Cleveland Clinches 2nd Place

Cleveland High basketball Coach Bob Braswell sounded like a father on graduation day.

“They did it,” he said, smiling ear to ear. “My boys. . . . they’re all super. I feel good about this group. I’m so proud of them.”

Proud--and certainly impressed--because his team clinched second place in the Valley League behind Fairfax with an emotional 73-66 victory over Kennedy in a loud, packed Cleveland gymnasium Thursday night.

The Cavaliers (16-3, 9-2 in league) did it with reckless, non-stop defensive pressure and clutch free throw shooting.

They had no choice.

“We’re not big, not strong,” said Braswell, who treated his “boys” to cake and punch at game’s end. “We’re more finesse, and we can’t afford to play half-court. So we picked up our full-court pressure in streaks. Defense did it.”

Especially in the game’s waning moments.

Kennedy (13-6, 7-4 in league) rallied from a 42-33 deficit in the third quarter to take a 66-65 with 1:06 left in the game. After Cleveland reassumed the lead with 41 seconds left, 67-66, Kennedy appeared ready to work the ball inside--as it had done successfully all night--for the final shot.

But Cleveland’s press forced a turnover when Kennedy failed to reach midcourt in 10 seconds.

Then with 29 seconds left, Cleveland center Richard Branham made two free throws to give Cleveland a 69-66 lead. Kennedy’s Clarence Williams, a 6-5 junior center who scored a team-high 21 points, had sent Branham to the line with his fifth personal.

“We came out in the second half to see what we got and to see what they got,” Williams said. “I guess they just came out on top. It’s hard for me to say anything else.”

The numbers say it for him.

While Williams and Marcus Malone (19 points) accounted for more than half of Kennedy’s points, four Cavaliers scored in double figures, including guard Mike Gray (22 points) and forward Adrian King (19).

After a 14-14 first quarter, Cleveland’s quick, aggressive press created several easy baskets. Guard Adrian Anderson’s drive to the basket for an easy layup gave the Cavaliers an 18-16 lead with 6:15 left in the second quarter.

KENNEDY--Malone 19, Ware 10, Williams 21, Bethley 3, Bailey 5, Satterfield 8.

CLEVELAND--King 19, Charlotte 10, Branham 10, Greer 4, Gray 22, Anderson 6, Boddan 2.