Simmons Saves Hermitage

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond

Wesley Simmons didn’t play football for Hermitage’s Central Region, Division 6 champions.

But he played pitch-and-catch with DigitalSports player of the year Ju-Ju Clayton to give Hermitage a 47-45 victory over Armstrong in the quarterfinals of the Henrico Holiday Hoops Tournament Wednesday night, sponsored by DigitalSports.

With 1.9 seconds remaining in the game, Clayton threw an inbounds pass to Simmons coming off a double screen. Simmons gathered in and layed in his 27th point to move Hermitage to the semifinals.

“We’ve got the All-Metro player of the year,” Simmons said of Clayton. “I could’ve been a wideout. I give all the credit to the quarterback.”

Simmons is being modest. Most of the credit for Hermitage’s win should go to him.

The lanky 6-3 senior scored 27 of Hermitage’s 47 points, 17 in the second half and nine of Hermitage’s 11 points in the deciding fourth quarter.

He feasted on open-court situations, as Hermitage’s guards broke Armstrong’s full-court pressure and gave Simmons room to work.

Simmons also lived on short jumpers and was lethal in the paint with layups and jumpshots.

“He’s our go-to guy,” Hermitage coach Joe Coulter said of Simmons. “It took him a quarter to get going. We had a nice talk at halftime. They responded well.”

Armstrong actually led most of the minutes, including 17-10 at 4:30 of the second quarter on Caleb Johnson‘s old-fashioned three-point play.

It stayed steady as Nat Taylor (14 points) knocked in a jumper to start the second half giving Armstrong a 24-18 lead. Hermitage then went on an 8-0 run to take their first lead since it was 6-4 in the first quarter.

They contined to hold the Wildcats (1-2) off until they went on a 5-0 run, capped by an Eric Adkins (nine points) free throw.

Simmons responded with a personal 7-0 run as Hermitage (3-5) led 43-39. Adkins knocked in two free throws and Taylor a layup a minute later to tie the game.

Then Clayton scored on his only shot of the contest as Gabe McNeal gave him a nifty no-look pass in the lane.

But Taylor came back once again, knocking in two pressure-packed free throws with 3.5 seconds remaining, setting up Clayton’s heave to Simmons.

The game wasn’t without controversy, though.

Armstrong coach Darryl Watts believed Clayton’s pass was tipped upon release, which should’ve prompted the clock to start earlier than it did when Simmons gathered the pass.

The officials conferred but decided the basket would count, giving Armstrong a heartbreaking defeat.

“I was pleased with our effort,” Watts said. “We played hard, but we didn’t always play smart.

“I told them in life we’re going to be faced with adversity. Situations like this will make you stronger and make you work harder in the long run.”

Hermitage 6 12 16 11 – 47
Armstrong 9 13 10 13 – 45
Hermitage (3-5): McNeal 8, Winston 0, Blount 2, Simmons 27, Norman 2, Clayton 2, Parker 0, Perez-Means 6, Kinard 0. Totals: 20 7-12 47.
Armstrong (1-2): Adkins 9, Christian 9, Benjamin 4, Taylor 14, Battle 0, Johnson 9, Wilson 0. Totals: 14 15-21 45. 3-point goals: Christian 2.