Bragging rights for Barons

ST. GEORGE — The latest installment of the annual matchup between Blue Ridge and Miller School was as good as advertised.

Round one belonged to the Barons.

In a game that featured seven lead changes and was tied five times, Blue Ridge held off a potent Miller squad on Tuesday afternoon for a 52-51 victory.

“It was a very physical, aggressive game throughout and that means the last minute is war — the last man standing,” said Blue Ridge coach Bill Ramsey. “This is the first in probably three times we’ll play them — you’ve just got to take them one at a time. We feel fortunate to get this one. That gives us temporary bragging rights — now we’ve got to go to their place.”

Cameron Anderson’s two-handed jam gave the Barons a six-point advantage with just over two minutes to play.

The visitors climbed back into it with a 3-pointer from D’Andre Corbin, who finished with 12 points. Blue Ridge turned the ball over on its following two possessions, and after a quick timeout, the Mavericks cut into the deficit again.

Hippolyte Tsafack got the putback on a Brice Kofane miss as Miller trimmed the lead to one.

A jump ball was called on the other end, giving the Mavericks possession. Corbin got the ball to Kofane on the inbounds and Miller called timeout with 2.9 seconds remaining.

The Mavericks (4-4), the defending state champions, got the ball into the right hands — leading scorer and University of Maryland commit Mychal Parker — but the 6-foot-6 forward’s shot at the buzzer hit the backboard and the Barons escaped with the win.

“They had the advantage without question the last two to three minutes, we were just trying to play catch-up,” said first-year Miller coach Scott Willard. “You may pull out one every now and then, but when you’re on someone else’s court, it’s tough.”

Parker poured in a game-high 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, but his hot hand cooled off when the visitors needed him the most. His only points in the fourth quarter came off a 3-pointer early on. Tsafack, who is headed to Memphis, finished with 10 points, including three nifty dunks.

Blue Ridge’s zone defense prevented the Mavericks from getting many good looks inside late in the game. Fatigue was also a factor for the visitors, which have just nine roster players.

“We had a stretch in the third quarter where we had a lull, and that cost us,” Willard added. “We kept making runs to get back at it, but when they go 2-3 [zone], we’ve got to be patient. I felt like we had [several] possessions in a row where we shot 3s — and our bread and butter in the beginning was to get it down low.”

The Barons (8-4), who trailed briefly in the third quarter, got strong play from their perimeter players to get back on top. Down by one with 2:10 left in the frame, Chad Holley nailed a 3-pointer to give his team the advantage. Parker answered with a trey of his own before Malick Kone hit a shot from beyond the arc as the Barons regained the lead.

Kofane tied the game at 39-all with a pair of free throws, but Kone connected on a jumper to give Blue Ridge the edge. Holley’s free throws extended the home team’s lead to four by the end of the quarter.

“They’re so big inside, and I think our bigs kind of neutralized each other,” Ramsey said. “So it was up to the wings to make plays. We got some big defensive plays out of the perimeter guys too.”

Holley paced the Barons with 16 points, while Kone added 11. Anderson, a transfer from Albemarle High School, finished with 10, and Darnell Turner chipped in seven.

Blue Ridge travels to North Cross on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Miller visits Fishburne Military’s postgraduate team on Thursday at 7 p.m.