KERNERSVILLE
There will be a new NCHSAA 1-A state boys basketball champion.
Bishop McGuinness won a battle of wills against defending champion Winston-Salem Prep last night in the 1-A West Sectional 1 final, advancing to the Western Regional for the first time since joining the NCHSAA four years ago.
Stellar guard play by both teams was the focus of the game, but in the end, the tandem of Ross Diachenko and Aaron Toomey made the plays at the critical moments to help McGuinness pull off a 78-71 win.
Diachenko finished with 31 points-- including nine in the fourth quarter --and Toomey had 22--with 10 of those coming in the fourth.
"They've been dynamite for us all year, and it wasn't anything different tonight," Coach Josh Thompson of McGuinness said. "They've been our clear-cut leaders and we wanted to have the ball in their hands all year. They did an especially great job tonight of taking care of the ball, attacking the rim, and finishing against a great team that loves to pressure you. I can't say enough about their performance tonight."
McGuinness made its final push after falling behind 58-57 after a layup by Krishawn Noble of Prep.
A driving layup by Toomey on the next possession put the Villains back in the lead for good, with the Phoenix closing to within one point three more times, the last being at 65-64 with 4:04 remaining.
Diachenko got fouled on a 3-point attempt on the next possession and knocked down all three free throws to push the lead to 68-64, and then Mike Spease hit a running jump shot for Prep to cut the deficit back to two.
Diachenko was fouled while driving to the basket and sank both free throws for a 72-66 lead, but Prep answered with a 3-pointer by Jacolby Corpening that trimmed the lead to 72-69 with 1:25 left.
McGuinness salted the game away from the free-throw line the rest of the way, scoring its final six points from the foul line.
Prep led early, thanks to a 14-0 run by sharp-shooter Corey Gantt, who made three 3-pointers and a jump shot during a span of 2:15 in the first quarter that helped Prep to a 23-14 lead heading into the second quarter.
McGuinness answered with an 8-0 run to start the second quarter and nudged ahead by halftime with a 29-28 cushion.
McGuinness found itself in another hole midway through the third quarter after falling behind 44-37 following back-to-back 3-pointers by Gantt, who finished with 28 points.
But McGuinness fought back and took the lead after Diachenko scored the final seven points of the quarter for a 52-48 advantage.
Coach Andre Gould of Winston-Salem Prep, whose team hadn't lost since playing in the Frank Spencer Holiday Classic in December, had a feeling the game would come down to who made the plays in the end.
"We threw a lot at them," Gould said. "And every time we looked like we got control, they had an answer. They made the last run. All credit goes to them."
Thompson said his team will now turn its sights to another prize.
"This is a great win for us, but it isn't the final goal," Thompson said. "As exciting as this is tonight, we'd like to go win a state title now."
Prep 23 5 20 23 -- 71
McGuinness 14 15 23 26 -- 78
Winston-Salem Prep (18-12): Gantt 28, Spease 13, McNeil 10, Corpening 9, Parham 5, Noble 4, Hogg 2
Bishop McGuinness (28-2): Diachenko 31, A. Toomey 22, McSwain 8, Lum 6, Nealen 7, Paspy 3
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