Prep boys basketball: Gar-Field gets by Mountain View

Loss number one for Gar-Field’s boys basketball came last Wednesday to Potomac in the Cardinal District tournament final.

Loss number two nearly came courtesy of Mountain View during a Northwest Region quarterfinal on Tuesday night.

And falling short to the Wildcats would have been a lot more devastating.

But Gar-Field’s ability to run the floor, an 18-point outing from Marcus Knight and an occasional Mountain View shot attempt that rolled around the rim and off, has the Indians in a regional semifinal.

Gar-Field defeated Mountain View 51-49 to earn a date with Patrick Henry on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Roanoke.

It will be a rematch of Gar-Field’s 69-57 win on Dec. 28 at the K-Guard Tournament in Salem.

“We haven’t had to adjust to a loss all season, but I was pleased that [our players] came back and got it done tonight,” said Gar-Field coach Andy Gray, a former coach at Roanoke’s William Fleming High School. “Being 24-0 would have been lovely, but we’re 24-1.”

The Indians’ bid to revive their morale after the loss began when they scored the game’s first nine points.

Even after Mountain View (18-8) rallied to lead 17-15, Gar-Field outscored the Wildcats 15-8 thanks to its willingness to pick up its offensive tempo.

Zach Fong and Dave Bailey both converted layups off steals.

Knight sank a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter and followed with a layup in the first minute of the second.

By that time, the Indians were determined to put the Potomac well into their rearview mirror.

“We wanted that game,” guard Curtis Lovitt said. “After that loss, we came into the locker room and said we’re going to play every game with intensity. Don’t let up.

“Let’s come into practice and do what we were doing at the beginning of the season.”

Xavier Roscoe understood that message.

He got into the scoring act by sinking back-to-back layups.

The second put the Indians ahead 36-27.

All Roscoe did to convert the second was take a tip pass from Bailey, who saw the ball come to him after Knight’s missed shot.

“After the loss, we wanted to come back and we worked harder in practice,” Knight said. “They have a great team too. We hoped that we could continue with this [season].”

Gar-Field stayed ahead of Mountain View, whose coach, Kevin Brown, is one of Gray’s former assistants, throughout most of the fourth quarter.

Knight’s layup put the Indians up 43-30 after they led by 10 just 17 seconds earlier. 

The Wildcats, though, did not want to falter.

Mason Stutler, son of Battlefield activities director Ben Stutler, sank a layup to pull the Wildcats within five with 40 seconds remaining in regulation.

Stutler’s three 3-pointers and 17 points helped Mountain View stay competitive throughout the game.

That production set the stage for a thrilling finish.

Ben Keller’s layup cut Gar-Field’s lead to three with 17 seconds remaining.

Ryan Mason sank one of two free throws to put the Indians up four.

Then Stutler reduced his team’s deficit to two with a layup as seven seconds remained.

The Gar-Field and Mountain View crowds rose to their feet, wondering if overtime was coming. 

But by the time the Wildcats regained possession, seven-tenths of a second were left on the clock.

Their down court heave was intercepted and time expired.

“This was definitely a survive and advance-type situation,” Gray said. “We didn’t execute going down the stretch with a 10-point lead.

“But this was a difficult team to play against with [Joe] Wilson, [Daesean] Hamilton and [Lucas] Brown. We expected a difficult game.”

GAR-FIELD 51, MOUNTAIN VIEW 49

MOUNTAIN VIEW (18-8)

Tyrus Mason 4 0-1 11, Hamilton 1 0-0 2, Keller 2 1-3 5, Tyrell Mason 1 0-0 2, Wilson 2 3-3 7, Brown 1 3-4 5, Stutler 6 3-3 17. Totals 16 8-13 49.

GAR-FIELD (24-1)

Warren 0 0-0 0, Fong 1 2-2 4, Knight 7 3-4 18, Lovitt 1 4-5 6, R. Mason 4 3-7 11, D. Bailey 3 0-0 6, Roscoe 3 0-0 6. Totals 19 12-18 51.

Halftime: Gar-Field 26-23. 3-point goals: Mountain View 5 (Tyrus Mason 3, Stutler 2), Gar-Field (Knight).