varsity.roanoke.com

JARED SOARES The Roanoke Times

James River coach Mike Goad provides instruction against Buckingham County during the Group A Division 2 championship on Saturday.

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RICHMOND -- The early-morning headline on a Web site said it all:

"James River expected to crest Saturday."

Rising water? Maybe.

A basketball team that rose to the top of its class? Certainly.

James River spectators flooded VCU's Siegel Center and took home a lifetime of memories Saturday as James River won its first VHSL basketball championship with a 47-43 victory over Buckingham County in the Group A Division 2 final.

The Knights did it by playing an iron-man starting five the entire way.

Guards Ethan Humphries and Jordan Talbott, forwards Patrick Bennett and John Bennett, and center Andrew Tucker all were on the floor in the championship game for 32 minutes.

No substitutions? No sweat.

James River trailed by four points heading into the fourth quarter, but it was Buckingham County that couldn't finish the job.

"You've got to have a lot of belief in guys that they can stay out there both physically and mentally," James River coach Mike Goad said. "Mental focus in games like this is where you have to be tough."

Goad has typically used a short bench during the four-year run that produced a 100-12 record at James River. It got shorter this year when two players were dismissed at midseason, including one starter.

However, the veteran coach isn't sure he's ever played a game without substituting a single time.

"I just shake my head when they say, 'Take me out,' " Goad said.

"The chemistry is out there. One mistake can turn the whole thing around. If you believe in something, you go down with the ship."

Buckingham had four players go the distance Saturday. Both teams were helped by the fact that the VHSL championship games were televised and the programmers inserted one TV timeout each quarter.

"The TV timeout was a blessing today," said Patrick Bennett, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

"That extra 90 seconds was really helpful. It's mental. If I tell myself I can get up and down the floor, I'll do it."

James River overcame fatigue and pressure in the final minute as Talbott, Humphries and Tucker all stepped to the line and made two free throws to protect the lead.

When Tucker added another foul shot with six seconds to play, the Knights had finally secured the title the program was unable to snare in trips to the final in 1978 and 1990.

Most of the town of Buchanan has been along for the ride.

Goad left two tickets for a long-time James River fan, a local businessman who didn't need much convincing.

"He said, 'It's not good for a retailer to close their doors. But I'm closing my doors because I'm 76 years old and I've been in Buchanan for 58 years and I want to be there when you pick up that trophy.' " Goad said.

Somebody should make a movie. Maybe it's already been done.

Goad was in his hotel room Friday night when his son told him to turn on the TV.

" 'Hoosiers' was on," Goad said, "Can you believe that? 'Hoosiers' was on, about a small town winning a state championship, and we're in the championship game. How weird is that?' "

Hickory coach Norman Dale spoke a memorable line in the movie when an official instructed him to make a substitution. Goad could have used it Saturday:

"My team is on the floor."