Radford boys run away with state championship 

RICHMOND — D’Andre Cook’s nickname is ‘D.’

Saturday he added some ‘O.’

Cook earned a rare starting assignment and the 5-foot-11 junior guard scored a career-high 20 points to lift Radford to its third VHSL Group A Division 2 boys basketball championship in five years with a 72-58 victory over Gate City at VCU’s Siegel Center.

Radford coach Rick Cormany replaced 6-foot-4 center Zach Bradley in the starting lineup with Cook, electing to combat the presence of 6-foot-7 Gate City center Andy Arnold with quickness rather than size.

Cook scored 13 of his points in the second half including seven in a row in the third quarter as Radford (28-2) overcame a 30-27 halftime deficit.

“We decided to start him tonight to go to a smaller lineup because we were trying to pull the big boy from Gate City away from the basket,” Cormany said.

“We talked about doing it. We weren’t sure we were going to do it. The good thing about that was Zach was all about team. He’s been starting all year. He was like, ‘Coach, let’s just go win the ballgame.’ ”

Cook said Cormany informed him of the lineup change minutes before the game began.

“It was a surprise, completely. I’ve started a couple times, but he really trusted me and knew I could do this,” Cook said. “My teammates trust me, too. It felt really good to do this and get the team this win.”

Also surprised was Gate City coach Scott Vermillion.

“He really wasn’t on my report,” Vermillion said. “They wanted to make the game faster than we normally make it. I thought Cook was the difference.”

Radford also had more bodies. Seven Bobcats played at least 13 minutes and the bench accounted for 45 total.

The difference showed up in the fourth quarter. Josh Little, Radford’s lone senior starter, ran the floor for four transition layups en route to 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

Little’s outburst, which included an assist to Cook for another layup, stretched a 43-40 lead at the end of the third quarter to 57-47 with 3:58 to play.

“You could notice the fatigue a little bit, and I think that was largely due to our bench,” Little said. “I give a lot of credit to those guys.”

Vermillion sensed trouble before it surfaced. Gate City (24-6) tied the game at 36-36 with 4:08 left in the third quarter, and the Blue Devils coach immediately called a timeout.

“We just needed a break,” Vermillion said. “You coach by feel sometimes.”

The Blue Devils were never able to establish Arnold inside against Radford’s sagging man-to-man defense. Forward Luke Ervin led Gate City with 17 points, and guard Dylan Jenkins added 16. Arnold took just seven shots and scored 11 points before fouling out at the four-minute mark.

“The coach had a really good game plan going in,” said Radford’s Isaiah Phillips, who added 14 points. “We knew he was definitely a great player, but we decided to pretty much double-team him the whole game and see what he was really made of.”

Cormany challenged his team after Thursday’s 54-40 semifinal win over Essex. The Bobcats had a spirited practice Friday at the University of Richmond.

“I knew we didn’t play until 5, so I decided we needed to have a hard practice,” Cormany said. “For an hour and 45 minutes, we really got after it.

“These guys, as usual, they responded. They’ve responded all year.”

Radford’s only real scare down the stretch came when Phillips picked up his third and fourth personal fouls in succession late in the third quarter.

“We could have folded a little bit there,” Cormany said. “Thank goodness our team held together.”

Radford, which lost only to Cave Spring and Carroll County this year, outrebounded Gate City as Little had eight boards. The first half was a battle, featuring 15 lead changes.

Radford, which also won a Group II state title in 1949, earned this one.

“I think the two best teams played for this state championship,” Cormany said. “This is the way it’s supposed to be. Gate City is one of the best-coached teams in the state of Virginia. They do things the right way.”

Gate City was denied its first state title. The Blue Devils lost to Salem in the 1999 Group AA final and now have dropped three Group A divisional finals in the past seven years.

“I personally thought we would win today,” Vermillion said. “We knew it would be tough. In past years, I was just glad to be here. Today, I thought it was fairly even matchup, but their depth became a factor.”

Plus, Radford cooked up a surprise.

“Today seemed like a dream,” Little said. “It was a perfect way to end it.”

GATE CITY (25-6)

Bowen 2-4 0-0 6, Jenkins 6-19 3-8 16, Collier 2-6 0-0 4, Ervin 4-10 7-8 17, Arnold 4-7 3-7 11, Herron 1-1 1-2 3, Wolfe 0-0 0-0 0, Barnes 0-2 1-2 1, Hass 0-0 0-0 0, Bledsoe 0-0 0-0 0, Baskette 0-0 0-0 0. Qualls 0-1 0-0 0, Kinkead 0-0 0-0 0, Brooks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-50 15-27 58.

RADFORD (28-2)

Cook 8-14 2-2 20, Finley 1-10 5-6 7, Jones 2-8 4-7 9, Little 8-11 0-2 16, Phillips 4-9 5-5 14, Gichana 0-0 0-0 0, Miano 0-2 0-0 0, Jordan 0-2 0-0 0, Facemire 0-0 0-0 0, Wheeler 0-0 0-0 0, Cox 1-1 0-0 2, Bradley 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 25-59 18-24 72.

Gate City 16 14 10 18—58

Radford 16 11 16 29—72

3-point goals — Gate City 5-20 (Bowen 2-4, Jenkins 1-8, Ervin 2-7, Barnes 0-1), Radford 4-23 (Cook 2-5, Phillips 1-5, Jones 1-5, Finley 0-5, Little 0-1, Miano 0-1, Jordan 0-1). Rebounds — Gate City 34 (Collier 7), Radford 37 (Little 8). Assists — Gate City 7 (Bowen 4), Radford 9 (Little 3). Total fouls — Gate City 21, Radford 19. Fouled out — Ervin, Arnold.

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