Longwood defies the odds, advances to its second championship game in three seasons

 

Longwood's Walyn Napper continued his heroics in Saturday's semifinal win over High Point.  (Photo:  Longwood Athletics)

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HIGH POINT, N.C. – Some things defy explanation.

One week ago – nearly to the hour – Longwood prepared for its final possession against High Point, knowing that a loss would relegate the Lancers to the dreaded play-in game. Walyn Napper took the inbounds pass, sprinted up the floor, and banked home a winner that would propel Longwood all the way to the fifth seed.

After a decisive, 13-point result over Winthrop in the quarterfinal round Friday, the Lancers – again – stared down the barrel of disappointment. Top-seeded High Point led Longwood, 53-38, at the 12-minute mark, ready to snuff out Longwood’s hopes of a third-straight 20-win season.

Then, the team that has battled consistency all season found it – again. The Lancers shaved that lead to five at the six-minute mark of regulation, then got eight points from Napper in a one-and-a-half minute span to give the Lancers their first lead since the 1-0 mark.

The game went extra time, where the Lancers again found themselves trailing by a pair with just over a minute remaining. Same song, second chorus.

Longwood defied the odds, the home crowd – all of it – and got its 20th win, sending the Lancers to play for a second championship in three seasons Sunday afternoon.

“I was doing everything right and they were doing everything wrong,” Longwood coach Griff Aldrich joked. “There was real adversity. I was frustrated because I really thought our approach was the problem. Without the right approach, I don’t think you can be successful. That was hard, because I think they were trying to dig out of that.”

“I think it really speaks volumes for the chemistry of this team. I wish I was able to say I had magical words, but I really think it was the guys coming together and believing that really turned it.”

Much of the turning of the tide came from Longwood piling fouls on High Point’s post players. Juslin Bodo Bodo and Pavlo Dziuba battled fouls throughout the game before they both eventually fouled out, leading the Panthers to play a bit more cautiously on the defensive interior. Lancer forward Szymon Zapala finished the game with 17 points and six boards while taking advantage of the opportunities afforded him.

“I thought with Szymon and some of the other guys going right at (Bodo), that made it really hard,” Aldrich said. “I think we were probably fortunate for some of his freshman miscues. The truth is that both of their backups we were able to attack, as well.”

“I want to give a shoutout to Szymon and (forward) Elijah (Tucker),” Napper said. “Szymon for doing what he did in the post – nobody could stop him – and Elijah in overtime. He came out and scored a couple buckets back-to-back. He lifted us to the win.”

Napper and Zapala now both get the opportunities they sought to play for championships after having transferred to Longwood. Napper started his career at Southern Miss, with Zapala having played at Utah State.

“It means everything. That’s what we play for,” Zapala said. “Having a chance to play for a championship – that’s all we can ask for. It’s a dream, honestly.”

“As a kid, you dream of moments like this,” Napper said. “Especially with what happened last time we played them here. They stormed the court and dunked it when they were up by 14 with two seconds left. That means a lot. We’re just going to keep pushing and keep fighting.”

High Point, on the other hand, saw a wonderful season come to its close, unless they are able to secure a bid to a postseason tournament. The Panthers won 25 games in a season with significantly lowered expectations under first-season coach Alan Huss.

“Credit to Longwood. They were the more connected, more physical, and tougher basketball team today,” Huss said. “I thought they were very aggressive. They took the ball inside.”

“We really felt like we needed to play them one-on-one in the post. We thought with the way all the games yesterday were officiated, it made the  most sense, rather than doubling. They really let guys play yesterday. We made that determination, and ultimately, I think it got us beat. That’s on me. That’s a bad calculation on my part.”

Huss took responsibility for the loss, though his star player would have none of it. Kezza Giffa, who scored 32 points in the decision, voiced his opinion after Huss had his say.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Longwood,” Huss said. “They came in here in a really hostile environment. Our fans did their part. Everybody but Coach Huss did their part.”

“That’s not true,” Giffa countered. “Everybody makes mistakes, you know? It’s a team thing, at the end of the day. We’re a team. We all lost. We’re all together in this thing.”

Giffa, who holds the regular-season single-game scoring mark with 37, finished with 32 points on 8-for-16 shooting and a dazzling 14-for-14 from the line. Duke Miles joined Giffa in doubles, pouring in 15 on a 5-for-9 effort. High Point shot 39.3 percent (24-for-61) on the day, dropping 11-of-33 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

Zapala paced four Lancers in double figures, booking 17 on 6-for-8 from the deck and 5-for-6 from the line. Napper contributed 16, hitting 6-for-18 from the deck and 3-for-5 from deep. Tucker tallied 13, hitting all five of his tries from the floor. Forward Michael Christmas added 12. Longwood shot 44.1 percent (26-for-59) on field goal attempts, with 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) falling from bonus territory.

Longwood (20-13) continues on to tomorrow’s Big South final against either second-seeded Asheville or third-seeded Gardner-Webb at noon on ESPN2. High Point concludes its regular season at 25-8.