Timberlake in semifinals

Sparked by stifling man-to-man pressure and unselfish ball movement, Timberlake Christian upset the Miller School in the first round of the Virginia Independent Conference Tournament at Lynchburg College's Turner Gymnasium. The 65-57 win marked the Tornadoes' first-ever postseason victory in the VIC Tournament. "My kids really came to play tonight," said Timberlake coach Charlie Williams. "They decided to come out and be very aggressive." The aggressive approach paid off immediately, as Williams' club opened an 18-7 lead in the first quarter.

Timberlake pressured Miller's guards relentlessly throughout the game to deny post passes to the inside duo of Sharif Brown and Kevin Johnson. "The game plan was to double team Brown and Johnson and really pressure their guards," Williams said. The Tornadoes extended their advantage to 16 points at intermission behind Jason Spear, who scored 12 of his team-high 23 points in the first half. A 3-pointer from Spear early in the second half pushed the lead to 38-20. Miller, behind Kevin Johnson (31 points) and Sharif Brown (22 points), cut the gap to nine, but Timberlake closed the third quarter with back-to-back baskets to push the lead to 46-33.

Miller made a push in the final quarter, but Timberlake slammed the door by hitting 12 of 16 free throws down the stretch. Steve Glass and Wyatt Craig supported Spear on offense, adding 14 and 10 points respectively. "We have a super bunch of kids that really play well together," Williams said. "We have great team chemistry." The win improved Timberlake to 13-8 and advanced the Tornadoes to face Carlisle, an 60-39 winner over Eastern Mennonite, in the tournament semifinals.

By Chris Wallace, Special Correspondent
Source: The News & Advance