Both teams would start the feeling out process for the first few minutes with Woodbridge up one basket, 8-6. They'd jet out to a 15-8 lead thanks to a 7-2 run. Junior big man Cam Portis would be called for two early fouls and sit out the rest of the quarter.
OP would call a timeout after a three-pointer by Vikings sophomore forward Riley Jacobs. Woodbridge would lead 16-11 after the first quarter.
Osbourn Park would draw first blood in the second quarter with a layup by senior guard Logan Dwyer. Junior Yellow Jackets center Josh Okuadido would pick up his second foul with 5:44 left in the half. Freshman forward RJ Jones would knock down a three via a Tay Faison assist to get within a point, 19-18.
Moments later, sophomore guard Trey Terrell would rise up for a beautifully-timed block on a Woodbridge center. Unfortunately for the OP faithful, a referee would deem it a foul and award the Vikings two free throws. Woodbridge would have possession and turn the ball over on a travel. Osbourn Park would take advantage immediately when Trey Terrell was fouled, putting his team in the bonus. He'd knock down both free throws to knot the game at 20 a piece.
Vikings senior guard Monte Gabriel would put his team ahead with a layup at 22-20. Woodbridge would go into the half up 24-20.
The Vikings would kick off the second half on a 6-2 run. Logan Dwyer would find Tay Faison with a great pass down the court for a three-pointer to get their team within five points at 32-27. A few plays later, RJ Jones would find senior Daniel Salguero for a three of his own. Salguero would reward Jones a minute later after stealing the ball to tie the game at 34. He found Jones one more time with 20 seconds left in the quarter as Osbourn Park carried a 36-34 lead into the fourth quarter.
Woodbridge would once again start the fourth quarter on another run (this time 6-0) to go up 40-36. Osbourn Park called a timeout with 6:46 left in the game. Two minutes later, Trey Terrell found Josh Okuadido for a bucket off a stellar pass inside to tie the game at 42. Logan Dwyer would hit a jumper to take the lead, but senior Vikings guard Brian Jackson would answer with a three-pointer to put the home team up, 45-44 with 3:23 to go in the game.
Josh Okuadido would tie the game at 45 with a free throw. He'd then steal the ball and find Tay Faison who was called for an untimely charge. With 1:25 left in the game, Osbourn Park took a timeout to regroup. Coming out of the timeout, Osbourn Park would have a lengthy possession, not attacking until there were under 25 seconds to go in the game.
Woodbridge senior point guard Malik Hunter would poke the ball out of bounds, giving OP another possession with 18 seconds to go. OP would find RJ at the three-point line. His miss would go long and ignite a Woodbridge fastbreak. Senior guard Michael Cooper would find himself with the ball and an open layup to put his team ahead 47-45 with 2.1 left in the game. OP would come out of a timeout and hope for a miracle. Tay Faison caught the inbounds pass and launched it from three-quarters court to no avail, as Woodbridge would win and move on to the next round of regionals versus Battlefield.
I caught up with an emotional Logan Dwyer after the game, his final one in a Yellow Jackets uniform. Dwyer finished the game with a team-high 16 points on 6-10 shooting (2-4 from 3).
"I felt like we played a really solid game and had great energy the whole game. We made some mistakes but we didn’t get down about it and kept going. I hate how it ended but I know that we have it our all. I was happy with how I played. I felt like it was the perfect way to go out. It was one of my best shooting nights and just overall decision-making. I wish I could have that feeling every time I play."
Finally I asked Logan about this being the final chapter in his Osbourn Park basketball career.
"Basketball has been a huge part of my life for so long and knowing that this was my last season was hard. I gave it my all and hoped for the best and while it didn’t end the way I wanted it to, I was happy to have such a great experience playing the sport that I love. I will always miss playing basketball at the high school level but I know the memories will always be with me. Basketball will never truly be gone from my life."
I also was able to get Osbourn Park head coach Jeremy Coleman's thoughts on the game.
"Their effort tonight was astounding. They executed the game plan.
Zone was uncomfortable for them- but it gave us an opportunity to be there in
the end. I trusted who I had in the game. RJ had a good look at the basket, it
just didn’t fall. I’m proud of the defensive effort after the missed bucket and
our hustle back."
I then asked about losing the senior trio of Logan Dwyer, Daniel Salguero and Malcolm Bilal.
"Logan was a four-year varsity starter. His high IQ and defense as a freshman is what got him on the team. He challenged the seniors that year and won. We'll definitely miss his leadership. Daniel is a great kid and only had him one year. I wish I had more time with him. He would calm our team down when things got out of control. Malcolm started off with adversity via an injury freshman year, but ever since then he always came to work and had a positive attitude no matter what."
While these recaps are never about me, I would just like to state it's been a blast covering this team this season through the highs and the lows. I've enjoyed getting to know the team, staff and players' families as well as the Prince William high school sports community as a whole. (Thank you Alex Khu!)
I would like to thank Amber Bonner for her stellar work all season as well as Pierre Cannon who takes pics of all sports throughout Prince William County. Without them, these pieces would not come to life like they have. Lastly, I would like to thank Jeremy Coleman and Keith Lane for the opportunity to cover the team and all the coaches who made me feel welcome.
See ya'll next season and enjoy the various high school tournaments.
Osbourn Park basketball would like to thank their sponsors of the 2021-22 season:
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