Wednesday night’s matchup between the T.C. Williams Titans and the Yorktown Patriots presented a classic clash of size and athleticism versus discipline and jump shooting. On paper it looked as if the 22-5 Titans had the clear edge, but the contrasting style of the Patriots gave T.C more of a test than many would have expected.
Although the Titans only led by four with three minutes remaining, they closed strong to win 56-43. The dynamic duo of Jamal Pullen and Rick Matthews down low proved to be too much for the Patriots to handle. Pullen led all scorers with 15, while Matthews tallied 11. Tyrell Sitton also scored 13 and made big plays down the stretch to solidify the win.
The Titans jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead and never trailed. They pressed from the opening tip and caused six Yorktown turnovers in the opening period. They also established the high-low attack early to exploit the weak spots in Yorktown’s stingy 2-3 zone. Although they were able to establish a double-digit lead, the Patriots clawed back into it and trailed only by four with time ticking down in the first half when a friendly bounce on a fade-away 3-point buzzer-beater from Sitton gave the Titans the 30-23 halftime lead.
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T.C. came out in the second half and looked to Pullen, who scored four quick points, including a thunderous two-handed slam to push the lead back out to 11. The Titans ability to rebound the ball not only paid dividends on the offensive end with easy put-backs, but also forced the Patriots into a one-and-done situation, which disrupted their offensive rhythm. A brief stretch of turnovers and poor shots allowed Yorktown to pull back to within four, but when it came to crunch time, the Titans were up for the challenge. The hit nine of their 11 free throws in the final period, and turned a pair of steals into easy baskets en route to the 13-point victory.
With the win the Titans move to just one game away from a berth in the state championship. To get there they will have to beat the Herndon Hornets and regional Player of the Year Austin Hamilton. The Hornets have won 13 straight, and Hamilton leads the region at 23 points per game. That game will be played on Saturday night at Robinson Secondary School.
