Week #26 - Red Hot: Boys Varsity Basketball Defeat Cristo Rey on the Road, Advance to VISAA Elite Eight!

Sean, continuing to draw a ton of attention in the middle, spotted Sin on the wing. Sin lined up the ball and fired a shot over the outstretched arm of the defense! Smooth like butter, Sin scored Tandem's 6th three-point shot of the quarter. The next time down, Sin fired a heat-check - and it confirmed that he was sweltering! Leaving no doubt, Sin's shot barely even touched the net, as the Badgers took a 21-7 lead. On the other end, Isaac had his third of FOUR BLOCKS in the quarter. 

 

With two defenders on him and time running off the clock, Isaac took one dribble, set his feet, and fired from Fluvanna! With the ball in the air, he walked away. He did not need to watch the shot go in - he knew that check had been cashed - giving the Badgers their 8th triple of the period! Moments later, after getting his fourth of FOUR BLOCKS in the quarter, with three seconds to go, Isaac did it again - from deeeep! Isaac's stat line: 12 points (on 4/4 shooting), 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals.... IN ONE QUARTER. Tandem led 29-11 after 8:00! 

 

THE BADGERS SHOT NINE FOR NINE FROM BEYOND THE ARC IN THE OPENING PERIOD. That is unheard of and can only be described as NBA Jam-Style absolutely scorching sweltering that-red-pepper-you-really-shouldn't-eat and you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it hot. There was a big crowd of Cristo Rey fans in that gym - and they were loud at the beginning. After that kind of shooting - well - it was awfully quiet after the first quarter - except for the Tandem fan section - bringing the noise!

 

In the second period, Kemaan was excellent on the glass. Using his long arms to shield the defender, he forced tough shots, and ended their possessions with good box outs and strong hands. Cristo Rey would battle their way back into the game - they hit a three to open the quarter, and eventually cut the lead to 31-18. After a Tandem timeout, Quis threw the ball in transition to Isaac - he was triple teamed - and using his best Justin Jefferson wide receiver skills, he high pointed the ball and made a reverse lay-up, all without dribbling.  

 

It was 35-24 when Coach Sam drew up a beautiful sideline out of bounds play. Sin set up his defender by cutting to the left side of the rim. While the pass was in the air to Sean, Sin changed directions, grabbed the ball on a hand-off from Sean, and went to the rim. Sin scored a lay-up in traffic. The next time down, Sin got an offensive rebound and was fouled. Somehow, this was Tandem's only trip to the foul line in the first half. (Shrugs.) As the cheerleaders on the baseline got louder, Sin got more focused. He made the foul shot, giving the Badgers a 36-25 lead. With 22 seconds to go, Cristo Rey decided to hold the ball for the last shot.  They worked the ball into the corner, where Shaan slid his feet, stayed in front of one of Cristo Rey's best scorers, and forced a tough, contested shot. It clanked off the rim, and the Badgers took an 11 point edge to the locker room.

 

In the second half, Cristo Rey continued to cut into the lead. They scored a three pointer early, but Sean responded with an and one off of an offensive rebound. Somehow, this play represented Sean's only trip to the line, despite a lot of contact in the paint. Regardless, he kept his cool, and found other ways to positively impact the game. Cristo Rey had the lead down to seven, and the momentum was shifting. Playoff Sin, always one for big moments, got to the basket for a key lay up, and on the next time down, drew a foul and went to the line. With the cheerleaders on the baseline, Sin smiled and reveled in the moment: two key foul shots were in the bag.

 

With heavy foul trouble, Sin and Quis had to sit out the latter part of the third quarter, and Cristo Rey had the lead down to four after three quarters. Tre filled in - he was a menace on defense. Sensing the urgency of the moment, the Badger crowd rose to their feet. Sean got the ball in the paint, and was fouled across the arm, but no call was made. He kept working: on the other end, he snatched down the rebound, and found Isaac.

 

Champions step up in the biggest moments. With the Badgers up six, Isaac used a series of jab steps to isolate his defender. He then drove to the basket, and scored in traffic with phenomenal balance and footwork. Moments later, Cristo Rey fell victim to a Quis/Isaac trap, and Isaac came out of the pack with the ball and a transition opportunity. He slowed down, gathered his feet, and dunked the ball so hard you could feel the hardwood shake. He wasn't finished. Isaac stole the ball again on the next possession, and was fouled hard at the peak of his jump. He shook that off, and walked right to the line.

 

With 5:30 to go, Cristo Rey went on a 4-0 run, punctuated by a dunk in the paint. They cut the lead back to eight, and in an effort to extend the game, they fouled the wrong guy. Kemaan went to the line and sank both foul shots, calmly, stepping up big late in the game. It was 58-48 before Cristo Rey scored two threes, and all of the sudden the lead was down to four. There were four minutes to go, Sin had fouled out, and the noise was deafening. A different team might have caved in.

 

Unbothered, Isaac isolated his defender, attacked the middle, and drew a foul as he contorted his body to score a clutch lay up. The lead increased to six. Cristo Rey scored on the other end, but on their next trip, they launched a three off the back of the rim and Quis had his head above the entire backboard - I swear he jumped out of the gym to get the rebound. Isaac was fouled in transition, and the Badgers led 61-56.

 

Quis, who had been glued to #3 throughout the game (and shut him down!) stole the ball and earned a trip to the line. Owning the moment, he made both foul shots despite the incredible noise in the gym. The next time down, Quis went sky high for another rebound, and he took a joyful walk back to the foul line - this time to put the game away for good. The Tandem Badgers won, on the road, 64-56 - advancing to Round 2!

 

For the second season in a row, Tandem is the only lower seed in the entire VISAA tournament - and the only team that played on the road - to earn a first round victory and advance to the Elite Eight! The #10 seeded Badgers will take on #2 seeded Stuart Hall tomorrow at 5:30pm. The Boys Varsity Basketball Badgers have now won 6 games in a row - and we'll see you on the road tomorrow and keep the streak going!

 

Congratulations to this extraordinary team! With veteran leaders like Isaac (24 points), Sin (14 points), Quis (11 points) and Sean (10 points), this team has earned their second consecutive appearance in the VISAA Division III Elite Eight - the only two such appearances in Tandem history.

 

Congratulations to Coaches Sam, Denzel and Mary - this staff designed beautiful offensive sets and cooked up a stifling defense... and kept the team calm and collected as the massive early lead turned into a close game. The Badgers are battle tested - and have been there before, and knew what they needed to do to win! BADGER UP - THIS WAS A BIG TIME W ON THE ROAD!