Benedictine 59, Landon 57– report from PJ Fiztgerald Landon 2013

On Saturday, February 26^th, the Landon Bears headed down to Charlottesville, Virginia to play Benedictine High School from Richmond in The Hilldrup Moving and Storage Hoops Classic. Benedictine, the top team in Richmond was also ranked #1 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They were led by Duke Blue Devil prospect Michael Gbinije, the 31^st ranked player in the nation according to rivals .com. He most certainly proved it as he was, without a doubt, one of the best players on the floor Saturday afternoon. It was also a big moment for anther ACC prospect, Landon center Darion Atkinswho played on what will be his new home court in the John Paul Jones Arena when he joins the Virginia Cavaliers next fall.  

Landon scored the opening basket on layup by Chris Hudnut after the Bears won the opening tip. Both teams struggled during the first quarter while getting accustomed to the larger confines of a college arena. Benedictine went on a big scoring run right before halftime and led 28-21. Benedictine’s Gbinije and Landon’s Atkins were  putting on a show for both sides. 

The 3^rd quarter began with Landon fighting back with some great defense.  Gbinije  was making highlight reel plays with an alley-oop dunk, a one-handed slam off a rebound, and some excellent outside shooting. It took Joe McDonald a little while to get his game going, but he played great in the 2^nd half. Along with a solid inside performance by senior forward Hudnut and some athletic baskets by Atkins, Landon narrowed the deficit at the end of the 3^rd quarter to 4 points, 39-35.

Landon surged in the 4^th quarter with some big time shots by McDonald, Senior forward Tim Hetterman, and Junior guard Deion Wellington. In the last five minutes, the game went back and forth and Landon would not give up. With 8.7 seconds left Landon grabbed a rebound off a missed Benedictine free throw and had a chance to tie it or win it as Joe McDonald brought the ball down the court. He threw a pass to Atkins who kicked it over to Deion Wellington on the wing and he took the potentially game tying shot. The ball hit off the rim as time expired. Landon had lost a heartbreaker at JPJA. The final score was Benedictine 59, Landon 57. A well played game by both teams and the MVP’s were Atkins for Landon and Gbinije for Benedictine.

The game was a great experience for all of the players, as well as, those in attendance. It also served as a microcosm of one of the best seasons ever for a Landon basketball team.

Thanks go out to all the players and coaches for their efforts and allowing us to share the ride over the past 3 months.

PJ Fitzgerald