zack peñalva

Among the heartbreaks the Commanders have suffered this season, the streak of close losses in late December and coming up short in the All “A” Classic championship spring to mind right away, the team’s 59-56 loss to Bethlehem in the semifinals of the 19th District tournament might top the list.
After four quarters of battle with the Eagles, a mighty push from Bethlehem in the fourth quarter allowed the team to eek out a win over a Commanders team that was within reach all the way through until the final buzzer.
“They outplayed us and outscrapped us,” said Washington County head coach Bernard Smalley after the game. “I think we were a little tight the first half, that surprised me.”
Washington County was the quicker team out of the gate. A three-pointer from Drew Yates got the ball rolling on a 7-2 Commanders run in the opening minutes of the first quarter. About halfway through the quarter, Yates brought Commander fans to their feet again when he came up with a huge block on one side of the floor that allowed Josh Burkhead to get an easy basket in transition.
But Bethlehem didn’t sit back for long. A three-pointer from the Eagles’ Jacob Taylor and a steady stream of good looks in the paint for Bethlehem players meant that Washington County trailed 13-10 going into the second quarter.
From there, the two teams were hard to separate. Bethlehem benefitted from some wasteful Commander possessions early on and continued to work the ball inside in search of fouls and easy baskets. But for every blow the visitors landed, the Commanders managed to come up with a counter. Cameron Willis completed a three-point play late in the half after finishing through traffic and drawing a trip to the line. Gritty work from John Floyd and Austin Dickerson on the offensive glass allowed the pair to chip in with some valuable points before halftime.
The frantic pace of the first half kept up after the break as well. With the Eagles clinging to a five-point lead, a pivotal possession in the final 90 seconds of the third quarter saw the momentum swing back to Washington County.
Devin Hurst picked up a bucket and was sent to the line with 1:43 to play. The Commanders managed to rebound after his missed free throw, and the ball was kicked out to Willis who tied the game with a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
Willis hit from deep again on the next possession, giving Washington County the lead. Not even the buzzer to end the quarter could stop Willis as he was fouled on his final shot and sent to the line with no time left on the clock. He made two shots, finishing off a quarter where he scored 13 of the team’s 21 points.
Before the clock could even begin ticking again, a technical foul on the Bethlehem coaching staff put Willis back at the line for a couple of free points to start the fourth quarter. Willis would end the quarter 6-for-6 from the line and with a team-high 28 points.
But as quickly as the momentum had shifted in the Commanders’ favor, it just as promptly swung back.
“It was nerves,” said Smalley. “We had some easy shots we’d normally make, they just didn’t fall…I knew it was going to be a close game…but give Bethlehem credit, they hit some key shots.”
Even after Bethlehem took a three-point lead with 20 seconds remaining, the Commanders looked determined to go down swinging. Bethlehem failed to put the game away at the line repeatedly, but would go unpunished. Willis put up the final, desperate heave from way behind the arc as the buzzer sounded, but the ball harmlessly fell off the rim.
“Hopefully this will make them all hungrier,” Smalley said after the loss. “We’ve got just about everybody coming back next season, and we’ll build on from this… one good thing I told them: the sun will come up tomorrow.”

Article originally printed in The Springfield Sun.