Science Hill wins 2OT classic at Arby's Classic

BRISTOL, Va. — Science Hill got the marquee win it has been looking for this early season. The Hilltoppers defeated John Marshall (Va.) in a 65-63 double-overtime thriller Tuesday at the Arby's Classic. Stephen Hensley led the way with 21 points including a pair of game-winning free throws with 7.4 seconds left at the Virginia High School gym. John Marshall, a Richmond-based team which has won four consecutive VHSL Class 2 state championships, was down 63-58, but fought back to tie the game on a Troy Tomlin slash to the basket with 15 seconds remaining. Tomlin, a transfer from Fairfax, Va., scored a game-high 33 points. The Hilltoppers (8-7) held on for the win when Phoenix Johnson's 3-point attempt at the end of the game hit the side of the backboard. While pleased with the win, Science Hill coach Jon Higgins didn't like the fact his team had 20 turnovers. "I thought it was good that we were able to persevere through adversity which we faced multiple times today," Higgins said. "We were able to close it out and get it done. It's something we can learn from, but we have to continue to get better." Hensley got better as the game went on, and was clutch when his team needed him most. His 21 points came on 7-for-14 shooting, with three 3-point goals. He came up with a pair of crucial treys near the end of regulation and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the second overtime. "They're a storied program so this is a great win," Hensley said. "They're definitely physical and try to make you stagnant on offense. But, we were unselfish swinging and sharing the ball. I think we were resilient and the tougher team at the end of the day. " Science Hill was tough early in the game too. The 'Toppers led 27-24 at halftime as Mac Gillert was 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Turnovers resulted in John Marshall taking a 39-33 lead at the end of three quarters. The Justices pushed the lead to nine, only to see the 'Toppers respond with seven straight points. Science Hill tied the game 43-all on Hensley's 3-point shot and again at 47-all and 49-all. It was back-and-forth the first overtime with Braxton Dixon giving Science Hill a 56-53 lead on an old-fashioned, 3-point play with 1:23 left. The Justices rallied to tie it at 58 to send it into the second extra period. Tomlin had his points, but they came on 23 shots as Eli Patton and later Dixon, tightly guarded him to make his points hard to come by. "He's a heckuva player," Higgins said. "Those two have been able to defend since they got here. Sometimes, we're going to have to lean on them more defensively." They were up to the challenge as Tomlin, who also had seven rebounds and five assists, only had four points in the two overtimes. "We had to dig deep within ourselves, and it was 1-on-1 how personal were we going to take it," Dixon said about the defensive efforts. "We were going to follow him anywhere he went. He had over half their points the whole night so it was trying to make their other guys beat us." The other guys weren't able to do, thanks in part to Science Hill's Jabriel Fain coming up with 12 points and seven rebounds. Gillert finished with the nine points and Patton grabbed six rebounds. Johnson had 14 points and Damontique Hodge finished with 10 for John Marshall. Archbishop Spalding (Md.) 62, Mt. Bethel Christian (Ga.) 41 Nash Avery hit 9-of -2 shots from the field and 3-of-3 free throws to score a game-high 21 points for the Cavaliers against the Eagles. He also had a game-high six rebounds. TJ Moultrie finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Moe Lonegron and Colt Busse each added 10 for the Maryland visitors. Peter Julius led Mt. Bethel with 17 points. Nate Robinson had 12 points and four steals.