The Setting
After losing a large portion of the squad that finished as the 2019 State Runner-Up, East Rockingham entered the game against John Marshall with a 27-2 record and were looking for a chance at redemption with a win. This years’ group has six seniors but just two starters, Tyce McNair and Da’rius Lam. The tandem was part of 93 Eagles victories entering their contest with the Justices.
John Marshall took home two state titles at the Class 3 level in recent years, 2014 and 2018 and they came into this contest looking for an opportunity to record their first championship since moving down to Class 2. Prior to the classification change, the Justices fell to Phoebus in overtime during the state semifinals last winter. Fresh off a state quarterfinal win in which they scored 136 points against Stuarts Draft, the Justices looked to get their offense started early against the Eagles.
The Main Act
Midway through the second quarter, it looked like East Rockingham had John Marshall right where they wanted them. The Justices had averaged 112 points per game in the postseason, with 91 as their lowest scoring output before Tuesday’s Class 2 State Semifinal contest.
At that moment, the Justices had been limited to just 17 first half points and the gritty Eagles were hanging on, trailing by just four points. 6-foot-10 sophomore Roosevelt Wheeler had scored 13 of those points, mainly on the interior, but what happened next was no surprise to the faithful Justices fans in the stands.
Three perimeter shots from behind the arc sparked a 14-0 run that blew open the contest and created a deficit that East Rockingham was never able to overcome. John Marshall used the scoring outburst to propel themselves to a 78-44 victory and set a date with Gate City on Thursday in the state championship game at VCU.
A dunk under the rim by Wheeler started the outburst and moments later a triple came from Jason Nelson. A pair of shots from behind the arc by Elijah Seward were sandwich a score following an offensive rebound by Dana Woodley and suddenly the contest wasn’t that close any longer.
Prior to the outburst, the Eagles had their opportunities to establish an offensive presence but uncharacteristically struggled from the field.
John Marshall would continue to take advantage of the Eagles offensive woes early in the third quarter and started the 2nd half with a 9-2 run.
Despite the deficit, East Rockingham continued to fight and began to see some of the first half shots that weren’t falling find their way to the net in the third quarter. Senior Tyce McNair scored eight points and Kyle Evick added five in the frame.
The Eagles cut the deficit to 16 early in the fourth but John Marshall went on a 24-6 stretch to set the final score. Woodley scored 10 consecutive points during that final span and finished with 17 on the night.
Wheeler recorded the game-high with 22 points while Seward and Dennis Parker each finished with 11 for John Marshall. In his final game on the hardwood for East Rockingham, McNair led his team with 17 points while Tyler Nicked ended the night with 15.
Audio from John Marshall coach Tytrail White
Audio from John Marshall PF Roosevelt Wheeler
Audio from East Rockingham coach Carey Keyes
Audio from East Rockingham F Tyler Nickel
Scoring
John Marshall: Roosevelt Wheeler 22, Dana Woodley 17, Elijah Seward 11, Dennis Parker 11, Jason Nelson 8, Ty Lacey 3, Justin Brown-Russell 3, Reginald Robertson 2, Raymond Lynch 1.
East Rockingham: Tycel McNair 17, Tyler Nickel 15, Da'rius Lam 6, Kyle Evick 5, Xavier Butler 1.
What’s Next?
John Marshall (23-2) will take on Gate City which advanced to the state final by beating Radford 61-55 in overtime. The Blue Devils haven’t lost to a Virginia squad this season and their last loss came over a month ago on February 1st. Since then, Gate City has recorded 11 straight victories including their playoff run. The Justices are on a streak of their own with 18 consecutive wins and haven't lost a game in 2020.
While they won’t be looking past their Thursday contest, the future looks bright for John Marshall which only graduates one senior, Elijah Seward, and has three juniors and five sophomores on the current roster they plan to return.
The Eagles finish the season at 27-3 and appear prepped to give themselves another opportunity to return to the state tournament next year. They lose Tyce McNair, who averaged 18 PPG and 7.6 RPG ,but will return sophomore Tyler Nickel who was the team's leading scorer this year along with Kyle Evick, another double-digit scorer. East Rockingham has thrived in the six seasons that Carey Keyes has led the program and the Head cCach is sure to have his squad prepared to work and improve in the off-season prior to the 2020-21 campaign.
Robert lives in Charlottesville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. He began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state.
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