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The gym was electric last Wednesday at Patrick Henry High, as fans came to see the Patriots take on county rival Atlee in basketball.  Although it was a nondistrict game, no elements of excitement were missing from the ensuing play and outcome where the Raiders fought back from a 20-point third quarter deficit only to fall to Patrick Henry 75-72.

  Atlee’s Cameron Colquitt brought the heat during the first quarter, scoring 12 points but overall the Patriots began to edge the Raiders out across the boards. By the end of the half Patrick Henry held a three point lead, 31-28.

  “Cameron’s done a good job for us all year,” said Atlee head coach, Phil Reynolds.  This evening’s game was no exception, as Colquitt racked up 22 points on the evening, playing every minute in the game.  “It’s probably a situation where I should have played him less,” Reynolds said.  “He played all 32 minutes (on Tuesday) against Highland Springs.  He got a little banged up.”

  In the third quarter the Patriots really cranked it up to gain momentum and break out the game. The surge was in part due to Patrick Henry’s Devon Hooker, who, in a hot streak of back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers, helped open up a 20-point lead by the end of the period. 

  “Devon’s a shooter,” said Patrick Henry’s head coach David Wyatt.  “And he don’t mind shooting either.  We give him the green light.  He missed like six in a row the first half, then he finally got hot and opened it up for us.  When he hits like that, it sort of demoralizes the other team a little bit; because they’re on him pretty good, and we hit that.  It gives us a little bit of momentum too.  Overall, he shot the ball well.” 

  Hooker alone outscored Atlee 11-9 in the third quarter while the Patriots as a team added 26 to the scoreboard for a 57-37 lead.

  The Patriots’ defense was, without a doubt, a force to be reckoned with. “They changed defenses,” Reynolds said.  “They’d run little half-court traps; two-three zone…a little trap out of the zone; they’ll play man to man.  So their multiple defenses slowed us down and we were a little unsteady and a little tentative.”

  Though down, Atlee was not out and they elected to not to go softly into the night.  Working the full court press in the fourth, the Raiders utilized the time to produce a remarkable rally, denying the Patriots on numerous scoring opportunities with multiple steals and blocks. 

  Atlee outscored Patrick Henry 35-18 in the fourth, the last points a three from Colquitt from way outside that came as the buzzer was sounding. But the Raiders came up just short of sending the game into overtime. 

  The Raiders’ rally came, in part, from Phil Hodges, who tacked on 15 of his game high 25 points in the final quarter and made a phenomenal contribution with his passing.  “Phil Hodges is getting better every game,” Reynolds said.  “He’s such a good passer; especially with teams that play pressure defense.  He plays the high post, and he can really do things off the dribble; he can shoot a little bit.  And his big thing is his passing ability.  He’s got a good size.  He’s about six-two and a half now; and still growing.  He’s got a good offensive talent, and his defense is coming around.”

  Though they lost, Reynolds looked for the positives. “From a positive standpoint, it was good to see we could press a pretty quick team and get them a little flustered and that’s what helped us make the come-back,” he said.

  On the other end, despite the win, Wyatt saw where improvement needed to be made. Making good use of their fouls, Atlee was able to stop the clock and force the Patriots to make it up from the free-throw line where PH stumbled down the stretch.  “We got fouled, and missed four free throws at the end, I think,” Wyatt said.  “I told these kids, ‘We can’t do that.  It’s going to come back to haunt us.’” 

  But the Raiders, in the final minutes, missed key shots, and gave up rebounds that ultimately cost them the game. 

  Looking at the bright side, Reynolds observed, “We’re a little down being 3-5, but we’re seeing positive things in every game we’re playing.  My hat’s off to Patrick Henry.  They’ve struggled.  A couple of years ago, I think they only had two wins.  This year they’ve beaten us; they’ve beaten Tucker…so, let’s see if we can get ‘em back the next time.”

  Despite being thankful for the win, Wyatt was ever the coach pushing for excellence, “I told them in the locker room, ‘Don’t be happy about this tonight.  We didn’t execute very well at all,’” he said. “We got a 20-point lead.  We could have put them away like we did against Lee-Davis.  We let them come back; the pressure got to us a little bit and it shouldn’t have.”

PATRICK HENRY 75, ATLEE 72
ATLEE (3-5) Colquitt 22, Garthright 4, Brinks 2, Rucker 3, Farrar 2, Evans 0, Hodges 25, Reiss 2, Rogers 6, Prince 0, Young 6. Totals 28 9-16 72.
PATRICK HENRY (3-3) Morris 8, Hooker 21, M. Derricott 6, D. Derricott
20, Overstreet 12, Harmon 2, Vaught 0, Carroll 4, Smith 0, V. Derricott 0, Schools 2. Totals 27 16-27 75.
Atlee ............. 14 14 9 35 — 72
Patrick Henry. 19 12 26 18 — 75
3-point goals: A — Colquitt 3, Hodges 2, Garthright, Rucker. PH — Hooker 5. Highlights: A — Hodges 16 points in the fourth quarter. PH — Devon Hooker 4 3s in third quarter; D’vonte Derricott 14 rebounds.