Robinson Suffers Hard-Fought Loss To T.C. Williams

The T.C. Williams Titans defeated the Robinson Rams 58-52 Friday evening in Northern Region semifinal action. With a spot in the Northern Region final at stake, both teams put it all out on the court. T.C. Williams prevailed, and will face West Springfield on Monday in the finals.

The Titans and Rams used the majority of the first quarter getting acquainted to each other’s style of play. Points were not at a premium as the teams scored a combined 33 points.

The Titans were led by Jasmine Norman’s six points early, while Gabby Moss and Kristen Roberts each added three. For the Rams, Dhyamond Crenshaw led in scoring with six, followed by Megan Green’s four points. At the end of a competitive first quarter, T.C. Williams led 18-15.

In the second quarter, the teams pressed each other on defense, both keeping to a conservative offensive scheme. T.C. Williams stayed on top, doing just enough to keep Robinson from taking the lead. Again, Norman led the Titans offensively with nine second-quarter points. Natalie Nohra scored four for the Rams. As the second quarter came to a close, T.C. Williams led 31-29.

Both teams struggled to find the basket in the third. Robinson couldn’t find the momentum shift needed to take the lead. The Titans controlled the quarter, although they only led by four as the third ended. Roberts had an impressive quarter, scoring 10 of the Titans’ 12 points. She also contributed a steal and two blocks. T.C. Williams led 43-39 at the end of the third.

With only one quarter standing between them and a spot in the finals, T.C. Williams knew that Robinson would give them all they could handle down the final stretch. The final minutes did not disappoint.

With 5:12 remaining in the game, Robinson grabbed its first lead of the game, 44-43, on a Tyler Hansen bucket. The basket signaled the beginning of a memorable finish.

Now trailing, it was the Titans’ time to come from behind. The teams traded the lead for the remainder of the contest, with free throws ultimately determining the outcome. In the final minutes, the Titans converted 10-of-12 free throws, giving them the cushion needed to regain and hold on to the lead. After an emotional, hard-fought, quarter, T.C. Williams prevailed 58-52.

“It was disappointing to get this close and not get over that last hurdle. I was real proud of the kids, a really good season,” said Robinson coach T.J. Dade following his team’s loss.

T.C. Williams will face West Springfield Monday evening in the Northern Region finals. The two teams met three times this season, most recently on February 18 when West Springfield defeated T.C. Williams 64-50 for the Patriot District title.

Now, one week after that loss, Titan head coach Kesha Walton said, “We finished third [in the regular season], but proved to everybody that we were higher than that. We wanted to keep going. We didn’t want our season to be over with. That’s what we stressed every day at practice.

“We get excited. This is what it is about. I told [the team] ‘You want it, it’s there for you to take it. No matter what place you finish.’”