Albemarle boys wrap up regular season with home win

Talk about the icing on the cake.

After a topsy-turvy season, the Albemarle boys basketball team held off Brooke Point, 53-49, for a regular season-ending victory Wednesday night.

It was a packed crowd to celebrate Senior Night in Albemarle’s home gym. Coach Greg Maynard was tuned into the importance of the environment contributing to the night’s win.

“This is a great way to finish the regular season,” Maynard said. “The crowd was super. It was a fun atmosphere.”

Things did not start off so well for the Patriots. Brooke Point came out firing and jumped out to a 9-0 lead. Albemarle was still scoreless with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter when Maynard called a timeout to get his team on track.

“I think a lot of that was our nerves or trying too hard. We were tight. We were still playing hard, but our shots weren’t going in and our passes weren’t good,” Maynard said. “Once they loosened up and the crowd got into it, we fed off of that.”

Albemarle responded after the timeout, putting up six points before the end of the quarter. Both teams had hot hands through the end of the half, combining for nine 3-pointers. As the Patriots outscored the Blackhawks 18-7 in the second, senior Maury Baker played a key role. Baker came off the bench to knock down a trio of treys before the half.

With a 26-19 lead heading into the third, Albemarle kept Brooke Point at arm’s length. The Patriots led by as many as 10, but the Blackhawks were far from out of it.

Carlton Carter got on a roll for Brooke Point, putting up nine points in the fourth. Carter, who finished with a game-high 21 points, managed to get Brooke Point within one point of the lead. Albemarle put together some key plays down the stretch and hit crucial free throws to seal the up the win.

Senior Kendall Hawkins led Albemarle with 15 points. Baker chipped in with 12, and senior Matt Goodrich added 11. Maynard credits his team’s late season success to his seniors, a group that includes Hawkins, Baker, Goodrich, Lee Carneal, Danny Vaughn, and Benny Baranik.

“The six seniors, you can see how hard they played tonight and how much it meant to them. We’re playing with a lot of team chemistry right now. The hustle, the defense, the passing — that can carry you a long way,” Maynard added. “It will be tough on the road in the district tournament, but these last two games have been so much fun with having a team play that hard and play together like they have.”

Leemario Gills added 12 points and four steals for Brooke Point.

Albemarle is hitting its stride at the right moment: heading into the Commonwealth District Tournament. The Patriots will face Brooke Point on the road Friday night in the first round of the tournament. Albemarle is playing with poise, confidence, and chemistry and has all-important momentum heading into the postseason.

“We’ve had a good week so far with two great home games. We’re playing with a lot of confidence and momentum,” Maynard said. “We’ll take our chances and play the best we can.”