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On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa
I can see the Potomac Falls parents behind the bench screaming for their boys, and the Panther Pit student fans dressed in purple jumping up and down behind the basket chanting "I believe ... I believe ... I believe we will win" and there is Panther coach Jeff Hawes removing his jacket early making it that much easier for everyone to see him instructing his team with his emotions on his sleeve ...
And the players faces and names change ... except for that one constant ... Greg Graves ... And each dream ends the same with Potomac Falls winning and celebrating and at some point, back behind the big stage there is Hawes and Graves with a big embrace ...
Back in January when Potomac Falls had dropped four of five and was struggling at 11-7 overall it appeared the Panthers dream of a third straight VHSL Division 4 state title were just that ... a dream. And yet here we are again in March and the Potomac Falls Purple Band continues to play on and on ...
Yet another win over Tabb -- the third straight quarterfinal win vs. the Hampton Roads crew -- this time 63-58 with Graves, supporting a swagger of a mohawk haircut, and the game to back it up as he threw down 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the fourth quarter alone.
In the end Potomac Falls is back again at VCU playing in the late, late game ... tipping off at 9 p.m. tonight against Christiansburg in the state semifinals for the second straight year ... it is a timeslot they have become accustomed to. Heck, the VHSL by now has probably given Hawes his own key to lock up shop after the game.
Graves, a Mount Saint Mary's recruit, is a player I have always looked up to ... yes, I'm 5-foot-9 and he is 6-foot-7 and has been 6-something since like sixth grade. A 4-year starter who works as tirelessly on the rebounding end of things as he does on scoring ... Graves grabbed 13 boards in Saturday to push his career total to 1,004 making him likely the only player in Loudoun hoops history to score 1,000 points and haul in 1,000 boards.
You don't get to those numbers without some serious playoff runs and Potomac Falls, the only boys team from Loudoun to ever win a state basketball title, is now playing its 26th playoff game since Graves suited up as a freshman ... that is an entire extra season of intense basketball and the Panthers are 22-3 in postseason including 22-1 in the past three years.
Having achieved his milestone Saturday Graves gave Hawes a big bear hug outside of the locker room but it was for his coach and milestone win No. 250 ... Graves had made it a goal to be on the court when his coach -- the only head coach in Potomac Falls history since opening in 1997 -- notched career win No. 250. And to do that he had to lead his club to yet another postseason run.
While it all tends to blend together ... at my age I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast ... I will take away two plays from Saturday both happened by the basket I was sitting by (obviously the Viva Loudoun "Fox" had angered the Robinson "Ram" at some point as my usual midcourt seat was switched for a nice sit next to the Tabb administrators cheering wildly for their boys ...) with the first a breakaway dunk by Graves.
First the play was impressive because of Graves' anticipation on the defensive end, sprinting out of the middle to pick off a pass midstride and then as he was being chased down by a quicker Tabb guard, Graves simply got permission for takeaway from the control tower early, starting his dunk at the free throw line and landing on the rim with enough force that the average player only achieves in Nerf hoops in their basement.
That dunk broke a 29-29 tie in the first half and the Panthers never trailed again.
The second play came with 2:46 to go when Tabb was fighting to come back and a Panther turnover looked like it was going to lead to an easy, uncontested layin ... only Graves was swooping down the court like some sort of angry Giant Condor and he swatted the ball away from behind with it richochetting off the glass like a pin ball. Tabb by now was on tilt and Potomac Falls was booked passage to Richmond yet again.
Don't get me wrong, it not a singular effort that propelled Potomac Falls to another Final Four as there were huge plays all around with senior Matt Galloway, freshman Wayna Allen (does Hawes have a contract for a uber-player to come along every four years?!?), juniors Brandon Orbe and D'Shawn Shorts all knocking down 3-pointers in the first quarter as the two teams came out hot with a combined 10 treys hit in the first eight minutes.
The Panthers needed those points as Graves early on was wrapped up .... literally they were holding Graves and doing everything but duct-tapping him to prevent him from getting the ball. As the game went on, the officials found their whistles a bit more and Graves got into the offensive flow, even hitting his own 3-pointer n the final quarter.
Orbe and senior Todd Shanosky off the bench were tireless workers for rebounds and good defense. Potomac Falls usual brand of suffocating halfcourt trapping worked to not only force turnovers but they held Tabb's top player, Shaq Rodney scoreless in the contest.
If the Panthers win tonight they will wrap up the VHSL state title Saturday big show with a 9 p.m. tipoff ... I wouldn't dream of betting against them taking the court that night once again.
Loudoun Valley Dream Season Ends
The Loudoun Valley High School boys basketball team knew they would enjoy their return to AA since wandering around the wilds of AAA and the Northwestern and Northern regions for the past six years but little could they have imagined a dream season that included Dulles District regular-season and tournament titles and a 3-point shot away from advancing to the state's Final Four.
The Vikings on the road against Grafton trailed 52-44 with three minutes to go but they kept fighting and nearly pulled off a comeback before falling, 58-56. JR Josh Grimard led the Vikes with 16 and senior John Yoxthimer finished up his brilliant career with 15 points as he exits as the school's all-time leading rebounder and a 1,000+ scorer.
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