At half-time of the Patriot District finals on Feb. 22 at T.C. Williams, West Potomac enjoyed a nine-point lead over Woodson and Wolverine fans began to fantasize about cutting the net off the hoop.
Defensive breakdowns and poor shot selection put the Cavs in a 37-28 hole, but with 16 minutes left to play, senior Max Lenox still had time to work some basketball magic.
"We always have weak second quarters," Lenox said. "We're a second-half team. It's the third time we've [been behind] in the tournament, but we believed in ourselves."
In the second half, Lenox led a Cavalier charge and brought the game to a 59-59 tie by driving the net and forcing fouls in the paint. The senior finished the game with a team-high 28 points.
"We tried to get to the [hoop] more," he said. "We got away from outside shots."
With the ball in his hands, the game tied and the final seconds of the fourth quarter ticking away, an unfortunate mishap kept the Cavs from running a game winning play.
"I didn't go off a screen and got picked," Lenox said. "West Potomac got a steal from that."
West Potomac picked up the loose ball and attempted to score a game-winning shot, but time ran out. In the following overtime period, West Potomac built a comfortable lead and the Cavs couldn't complete their desperate comeback.
The Wolverines went on to win 70-67.
"We had a chance to win it and we didn't," Lenox said.
While the loss disappointed the Cavaliers, Woodson head coach Doug Craig noted his team has been playing comeback basketball for most of the tournament.
"We've played from behind a lot and I think that wears on your legs a little bit," he said. "We seem to have little lulls and we just don't play well offensively. That put us behind tonight."
Craig also said the final moments of the fourth quarter were a game changer for West Potomac.
"West Potomac is an outstanding team and they deserved to win," Craig said. "But if you let a good team have a second life, this is what happens."
Despite the loss, Lenox found some consolation in the fact his team had reached the district finals without the aid of John Schoof, one of the team's best players who missed the entire season due to an injury.
"We worked hard and we lost a big player on our team and still made it here," Lenox said.