RICHMOND, VA (WTKR)- Tears streamed down the face of Manor head girls basketball coach Roger Smith.
After a rollercoaster of a campaign, his Mustangs were celebrating a Class 4 state championships.
"I've just been going through so much the last two months," an emotional Smith said. "All this controversy, my mom had a stroke, we're just trying to do everything we can for her. It just makes me very emotional. It's been 22 years since I've been to this game."
It took every bit of effort, but his Manor squad topped Salem, 43-40, to claim the state crown and avenge last year's state semifinal loss to the Spartans. The team wraps up it's campaign 26-1.
The match-up was closely contested throughout as the Mustangs faced a one-point deficit after a quarter and trailed by five in the final seconds of the half before Ca'Asia Brown knocked down a three pointer to trim the gap to 23-21 at the break.
Salem came out of the locker room strong, opening on a 5-0 spurt to widen the gap to 28-21. But Salem responded and only trailed by two heading into the final frame.
That's when Manor hit some big shots. Brown knocked down a corner triple and freshman Jha'Ziya Babb connected on an off-balance short jumper at the hoop to give the Mustangs a 39-38 lead with less than a minute to go. Salam responded on the other end, as Emerson Custer found the net on a hook shot to put the Spartans back in front, but Babb pushed the ball the other way and found Leah Williams under the basket for a lay-up, as Manor retook the advantage at 41-40.
Brown would make the final key play of the game, forcing a jump ball at the other end and the Mustangs added two free throws to give themselves some cushion.
"It means a lot," Babb said. "From the start of the season, we've been preparing to be state champions. We've been saying that in our huddle, 'state champs on three,' so it means a lot to get here after everything we've been through."
Babb led all scorers with 23 points, while Brown added 11 points. Manor forced Salem into 27 turnovers and came up with 14 steals.
The Mustangs' title nearly didn't happen, after a clerical error by the then-athletic director caused one of their players to be ruled ineligible and forced a forfeit of their Region 4A quarterfinal victory. A Portsmouth Circuit Court judge vacated the forfeit the following week, setting the stage for Manor to return.
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