Yorktown Loses Controversial Thriller

The Yorktown Patriots fell 55-51 at Mount Vernon in the semi-finals of the National District tournament.  They played well throughout the game, and even went into the final period up by seven, but a strong finish by the Majors, as well as some questionable calls down the stretch proved to be the difference.  Daniel Pietropaoli led the Patriots with 14 points, including four three-pointers.

Going into the game, Rich Avila had express his belief that if they could hold National District Player of the year Jesse Konadu to 20 points, that they would have a shot to win the game.  They had beaten the Majors without Konadu at Mount Vernon earlier in the year, but later lost by 16 to a fully staffed Major side at home.  Thanks to Konadu’s game-high 24 points, the Majors won by 4. 

The Patriots came out and took control of the game early, thanks to a pair of three-pointers by Kevin Bailey.   The Patriots held the lead the whole quarter until a three-point play by Konadu in the final seconds of the period gave the Majors a one-point lead.  Jack Early drilled a half court shot at the buzzer, but it was waved off because it was released slightly after the clock had expired.

The Patriots were able to recapture the lead in the second half due to contributions off the bench and the solid play of Nick Yore.  Substitutes Kyle Bailey and Drew Nash combined for 12 of Yorktown’s 19 points in the quarter.  Nick Yore had all four of his points in the period, and was excellent on the defensive end, holding second-team all-district performer Juwan Bullard scoreless the entire game.

“Nick Yore played great,” head coach Rich Avila said.  “He really took away their advantage inside.”

The Patriots went into the break up five, and were able to extend that lead to seven by the end of the third, thanks to the defense.  They held Konadu scoreless, and consequently the Majors only put up nine points in the period.

In a controversial start to the fourth quarter, the officials gave the ball to the Majors before either team had really gotten situated on the court.  The Patriots raced onto the floor to foul Konadu before he got an uncontested layup, but after the two made free throws, the lead had been cut to two possessions and the momentum had shifted. 

The Majors took that momentum shift all the way to an 8-0 run to recapture the lead, their first since the end of the first quarter.  The referees seemingly missed two clear shooting fouls in the final minutes of the game, one on a crucial mid-range jump shot by Jack Earley.  Down two with less than two minutes remaining, it appeared Earley had his shooting hand pulled down while attempting the shot, thus causing the shot from the First Team All-District player to fall five feet short of the rim.  A basket on the other end pushed the lead to two possessions and the game in essence was over.  Mount Vernon shot 23 free throws on the night, while Yorktown did not get to the line even once.

“It is hard to win a game when you don’t even shoot a free throw,” a clearly frustrated Avila said afterwards.

Officiating aside, the fact still remains that Mount Vernon made more plays down the stretch.  Konadu was unstoppable in crunch time, and teammate Dion Harris continued to hit big shots for his team.  Pietropaoli responded with a pair of clutch threes and Esherick dropped in a couple tough floaters, but that was the entirety of the Patriot offense in the final period.  Avila gave credit to the effort of their opponents.

“Their pressure is relentless,” he said.  “The really didn’t allow any uncontested shots in the second half.”

The loss eliminates Yorktown from the District tournament, but the season is not over.  The Patriots must now prepare for the loser of the Liberty District final between Langley and South Lakes.  And although the team is disappointed in last night’s result, they remain confident in their chances moving forward.

“Were playing great basketball,” Jack Early said. “Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game.”

His coach echoed that sentiment: “We’ll be fine, we’ve been here before,” he reflected.  “We just need to stay positive, anything can happen come tournament time.”