Clark, Monarchs pass first test
Guard’s 23 points, late blocked shot lift team to 17-0
NEWPORT NEWS — Menchville guard AJ Clark wanted a challenge.
For most of this season the second-ranked Monarchs have beaten their opponents convincingly — all by double digits. But Tuesday night, in front of a packed house at Menchville, the Monarchs finally got a close game.
And Clark shined in the moment as he hit key free throws down the stretch and came up with a monster block in the final seconds to help Menchville beat No. 6 Woodside 58-52.
The Monarchs improved to 17-0 on the season.
“I actually loved it,” Clark said about the close game. “Every other game has been boring or blowouts. So this was good, and it’s getting us ready for the playoffs for what it’s really going to be like.”
Clark scored a game-high 23 points and made 15 of 17 free throws.
“I just knew it was a must-win game, and I came in and said I’m going to do whatever I needed to do to get it done and do whatever I can to help my team win,” he said. “Free throws, you got to make them. You’re supposed to ice the game with those, and that’s what I did tonight.”
The game went back and forth all night, with Menchville leading most of the time.
The Monarchs led 17-9 after the first quarter and held a slim 27-23 lead with 8.1 seconds left after a basket by Woodside’s Jakobe Reid.
But the Monarchs pushed the ball back downcourt and got a buzzer-beater from Clark to give them a 29-23 halftime lead.
Menchville tried to pull away in the third quarter, but the Wolverines kept it close thanks to backto-back 3-pointers from Jermaine Detrick as they cut the deficit to
three.
Woodside had several opportunities to either tie the game or take the lead, but couldn’t convert until Reid hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 29 seconds left.
The teams exchanged scores over the next two minutes.
That’s when Clark took over as he made four free throws in the final 17.5 seconds to give the Monarchs breathing room.
Leading 56-52 with 8.5 seconds
left, Woodside came down with a chance to cut into the deficit, but Clark came from out of nowhere to block the shot to seal the victory.
“I saw something that could have given them the momentum late in the game,” Clark said about the block. “So I had to do what I had to do to get it done.”
The victory also helped the Monarchs sweep the regular-season series against Woodside.
“This is a big momentum boost
because they’re contenders in our region and our district,” said Clark, who also finished with seven rebounds and five blocks.
The Monarchs also got help from Jordan Watlington and Etienne Strothers, who finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Reid’s 15 points paced Woodside (13-5).