varsity.roanoke.com

ROCKY MOUNT -- Tonight, William Fleming will play a second consecutive game at Franklin County High School. The Colonels will face Oak Hill Academy, a national power.

But that's a mere exhibition game compared to what they faced Friday night.

Needing a road win to stay viable in the Western Valley District race, the Colonels got it, pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 62-52 victory over Franklin County.

"Coach said we needed to do this before we did anything," said junior post player Jamelle Hagins, who led all scorers with 22 points. "Oak Hill is just a fun game; it doesn't really mean anything."

Friday's game meant a ton, particularly to Fleming. The Colonels (10-2, 2-1 Western Valley) would have fallen two games back of the Eagles (9-4, 2-1) had they lost. Fleming has already lost once to George Washington, the other major contender, which entered Friday's action 2-0 in the district.

"This game put us back in it," Colonels coach Mickey Hardy said. "If we don't win this ballgame, then we pretty much would have shot ourselves in the foot. ... I told the kids in the locker room, 'Now we're back in the race.' "

A back-and-forth game turned late in the third quarter. With his team trailing 45-44, Fleming guard Shaquan Manning stole the ball from Earl Gill near midcourt, drove in for a basket while drawing a foul. On Fleming's next possession, Stephon Anderson drained a baseline jumper just before the third-quarter buzzer, part of an 18-4 run that gave the Colonels command.

"I told the kids we've got a good basketball team," Franklin County coach Doug Conklin said. "We just played a very good basketball team tonight, too."

The largest lead in the first half was five points, as both teams came out shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Eagles senior forward Bryan Hancock got hot early, canning four 3-pointers in the first half. Jarale Journiette ended the half with a deep one of his own, taking a cross-court pass from Chris Tyree in the right corner and hitting the shot just before the buzzer to give Franklin County a 31-28 lead at the break.

But Fleming adjusted well at halftime, working harder against screens and getting to Franklin County's shooters more quickly.

Another big factor was Hagins, who at 6-foot-6 towered over the small, quick Eagles. He scored in the paint on three straight possessions in the third quarter, including two dunks.

Troy Daniels scored 12 points for Fleming, while Eric Thomas added 10. Hancock led the Eagles with 20 points, and teammate J.T. Edwards scored 15.

Both teams face tough top-tier opponents tonight. The Eagles play Hargrave Military Academy's postgraduate team, which has seven Division I signees. Fleming's players said they'll enjoy the challenge of facing Oak Hill more now knowing they took care of business Friday.

"We'll sleep good tonight," Manning said.

WILLIAM FLEMING (10-2, 2-1)

A. Edwards 2 0-0 6, Daniels 3 4-4 12, Bratton 1 0-0 2, Thomas 5 0-1 10, Hagins 9 4-5 22, Anderson 2 0-0 4, Manning 1 2-3 4, Ashford 0 0-0 0, Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 10-13 62.

FRANKLIN COUNTY (9-4, 2-1)

Gill 1 0-0 2, Journiette 3 0-0 9, Hancock 6 4-4 20, J.Edwards 3 6-6 15, Tyree 1 0-0 2, Ross 2 0-0 4, Corn 0 0-0 0, Royal 0 0-0 0, Hutson 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 10-10 52.

William Fleming 20 8 21 13--62

Franklin County 18 13 14 7--52

3-point-goals -- William Fleming (A.Edwards 2, Daniels 2), Franklin County (Hancock 4, J.Edwards 3, Journiette 3). Total fouls -- William Fleming 8, Franklin County 12. Fouled out -- none. JV -- William Fleming, 67-64, OT.