By Mike Schoeffel
The Caroline boys basketball team’s most anticipated game of the season more than lived up to the hype.
The Cavaliers, riding a seven-game win streak, traveled to Fredericksburg on Jan. 16 to face James Monroe, winners of seven of its last eight. Caroline’s David Ware scored 37 points as the Cavaliers erased an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime. But the Yellow Jackets secured an 80-72 victory with a dominant performance in the extra period.
James Monroe sophomore Michael Gray tallied a team-high 34 points, including 13 of his team’s 15 points in overtime.
“Michael is our leader and he made some good decisions down the stretch,” said James Monroe head coach Carlos Evans. “We had a lot of guys step up and contribute to the win.”
It was Caroline’s first loss since Dec. 13, when it fell, 53-47, to Stafford. Cavaliers’ head coach Antoine Johnson called his team “resilient” and didn’t believe the defeat would have any lasting negative effects.
“I don’t think this will knock us off course,” he said. “We just need to come back, work harder, and execute better.”
James Monroe appeared to have the game wrapped up after building a 52-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, the Yellow Jackets shot numerous impulsive threes, opening the door for an inspired 9-0 Caroline run that made it 52-50 with 4:40 to play.
The action came to a head with 13 seconds remaining, when MyKai Smith executed a dramatic steal and rolled in a lay-up to give Caroline a 64-63 lead.
Ware added a free throw with seven seconds left to make it 65-63, and then — with just one tick left on the clock — he was whistled for goal-tending on a lay-up to send the game to overtime.
James Monroe rolled in the extra period.
The Yellow Jackets finished the night on a 15-7 run, powered by 13 quick points from Gray.
Overtime was briefly interrupted at the 2:40 mark when a fight broke out between two men in the stands, delaying play for approximately 30 minutes. Fans were asked the leave the gym and the teams retired to their respective locker rooms.
Moments after the incident, Caroline County resident Travon Kymonte Goodall, 19, was arrested outside of the high school by Fredericksburg Police and charged with possessing a gun on school property and carrying a concealed weapon.
“My kids went to the locker room and stretched and my staff made sure they were focused on finishing the game,” said Evans. “We never felt threatened. We were in communication with the Caroline coaches during the delay. Our kids just wanted everyone to leave so we could finish.”
Much of the excitement pulsing through the gym all evening was vanquished by the abrupt break in the action. The final 160 seconds flew by without much tension as James Monroe went on an 11-5 run to seal the win.
Moments after the loss, John
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