IWA falls in heartbreaker
Published 10:52 am Thursday, January 15, 2015
Jay Lidington
Special to The Tidewater News
ISLE OF WIGHT
Steven Effler’s basket with 6 seconds left gave Suffolk Christian a 70-69 win on Monday night at Isle of Wight Academy.
In a game featuring numerous lead changes and ties, the two teams were tied at the end of the first three quarters. In the fourth, Suffolk Christian drew many an IWA foul and got to the foul line 13 times, making eight. By contrast, IWA got to the line 18 times, making just half of them.
Isle of Wight’s Adam Webb gets a shot over an Alliance defender. Against Suffolk Christian on Monday, Webb scored 10 points. — Cain Madden | Tidewater News
Leiter, his team’s leading scorer and rebounder, scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth. Teammate Harrison Judy also made two key foul shots with 30 second left to cut a slim IWA lead to a point, 69-68.
The Knights had proven themselves to be at their best late in games, averaging 18.1 points per game in fourth quarters, three points better than any other parts of their games.
The Chargers were trying to defeat the Knights for the third time this season (at Suffolk Christian in November and last month in the Peninsula Catholic holiday tournament). Previously, IWA had defeated Suffolk Christian (7-9) by a combined score of 128-64.
Junior Bryce Casey scored 19 in the losing effort, while sophomore Rylee Williams contributed 14.
IWA (3-14) was also trying to win Coach Benjamin Vaughan’s 600th career game to make him the third preps coach in Virginia to reach that mark. The Chargers will try again today at Hampton Christian.
