Glory Days Grill Tournament of Champions Day Two: Last-Minute Shot Propels Robinson Over Madison

Robinson sophomore point guard Nate Hackett made a sweeping desperation layup with no time left on the clock to defeat the Madison High Warhawks 61-60 in the consolation bracket of the Glory Days Grill Tournament of Champions.

"I wasn't really thinking about anything," Hackett said. "It popped back into my hands and put it back up. I just knew I had to put it up as soon as I got it."

After Madison's Kavan Ranasinghe made two free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining to give the Warhawks a one-point lead, Robinson Head Coach Brian Nelson knew time was of the essence in order for the Rams to have a chance.

"We wanted to get the ball in Nate's hands, he's one of our quickest guys," Nelson said. "We wanted to get the ball in his hands on the move."

Hackett took the ball coast-to-coast, but was rejected by Madison forward Nate Favero with two seconds left. After the block, Robinson forward Mike Rice was in good position to punch the ball back to Hackett, who threw up a miracle layup with just enough time left on the clock to give the Rams a one-point lead.

"Good teams put themselves in a position to win and we did that," Madison Head Coach Chris Kuhblank said. "Great teams find a way to win them and they (Robinson) did."

Madison came back from a 45-36 deficit with 3:30 left in the third quarter to reclaim the lead at 53-52 with 4:33 remaining in the game with a Daniel McNerney layup. A minute later, Madison's Nate Favero drilled a 3-pointer to give the Warhawks a 56-52 lead with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter. During a minute timeframe midway through the fourth quarter, Madison went on an 8-0 run.

With 47.1 seconds left in the game, Robinson's Ian Evancho made a critical 3-pointer to draw the Rams within one point, down 58-57. The Rams took the lead with 31.3 seconds left when Dan Lee made two foul shots to give Robinson a 59-58 advantage.

Robinson was led by Mike Rice, who scored a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the first half.

Osbourn 73, Lake Braddock 50 – Osbourn Advances To Championship Over Host Lake Braddock
South Lakes 60, Woodbridge 52
Middleburg 82, Hylton 53 - Middleburg Dominates Hylton to Advance To Championship

Tournament Notes:

Mr. 3-pointer:

South Lakes' Joe Daye's seven 3-pointers are the most in any game out of any player in the DC metro region. Marshall's Aaron Aggen has had six in two separate games this season. Coincidently against South Lakes on Dec. 21 and against Woodbridge on Dec. 3, the same team that Daye had seven against.

High Scorers:

Through two games, Osbourn's Jay Lane leads all scorers with 44 points. Middleburg's Mo Alie-Cox is second with 37 points.

Championship March:

Middleburg and Osbourn, who play in the championship game on Wednesday, have both won by an average margin of 22.75 points in both of their games in the tournament.

Wednesday's Schedule:

2:15 p.m. 7th Place Game – Madison (1-7) vs. Woodbridge (2-7)

4:00 p.m. 5th Place Game – South Lakes (4-4) vs. Robinson (8-2)

5:45 p.m. 3rd Place Game – Hylton (6-1) vs. Lake Braddock (3-5)

7:30 p.m. Championship Game – Middleburg (9-1) vs. Osbourn (7-0)

All games will be played at Lake Braddock. Tickets are $5.