By Matthew Hatfield
Correspondent

Heading into Monday night’s Eastern Region Tournament matchup with the defending state champion I.C. Norcom Greyhounds, the King’s Fork Bulldogs weren’t given much of a chance to win by some of the basketball pundits. It was somewhat understandable, given that Norcom came in with plenty of momentum, having won the Eastern District Tournament and 19 consecutive playoff games.

In the end, all that mattered was that King’s Fork believed in each other, made smart decisions offensively and played hard defensively to the final whistle. The Bulldogs were able to do that, rallying from a five-point deficit in the final minutes for a 60-57 upset to advance to Thursday night’s quarterfinals at the Norfolk Scope.

“Before the game, we had a quote on the locker that read ‘some men die of fright, and some live by confidence,’” King’s Fork coach Josh Worrell recalled. “You’ve got to play with confidence and think when you shoot the basketball that it’s going in.”

“We had some chances to gain the lead with a minute, minute and a half, and they were confident, but some open shots just didn’t go in for us. I told them to just keep working hard defensively, continue to believe, and we’re going to be fine.”

Not wanting their high school careers to end yet, a pair of seniors, guard C.J. Hailes and forward Zach Johnson, stepped up in the clutch for King’s Fork.

Hailes scored all five of his points in the game’s final 12 seconds, including a three-pointer to put the Bulldogs ahead by two. Johnson, an All-Southeastern District First Team performer signed to play college ball at Army, was a force all night long with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

“Zach came ready to play and didn’t take no for an answer,” Worrell said. “He kept on working and was very good on the boards. He got some big ones on free throws towards the end of the game, and he moved well without the basketball, which was a big key for us.”

Ten of King’s Fork’s games this year have been decided by seven points or less. Those experiences against some of the best in the Southeastern District and the entire state benefited the Bulldogs down the stretch versus Norcom.

“I feel we’ve played some of the toughest teams in the state all year long. We played some tight games and in some situations where we were down, we’ve got to get back close, or we’re ahead and we have to hold onto the lead,” Worrell added. “Playing against a team with three extremely good guards — it was tough, because there’s more than one person to pay attention to, and I think our kids paid attention to the game plan.”

King’s Fork’s next test is a daunting one. At 8 p.m. Thursday at the Norfolk Scope, they’ll take on Beach District regular-season and tournament champion Landstown, which enters with a record of 24-2 overall. The Eagles are also ranked No. 4 in the state in the latest Associated Press poll.

Worrell knows his Bulldogs (17-8) will have to play at the top of their game to end the Eagles’ 15-game winning streak and gain a spot in Saturday’s regional semifinals.

“They’re very good defensively, and the kids that play for Landstown really buy into his system and what they do. They’re very, very athletic and quick. We have to limit our mental mistakes and take care of the basketball,” he said.

“They play a lot of guys, and they’re going to continue to put pressure on you, and be up in your face defensively. We just have to be able to handle that pressure, and I think our kids are up for the challenge.”