitzgerald and sinking a set 3-pointer from out front for a 55-52 lead with 30 seconds left.

The left-handed shooter then converted a pair of free throws with five seconds left, following a basket by Holy Cross' Garth Calhoun that came from just inside the 3-point arc.

"We had designed to shoot a 3-pointer," Holy Cross coach Stan Hull said. "He needs to be conscious of where the line is. But we're improving each and every day. We're going to win some games."

Julius Esquerra scored a team-high 17 points for the Gaels, who switched to a man defense and recovered from a four-point second-period deficit to lead 41-37 after three quarters.

VES (1-3) never trailed in the first game, opening as much as a 26-point lead in the second half. Twelve players scored for the Bishops, led by 14 points each from Wood Parker and Scott Keplinger.

"We had been shooting the ball horrible in the first three games," Leake said. "We practiced the last two days on slowing down the game to work the ball inside."

It worked, against what was often a porous LCA zone. The Bulldogs (4-4) switched to a man defense midway through the third period, setting up a molasses-slow second half in which VES shot the bulk of its 42 free throws, making only 21.

The teams combined for 51 personal fouls, with LCA at one stretch in the final period sending VES to the foul line on nine consecutive possessions.

"We tried to make something happen, trap them and go for the ball," LCA coach Tim Hill said. "I was very surprised when we dropped back (in the zone) and we weren't able to match up with their shooters."

Trent Richardson scored 17 points for the Bulldogs, as the two teams warmed up the nets for the second game's shooting display by combining for eight 3-pointers.

By Gary Crockett, Staff Writer
Source: The News & Advance