Patrick Henry boy’s basketball team falls in 54-52 stunner at buzzer in state championship

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - It was a heartbreaker for the Patrick Henry boy’s basketball team in Richmond on Saturday as the team was stunned by a shot at the buzzer to fall 54-52 in the Class 5 state championship to Woodside.

The Patriots came out strong with early contributions from Leron Lipford, Brooks Deary, and Rod Tasco.

They would take a six point lead into the half, and be up by as much as 16 in the third quarter.

The Wolverines would string together a 25-0 run to knock PH back, but resiliency shined as the Patriots would tie the game as the clock wound down.

A final shot by Sidney Webb fell on the wrong side of the rim, as Woodside recovered the rebound and a desperate fling by Christian Greenlaw would fall through the net just after the final buzzer rang.

Patrick Henry boy’s basketball coach Jack Esworthy talked about the strength of the two teams following the game.

“We got out early, though we were doing out thing,” he said. “They came back, they did their thing, caught them at the end and the last three or four possessions of the game just came down to two really good teams. Hats off to Woodside. You know you don’t really get to watch it as a coach, you coach it. It sure was an exciting game.”

The last time the Patrick Henry boy’s basketball team won a state title was back in 1992.

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