Indians end Bobcats' season, 33-28
By Dan Roem
For the third straight year, Battlefield ran head-first into the wall known as the regional quarterfinals. And for the second straight year, Gar-Field supplied the bricks and mortar, this time eliminating the Bobcats from the playoffs, 33-28 on Feb. 25 in Haymarket."The mark we tried to leave was try to win regionals, like one game, because we haven't won one game of regionals yet. We tried to leave history," said Battlefield senior guard Evan Peyton (10 points). "But we won districts and we haven't won districts yet, so that's a good feeling."
Battlefield (12-12 overall) struggled offensively, scoring single digits in each of the first three quarters before putting up 10 points in the final frame.
The Bobcats, who won the regular season Cedar Run District title before finishing second to Osbourn in the district tournament, took brief one-point leads twice in the second half.
Senior Blaine Mason (8 points) sank a three-pointer with about two minutes remaining on the clock in the third quarter to put BHS ahead 18-17. Then junior Indian guard Corey Bonds (12 points) drilled two free throws to put Gar-Field (20-4 overall) back on top.
Those two points were the only ones for Gar-Field in the entire third quarter as the Battlefield defense stopped the visitors from Woodbridge cold on the floor, not allowing a single open-court field goal.
That allowed the Bobcats to claw back from a 17-9 halftime score and set up momentum going into the fourth quarter.
"Coach told us to bring it to the hoop, so we came out with intensity," said Peyton. "That's how we got back into the game."
On Battlefield’s first possession in the last period, Charles Taylor (2 points) converted a Mason assist to give the Bobcat faithful at least something to scream about as the home team reclaimed a 20-19 advantage. After a 6-2 Gar-Field run, BHS junior Kevin Bonsu knotted the score at 25-25 with the first of two three-point plays.
The teams shot evenly from the floor throughout the fourth with four field goals each.
The difference came in foul shooting and rebounding. Gar-Field's Corey Bonds hit six of eight attempts from the line in the fourth while Bonsu provided the lone BHS freebies, each coming as a bonus after making two-point shots from the floor.
Meanwhile, leading scorer Jeremiah Johnson (14 points) found the gaps in the Battlefield 3-2 zone defense and grabbed several second-and-third-chance offensive opportunities.
Injuries added to Battlefield woes. Peyton needed help off the court after face-planting with less than two minutes remaining and star guard Jamie Robinson tripped near mid court and twisted his right ankle seconds after Mason's triple in the third, forcing him to hobble to the bench with just one point to his name.
According to Gar-Field coach Andy Gray, Robinson’s ankle injury "knocked the wind" out of the Bobcats' sails.
"You could just see kind of a deflated look on the whole squad," said Gray. "Those things happen."
Gray explained that he wanted all five of his boys to cover Robinson when he had the ball, even if they were not directly in front of him.
"And it really bottled up his looks, he really didn't have a lot of opportunities to catch the ball. That free-throw in the first half: that was it," said Gray.
The coach said he realized from reviewing statistics before the game that few Battlefield players could actually be counted on to routinely drain threes aside from Gar-Field's priority target.
"He's a motivating force," Gray said of Robinson. "Good God, I told him after the game, when I shook hands with him, I said, 'There's only one thing wrong with you, son: that's you didn't play for me.'"
Battlefield assistant coach Raymond Chambers Jr. said that "as much as we missed" Robinson's offense, "we made it up defensively."
There's just one problem: "the offense comes from him," said Chambers.
Despite the loss, Battlefield accomplished one new objective this season: earning an automatic home game in the Northwest regional quarter-final match by winning the regular season district title.
“It is a mark,” said head coach Al Ford. “We’ve set a benchmark of going to regions now. Three consecutive regional appearances is a fantastic mark to set.”
However, the Bobcats failed to achieve two other goals: winning in regions and making states.
Given that the entire starting line-up is due to graduate in June, along with 6-foot-6 center-forward Stephen Lincoln, the Bobcats will be loaded with fresh faces next year.
Ford frequently mentions freshman guard Roman Hall as among his best up-and-coming talents and Bonsu proved down the stretch to be a potent force at the post.
They are set to lead a “solid program” built up by this year’s graduating class, according to Ford.
"We just have to continue working with our kids," said Ford, mentioning that next season, Battlefield will have "a big mountain to climb" trying to reclaim its regular season title with a potentially potent Osbourn team waiting in the wings.