By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area
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Good shooters are said to need three things: A textbook release — quick and high, a fluid follow-through and a short memory.
Hayfield junior Brandon Winbush proved his free-throw amnesia on Saturday.
After missing a pair of critical technical-foul free throws with 1 minute, 33 seconds remaining, Winbush hit two go-ahead free throws a minute later and — more notably — sunk the game-winning 3-pointer with :03.2 seconds left.
The latter lifted the Hawks over the No. 9 Majors on Saturday, 60-57, and into both the regional final and the state tournament.
“[Rayshawn Rigans] penetrated, got it to me and I knocked it down,” said Winbush, whose 15 points equaled the game-high. “I was missing during the game. But fortunately, when the time came, I knocked it down.”
Added senior T.J. Wilson, tracing the flight of Winbush’s shot with his finger: “It was like in slow-motion. When it went through the basket, it was like my heart was in my throat. You have to go through it to know how it feels.
“It was big relief. I felt we had the game won when we hit that shot.”
Though the victory was not official until Mount Vernon junior Skylar Jones‘ half-court heave proved too strong at the buzzer, Hayfield was waiting to storm the floor.
The win snapped a 19-game winning streak by the Majors and, in the process, extended the season of the Hawks two senior starters, Wilson and forward Lolo Newsome.
“I’m at a loss for words right now,” said Wilson, who scored eight of his 11 points in the first quarter. “I have butterflies in my stomach. I can’t believe we’re going to the regional championship and going to states.
“This guarantees me two more games and, as a senior, that’s not a bad deal.”
But considering Hayfield’s road to qualify for states, it has earned that right.
After a loss in the Patriot District semifinals, Hayfield drew the Patriot No.3 seed in the Northern Region Tournament. That meant a spot in the toughest corner of the bracket.
First, there was an opening-round game at Woodson, the Liberty District regular-season champion. A 50-42 win over the Cavs earned Hayfield a road date with Concorde District champion, No. 4 Chantilly, who entered that game 22-0 against regional opponents.
The Hawks won, 71-61, to earn the neutral-site game with the Majors.
It is a treacherous road that seemed unlikely to outsiders this time a week ago, but coach Ron Palmer‘s boys never lost focus.
“We went into that game over-confident,” said Palmer, a California Basketball Hall of Fame member, of the Annandale loss. “That’s a team that we had beaten pretty handily in two games. We just did not play well.
“Lake Braddock was another one where we were so out-of-sync, it was just not characteristic of the team we had.”
Added Rigans, who scored all six of his points in the fourth quarter: “We can play with anybody, I think. We just went back to practice, regrouped and came back. And it showed out there in the playoffs.”
Hayfield has all of two days to enjoy its dramatic win as it draws No. 8 T.C. Williams in the Northern Region final on Monday night, weather willing.
The Titans have not lost to a Patriot District team since the district semifinals in 2005, a streak spanning the last 70 games.
The Hawks, though, have a decent resume in regional play, as well. They won the 2004 Northern Region Tournament and lost to Wakefield in the championship game in 2005.
And, regardless of Monday’s result, the Patriot District has made its mark in this year’s tournament, as it boasts three members of the Northern Region final four and both of Fairfax’s state tournament representatives.
“Everybody says we have the best district and I think we do,” Winbush said. “I don’t think anybody can match up with the talent we have in our district.”
Added Wilson: “It proves how strong our district is. You have other teams that have great records and are ranked really high, but they’re not playing the teams that we’re playing.”
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
Hayfield 18 9 9 24 – 60
No. 9 Mount Vernon 18 8 14 17 – 57
Hayfield – Winbush 5 2-4 15; Newsome 4 4-6 12;
Wilson 4 1-2 11; Canady 4 2-2 10; Rigans
3 0-3 6; King 2 0-0 5; Gibson 0 1-2 1. Team totals: 21 10-19 60.
Mount Vernon – Jones 6 3-7 12; Ricks 5 1-4 11; Smith 4 2-3 11; Coleman 4 1-4 10; Konadu 2 4-4 8; Green 1 0-0 2.
Team totals: 22 11-22 57.
Three-pointers – Hayfield 6 (Winbush 3, Wilson 2, King); Mount Vernon 2 (Smith, Coleman).
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