STEPHENS CITY — Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy coach Jason Combs is a religious man, but he might want to give an extra shout out to the man above before tonight's Virginia Independent School Division III semifinal game against Holy Cross.
Despite SVCA being seeded second — one spot ahead of Holy Cross — the Gaels are the overwhelming favorite to win and advance into Saturday's state championship game. Using pure speed and pinpoint shooting, Holy Cross (17-11) has defeated the top-seeded Division II team (Miller School) and has also upset the fourth-best Division I team (Benedictine), making the Gaels one of the most feared teams in the tournament.
"If we go up and down with them, it ain't happening," Combs said before practice Thursday. "We can't beat them up and down."
In an attempt to slow down the lightning-fast Gaels, Combs installed a brand-new offense this week, one that relies more on the inside game of sophomore forward Scotty Farrington, who will need to meet his season average of 12.5 points per game and then some.
"Farrington has to have the best game all year — big on both ends of the floor.," Combs said.
Farrington, a 6-foot-4 native of the Bahamas, said he's nervous about the new offense revolving around him, but he's ready for the challenge.
"We have to finish inside because they're smaller than us and they'll foul us," Farrington said. "We have to be 100 percent focused."
The Patriots (26-8) have come along slowly but surely with the new offense, but Farrington said he's confident they'll be prepared when the ball is tipped at 8:45 p.m. tonight at Richard Bland College in Petersburg.
"Jason has really opened up our brains," he said. "You never know what he's going to do from game to game. I was lost at first, but by [today] I'll be OK. I'm getting it."
SVCA advanced to the Division III championship game last season before falling to Steward School in the finals. With only two returning starters back from last year's 29-4 team, Combs certainly didn't expect another 20-win season, especially against the toughest schedule in school history.
The Patriots played Group AA Sherando twice and lost by a combined 10 points. They also went up against two Group AA schools and a Group AAA school over the holidays. SVCA stayed closer than expected in the first two (Albemarle and Charlottesville) and won the third against Waynesboro.
"We didn't duck anybody," Combs said proudly. "[Today] on the way down, that's what we'll talk about. There's nothing to be nervous about."
There is something to be a little angry about, though. The Patriots finished the regular season as the outright champions of the Delaney Athletic Conference. Sophomore guard Todd Wiltshire, a transfer from Handley, was ruled ineligible, though, and the Patriots were forced to forfeit the one game Wiltshire appeared in — a DAC win over Fredericksburg Christian School on Feb. 5. Fortunately for SVCA, no other games were forfeited.
Combs said Wiltshire's transcripts did not arrive to the DAC offices on time, leaving SVCA in a three-way tie for the conference title. The matter went to a league-wide vote, one that came out 6-5 against SVCA.
"Bottom line, we didn't do anything wrong," Combs said. "We thought it was an injustice to the kid."
The Patriots responded by winning the DAC tournament in convincing fashion, including a 19-point victory over Fredericksburg Christian School in the championship game.
"It was a real motivator," Combs said. "I should send the DAC a thank you note. That became a rallying cry for us because something had been taken from us. It was a negative that we made a positive."
Following their second-straight DAC tourney title, the Patriots defeated Amelia Academy in the VIS quarterfinals, 61-51. Four of SVCA's five starters are averaging over 11 points per game with Farrington leading the way. Junior point guard Josh Davis scored just under 12 points per outing, but more importantly, he dishes out 6.4 assists per game.
Davis is a three-year starter that understands Combs' system better than anyone else. He's counted on to lead the team in all situations — win or lose — and he's done just that, Combs said.
"We speak the same language," he said. "He gives us constant energy."
The Patriots will need it today against Holy Cross.
"We can't stray away from the game plan," Davis said. "If we do and try to run with them, it's over. It'll be like R.E. Lee and Millbrook."
Millbrook lost a 72-48 decision to R.E. Lee in Wednesday night's Region II boys basketball final. That wasn't the only Millbrook comparison being bounced around before Thursday's practice.
Holy Cross point guard Robbie Carrington reminds Combs of Millbrook's point guard, Northwestern District Player of the Year Travis Brown, who scored 27 points against the Leemen. Carrington, who suffered a broken ankle in the second game of the season, is averaging 20 points and eight assists per game over the last few weeks.
"They're very similar players," Combs said.
Carrington isn't the only Gael that worries Combs. Guard Mikko Koivisto averages 19 points per game. The Finnish phenom hit 12 3-pointers in a game earlier this season.
It'll take a heroic effort for SVCA to come away winners tonight, and that's just what the Patriots plan on doing.
"We've been here before," Combs said. "There's nothing to be nervous about."
