Sports
UPCOMING EVENTS
01
22 2021
Girls basketball: Hanover at Atlee, 7:15 p.m.
01
22 2021
Girls basketball Patrick Henry at Mechanicsville 7:15 p.m.
| Youth, High School, College, Recreational & Professional
Mustang boys open new era with victories By Rob Witham For the Mechanicsville Local
Dave Lawrence/The Local
Mechanicsville’s Wyatt Brown (4) doesn’t let Patrick Henry’s Jayden Mines (2) get in the way of a layup in the Mustangs’ 65-64 win.
20
The Mechanicsville Local
January 20, 2021
MECHANICSVILLE – Wyatt Brown will go down in history as scoring the first varsity boys basketball points for the renamed Mechanicsville Mustangs. But that wasn’t his most important play Wednesday night as the Mustangs hosted Patrick Henry in their longawaited season opener. Trailing by 2 with two seconds remaining, Brown was given the task of finding a way to get the basketball down the length of the floor to give his team a prayer at victory, down 64-62. “The play was to try to find a layup to tie the game,” Brown said when asked about the strategy behind the play. “I looked down the court and Drew (Ware) was open. I knew if I could get it to him, we would have a shot at 3 and the win.” Somehow, Brown’s pass found a leaping Ware, who caught the ball, and launched a turnaround jumper that hit nothing but net as time expired for an improbable 65-64 win over the Patriots. Patrick Henry (0-1) jumped to an early lead thanks to a 9-0 run fueled by Jordan Morris, who scored 5 of his 11 points in the opening stanza to build a 19-11 lead. Camden Byrd, who led the Patriots with 18 points, scored 8 in the second period, and led the Patrick Henry defensive charge, holding the Mustangs to just 8 points for a 36-19 advantage at intermission.
What was missing from Patrick Henry in the second half was a combination of offensive efficiency and a killer instinct. The shooting of Eli Lewis sparked the Mechanicsville comeback. Held to 1 point in the first half, Lewis hit three triples in the third period to get the Mustangs back within 9 points. When Samuel Grubbs put back a missed free throw attempt with 5:35 left in the contest, the Mustangs were within 4 at 51-47. After two Byrd free throws, Christian Berry grabbed a key offensive rebound and scored, giving the Patriots an 8-point lead midway through the quarter. But in the final 2:51, the Mustangs outscored the Patriots 14-3, the run capped by the Ware game-winner in a play reminiscent of Christian Laettner’s miracle turnaround jumper for Duke over Kentucky in 1992 in the NCAA East Region Final. As if that wasn’t enough excitement, the Mustangs found themselves in a back-and-forth battle Friday night at Hanover, as the Hawks opened their season and new era with Michael Rohr now at the helm of the boys varsity squad after a successful run as girls varsity head coach. Owen DeShazo scored 8 of his 11 points in the first period, helping Hanover take an early 10-8 advantage. Lewis’ traditional 3-point play gave Mechanicsville an 18-16 see MUSTANGS, pg. 22
