Boys Basketball: Graves Has His Breakout Moment as Panthers are Poised to Make History

(Mar. 12, 2010) - The problem with scouting the Potomac Falls High School boys basketball team this season is that in any game you watch a different player has his breakout moment.

It could be Lukas Miahailovich pouring in 50 points and a halfcourt buzzer beater in a triple overtime win against Stone Bridge or Zack Curran hitting the game-winning buzzer beater early in the season against Broad Run or Mickey Wagenhoffer stepping up big in the Dulles District tournament finals or Brendon Chesson swooping past Liberty in the Region II title game and on Tuesday night in the VHSL Division 4 state semifinals it was Greg Graves turn as the 6-foot-6 sophomore center turned in a triple-double (15 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks) to help lead the Panthers to a 66-57 win.

All of those players -- Mihailovich, Curran, Wagenhoffer, Chesson and Graves -- are starters for the Panthers and none of them are seniors but the PF head coach Jeff Hawes has been following this group since they were in sixth grade and now they are poised to earn the school's first ever state title in basketball -- Loudoun's first every boys basketball state title -- when they play Broadway Saturday at VCU's Siegel Center at 9 p.m.

Mihailovich, who is on schedule to become the school's all-time leading scorer before he graduates, scored 25 Tuesday including a state record 14 of 14 performance from the foul line. He plays like a junior alright ... a junior in college perhaps. Curran, who would rather dish out an assist than shoot but isn't afraid to put it up, scored nine points and Chesson added nine.

The problem with scouting the Panthers extends to the bench where Hawes throws out junior point guard Pete Simoneau in place of Curran and Simoneau almost always hits a clutch basket. Then there is the defensive help off the bench of senior Tarrell Owens -- one of just two seniors on the roster -- and junors Alex Kress and Ben Sweger. Forward Matt Hoover also come in and gives the Panthers yet another big body to go with the 6-5 Wagenhoffer and Graves, who appears to be playing at times like a 6-10 player.

Graves on Tuesday, wasn't simply blocking shots, he was swatting them out onto Broad Street. But first, the Panthers had to catch their breath on the big stage at the start, falling down 6-2 quickly to the Trailblazer and their senior scoring sensation Marlon Organ (game-high 26 points).

Hawes called a quick 30 second time out and had some choice words for his team. Mihailovich took it upon himself to wake up the Panther offense, driving three straight times to the basket and scoring all three times with the middle drive an "And One" finish to put PF up 9-6.

The Panthers trailed 13-11 heading into the second and it was 15-15 midway through the quarter when Spotswood when on a min 5-0 run to take a 20-15 advantage.

Another 30 second timeout and the Panthers responded again, this time Graves scoring inside and Kress hitting a jumper. A Graves strong finish on a three-point play made it 22-21 PF and the Panthers weren't done as they scored four more points in the final 30 seconds of the half, all by Graves, to take a 26-21 halftime advantage.

With Organ sitting at 15 points at the half, the Panthers were determined to clamp down on him in the third and they prevented him from scoring in the quarter as PF was able to stretch the lead to 42-31, thanks 10-5 spurt to start the half with Mihailovich finishing yet another three-point Panther play, Graves scoring twice inside and Chesson hitting a 3-pointer.

Spotswood made it interesting as the Trailblazers cut the lead down to two, 42-40, with 5:58 still to play but Curran stroked a 3-pointer and Chesson hit a jumper and then Mihailovich hit a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point advantage. Two free throws by Graves with 3:39 to go capped the 12-0 stretch and left PF in command, 52-40. With the Panthers hitting 27 of 30 from the foul line on the night, there was no way for Spotswood to come back and Potomac Falls was one step closer to a dream that started in the sixth grade.