Patriots Rally to Stun Generals 56-53

Tuesday's matchup was one that both players and fans alike had marked on their calendar when the schedules came out.  The Washington-Lee Generals at the Yorktown Patriots: the cross-town rivalry game for all the bragging rights and a vital district win.

"It's a dog fight every time," junior Jack Earley said.  We knew coming into it that it was going to be a tough game."

Both schools packed the tiny gym with boisterous student sections, and this year's first installment of one of the region's premiere rivalries certainly fit the bill.

The Patriots came from 10 points down with 4 minutes remaining to winning by three, due to the last minute heroics of senior Daniel Pietropaoli, as well as a breakthrough game from senior guard Kyle Bailey.  Pietropaoli scored 9 of his 14 in the fourth quarter, none bigger than the game-winning mid-range jumper that put the Patriots up by 1 with 10 seconds to go.

Kyle Bailey, who has played limited minutes for head coach Rich Avila this season, was brought on late, alongside twin brother Kevin, for defensive purposes.  Oddly enough, it was Kyle's 11-point fourth quarter outburst that led the Patriot comeback.  

In the battle of the "Jacks," Yorktown's Earley finished with a game-high 16 points, while Washington-Lee senior captain Jack Beckman tallied 14 and played very well in key situations. With senior forward Garrett Bangsboll on crutches watching with an ankle injury, Washington-Lee's Jonah Sens came up big, scoring 12 points and ripping down at least a dozen boards in defeat.

The chants of the opposing crowds began at a frantic pace, but the game opened up a little more methodically.  The Patriots looked to work the ball around to their key players, and quick points from Earley and senior Nicko Esherick put them up 5-0.  The duo combined for 11 of Yorktown's 12 first quarter points.

The Generals were a little slower out of the gates.  They appeared to be flustered by Yorktown's conservative 2-3-zone defense, heaving up threes from deep.  After missing their first 4 long-range attempts, Andrew Karpinsky hit one in the closing minute of the quarter cut the Patriot lead to 12-10.

Pietropaoli led a balanced second quarter Patriot attack with 4 points, but back-to-back Karpinsky layups cut the lead to a one. Karpinsky also got into the scoring with 6 points in the paint and a couple big blocks.  The freshman center had a huge play at the end of the half, putting back a missed shot at the buzzer.

The Generals would carry the momentum of the buzzer-beater into the third quarter, which they dominated with great defensive pressure and transition offense.  Guards Antoine Ingram and Ian Cole contributed 11 third-quarter bench points as W-L outscored Yorktown 19-6 in the period.  They looked to be in control up 10 points with time dwindling. and the home crowd began to get anxious.

"It was desperation time," Earley said.  "We had to make something happen."

Avila brought in the Bailey twins, to wreak havoc in the full court press.   While Kevin put together a nice string of steals and assists, Kyle scored at will.  The athletic 6'1'' guard put in all eleven of his points in the closing moments, including a clutch 3-pointer to give the Patriots a 1-point lead late, their first since the opening minutes of the third quarter.

"You just always know they want to win so bad." Pietropaoli said of the Bailey twins. "Their tenacity was unmatched."

However, the game was not over.  Beckman, who played excellent down the stretch, inbounded a pass to the cutting Sens for the go ahead-layup with less than a minute to play.  The fan eruption this time came from the other end of the gym, as the General faithful were given new hope that victory still might be at hand.

The Patriots then came down running their normal flex offense, looking for one of their key players to make a play when it counted most.  That player was Pietropaoli.  The undersized 6'2'' forward caught the ball on the wing, took two strong dribbles toward the paint and sank the game winning 16-footer with 10 ticks left.  

"I was open when I caught the ball, but I hadn't been making my threes," the senior leader explained.  "I saw the opening and decided it was the best shot we had."

A Washington-Lee turnover and two Kevin Bailey free throws closed the game out and the Yorktown student section rushed the court to congratulate their players.

"It was more a sigh of relief for us," Earley explained afterwards.  "We needed that first win to prove we can close games out." 

The Patriots had suffered narrow defeats in all four of their previous games this season. 

As for at least a hundred of his fellow classmates mobbing him after the game, Earley said,  "Wow, it's a great feeling."

The two teams will meet again at Washington-Lee in what will be a highly anticipated rematch on Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.