When the Heritage Academy boys basketball team needed a lift Saturday night, junior David Hardy was ready to answer the call.
After big man Bobby McGrath landed in early foul trouble, Hardy saw extended playing time and delivered in a 67-59 loss to Washington School in the third-place game of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, Division II tournament in Columbus.
As the fourth seed from Division II, Heritage Academy will face Jackson Prep in the overall Class AAA State tournament, which begins Tuesday at East Rankin Academy in Pelahatchie. The Patriots will learn their game time today, and expect to play Wednesday.
“I played a lot better than I have been playing of late,” Hardy said. “I have really worked hard at improving my scoring and not turning the ball over as much. I knew tonight I had to really step it up because this was a big game and my team needed me.”
McGrath drew his second and third personal fouls on back-to-back possessions midway through the first quarter. Heritage Academy (17-11) had started with a very strong offensive rhythm. The Patriots led 15-9 when Hardy was pressed into service.
“I thought David really responded tonight,” Heritage Academy coach Yandell Harris said. “We are a muscle-up team. We like to be strong underneath. David did that for us. He muscled up and played a very physical game, both offensively and defensively.
“Our bench was really great tonight. We had been struggling to get production there of late. We will need major contributions there because of the talent that is going to be in the next tournament.”
Hardy had nine points and nine rebounds in his most extensive playing time of the season. The Patriots’ play inside punctuated a strong all-around night by the home squad.
Heritage Academy played a solid, efficient game on both ends, bouncing back strong less than 24 hours after a 67-47 loss to Hillcrest Christian in the semifinal round of the tournament.
“This game was a good test of our character,” Heritage Academy senior guard Brad Dickey said. “We were sore and Washington was sore after we both played tough games last night. This is what postseason basketball is all about. You have to come back out and be ready for the next challenge. We battled hard tonight.”
Heritage Academy dominated on the offensive glass and moved with proficiency on the offensive end in the opening quarter. It also benefited from two early foul calls on Blake Ronsavall.
Dickey had the hot hand with 11 first-quarter points as the Patriots led 22-17 after one quarter.
“We had a good defensive game plan tonight,” Harris said. “In the first quarter, we pressed the first four minutes and it was effective. Playing three times this week, we didn’t want to stay at that pace. However, the effectiveness early allowed us to show it the rest of the game.
“Washington likes to run and put up a lot of shots. We knew if we could establish a slower tempo, we would have a shot there at the end.”
The Patriots stretched the lead to 30-19 with back-to-back scores from Hardy and a putback from Cade Lott. Washington (22-6) responded with the game’s next seven points, but the hosts still led 33-26 at halftime.
“We had a really good first half offensively,” Dickey said. “In the second half, we came out a little slow. We weren’t nearly as hot. For our team to be successful, we have to make some shots. Still, we played well overall and can take a lot of confidence from the way we played offensively tonight.”
Washington battled back to a 44-all tie with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left in the third quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers. Heritage Academy responded with the game’s next five points, and it stretched the advantage back to six points.
The Generals tightened defensively and only allowed seven points in the final quarter. Josh Bowers took over with eight of his game-high 25 points in the final quarter.
After a putback by Bowers brought his squad within two, a 3-pointer gave Washington its first lead at 56-55 with 5:45 left. The Patriots turned the ball over nine times the rest of the way, including four of the game’s next five possessions. The other possession was a pair of missed free throws by the Patriots, when down three.
“Cade Lott has tendonitis right now and he just can’t go extended minutes,” Harris said. “So, we are working through that problem. Then the foul situation didn’t help us out at all. But we played well. We did a lot of things right tonight. It’s late in the year. If you aren’t executing now, you are never going to.
Dickey finished with 21 points, while Lott added 11 points. Despite a 1-2 mark in the tournament, the Patriots appear eager for the next one.
“Washington is an offensive team, and they can drain 3-pointers all the time,” Hardy said. “We lost our man a couple of times in the second half. Next week, we just have to get focused and practice hard. We can play with anybody when all of us are at our best.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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