Published: March 10, 2009 09:57 pm      

One final chance at state championship for Twin Valley seniors

RICHMOND, Va. — Twin Valley has been to the final game, losing the 2006 finals.

Last year the Panthers made it to the final four, reaching the Group A, Division 1 semifinals.

This year, win or lose, it's the final road trip for a group of young men who have played together as a unit since the fifth grade, and, in some cases since the first grade.

Twin Valley plays Eastern Montgomery in the state semifinals at VCU's Siegel Center Thursday afternoon. No team in Richmond has been together longer.

Seniors Hunter Simpson and Jacob St. Clair, along with junior Lucas Shortridge, started playing together first, in first grade. Everyone else joined in over the next few years, in most cases, in the third grade. Every one was on board by fifth grade, when Garden and Whitewood consolidated to form Twin Valley.

"We've been together since K-3 ball," Simpson said. "We've grown up together. The guys who weren't already with us came along when the schools consolidated and we've been together ever since."

The Buchanan Basketball Foundation offered them the chance to play together from their little league through their middle school and junior varsity years, virtually year 'round.

Simpson, St. Clair and Shortridge, seniors Garrett Horne and Carter Burniston and Tyler Adams and juniors Josh Smith and Brandon Viers all played together in the BBF. Junior Adam Keen joined them on school teams at Twin Valley, starting in the fifth grade.

Their chemistry on and off the court is one of the reasons they've been so successful. The Panthers, in addition to making three state tournament appearances in four years, have won five consecutive Black Diamond District titles.

"The fact that these kids know each other so well has carried over into playing ball," Twin Valley coach Brian Moore said. "They're good friends who enjoy being around each other. They feed off each other."

Never was that more evident than last week's state quarterfinal win over Galax. At halftime it appeared that Smith, a 1,000-point scorer who also has 1,000 career rebounds, was done for the night with a badly sprained ankle.

"When Josh was hurt, Hunter made the comment when we were going back out for the second half, that Josh has carried us on his back enough times, so he told the rest of the kids that it was time for us to step up and carry him."

After carrying one another for so many years, the Panthers are together as a team one last time. They plan on enjoying the trip to Richmond, but this time, the plan is to be more businesslike.

"It's a little heartbreaking to think that no matter what, next week we're not going being playing together," Simpson said. "It's kind of sad when you look at it that way.

"We were trying to enjoy it too much last year. We're looking at it from a different standpoint this year. We want the fun to come after we do what we're supposed to do."

"Last year our mindset was a lot of us thought just making the final four was a big thing," added Horne. "This time we can't be satisfied with that. We want to win. This is one trip we'll remember, either way. But it'll be a lot better if something good came out of it."

Like winning a state title.

The Twin Valley-Eastern Montgomery winner faces eitherr Altavista or Colonial Beach in the state finals Friday at 5p.m.