SALTVILLE, Va. – Dontae Carter dashed George Wythe’s postseason dreams once again.
Just three months after leading Radford to a football playoff win over GW, the junior played a starring role in ending the Maroons’ basketball season.
Carter scored 30 points and was an impressive 12-of-12 from the foul line as Radford knocked off previously unbeaten George Wythe, 65-57, on Saturday afternoon in the Region C,
Division 2 boys basketball semifinals at Northwood High School.
Back in November, Carter tallied 295 yards of total offense on the gridiron against the Maroons. On Saturday, his quickness and shooting touch were too much for GW to handle.
“Dontae’s a heck of an athlete,” said GW coach Joey Russell. “He can beat you off the dribble and hit the 3. He’s the quarterback of the football team and he’s the quarterback of that team on the basketball floor. They go the way he goes.”
Things didn’t go well early for Radford. George Wythe (23-1) led 36-27 with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter and appeared in control.
GW post player Drew Lester, who finished with 17 points, presented matchup problems for the Bobcats.
“[Lester] killed us,” said Radford coach Rick Cormany. “He’s a wide body, he’s smart and knows now to move … Gosh, they’re a good basketball team and they pass the ball well.”
However, Radford (17-6) rallied behind the play of Carter and a strong perimeter game. Radford took the lead for good at 54-52 with just over a minute left and then Carter iced the
game by going 8-of-8 from the foul line in the final 37.1 seconds.
Carter’s free-throw accuracy might have been his most important contribution on Saturday.
“That shocked me,” Carter said. “I didn’t know I was going to do that. I’ve been practicing all week just to coming to the line and staying calm and relaxing myself and holding my follow through.”
It was a far cry from Radford’s last meeting with GW. The Maroons rolled to a 62-42 win over Radford in late-December at a Christmas tournament in Wythe County.
However, things have changed since then.
“We had four practices when we went into the Christmas tournament,” Cormany said. “All of our guys were playing football, we had no organization, we were young, no togetherness. I just think being able to have gym time and just their willingness to come to practice and work.”
Kenneth Waugh (15 points) and Robert Herndon (11 points) also cracked double figures for GW. However, the Maroons were eliminated from the regional semifinals for the second straight season.
“Radford did a good job,” Russell said. “Everytime we would get a lead, the next thing I knew we had made two or three turnovers and it was because of Radford’s defense. … We
knew we had to minimize the turnovers and we didn’t and that caught up with us.”
It’s been another strong coaching job by Cormany, a Wytheville native. The defending state champs will still be alive next week to defend their crown.
“To lose all five of our starters and return to the state playoffs, it’s more than I could have imagined,” Cormany said.
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