There was no quit in the Red Devils last week at the VCU Siegel Center in Richmond, where the reigning champs wouldn’t give up their state title without a fight. Lancaster took its first lead with 1:12 to play in the game and beat Auburn, 65-59, for historic back-to-back Class 1 championships.
It all came down to heart—passion, grit and determination.
“We just knew we had to play hard, play all four quarters, play til that last second,” said senior guard Daveon Smith, who had the best game of his career in the March 7 final in Richmond. “I knew I had to step up and make plays. When Troy was struggling, when they were on him, it was time for me to step up.”
And step up he did. Smith scored 24 points and had seven rebounds including a crucial defensive board with 19 seconds to play that he followed with a free throw to give Lancaster a four-point lead. Smith seemed to take over defensively in the fourth quarter when Lancaster put together a 26-13 run and took its first lead of the game.
“His defense created his offense,” coach Dwayne Pinn said of Smith. “He was playing some good man to man pressure, got a few steals and attacked the rim and made 10 free throws. After he’s been struggling some in a few games, it was great to see him have a game like this.”
Lancaster junior guard Troy Henderson capped the victory with a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left and finished with the game high 30 points. He and Smith combined for 54 points, or 83% of Lancaster’s offense.
“We wanted to give you guys a good show,” Pinn joked a few days after the final. But there was no joking during the game when Lancaster found itself against an equally determined Region C Auburn, which was seeking its third state title in five years. The Eagles had won the trophy in 2020 and 2022. Auburn was the bigger, stronger team going in but Lancaster brought quickness and a pressure defense.
“It was a tough game. We had to battle back, battle back, battle back. It was a game of possessions, and these guys battled hard and never gave up,” said Pinn.
The 26-2 Devils—who by the way have lost only two games in two seasons, one to a West Virginia team and the other to a private school—found themselves in unusual territory, trailing the whole game.
“We had the mindset we’re not gonna lose and we didn’t want to let everybody down,” said senior center Lamar Mattocks, who finished with nine points and five rebounds.
“With three minutes left, I thought we gotta go. We gotta go now. And I was nervous then,” said Henderson.
Auburn, led by Nick Millirons’ 28 points, took an 11-4 lead in the first three minutes with Millirons opening with a three-pointer and draining two threes in the run. Lancaster got as close as three before ending the first quarter down, 20-15.
After an even second quarter, with the Devils again pulling within three on a trey by Henderson with 45 seconds on the clock, the Eagles took a five-point lead into the half.
“We said we know we’re down on that scoreboard, but we weren’t down as a team. We knew we could win the game,” said Mattocks.
“We were playing nervous in the first half,” said Henderson. “They came out of the gate hard. On film, we thought we can beat this team, but they came out wanting it.”
Lancaster’s up-tempo style of play and pressure defense usually wears down opponents early. But the Eagles weren’t flinching.
“They did a good job of withstanding a lot of our pressure,” said Pinn. “I thought that shooting the ball was their strong point and we tried to run them off the three point line, but number 3 [Drew Royal] and 23 [Millirons], they were good ball handlers, much better than they looked on film.
“I knew their point guard [Millirons] was a tempo control guy, one of the best in the state,” he added.
“I saw him three years ago. I watched them play against Westmoreland and he was the best player on the court that night. He did that for three quarters of basketball against us.”
Lancaster came out fresh in the second half to reel off a 9-0 run capped by a jumper by Henderson—his only of the period—to tie the game briefly late in the third quarter.
But a quick four points from Millirons and three-point play by Coahan Gordon put the Eagles back in front, 46-39, to end the quarter.
Down seven to begin the fourth quarter with eight minutes potentially left in their season, the Devils turned it on with Smith taking control defensively and he and Henderson combining for 22 points in Lancaster’s 26-13 run.
“I just knew in the fourth quarter we had to make plays and run our game,” said Smith.
Auburn turned the ball over 12 times in the second half.
“We just didn’t finish the game and our whole team motto all year ‘finish the game’ and we didn’t do that tonight,” said Auburn coach Terry Millirons.
Smith’s layup and a steal and layup by Mattocks tied the game for just the second time with 1:55 to play.
“Lamar is the heart of our team,” said Pinn. “Troy gets a lot of the attention and Daveon is next, but Lamar is the guy everybody looks to for the big play, the loose guy, the tough guy. We know what he brings to the team.”
Mattocks battled the night against Auburn’s Bryce Gill but scored four of his nine in the fourth quarter.
The two teams traded shots with Lancaster taking the lead for good, 60-59, after a Henderson layup and free throw with 72 seconds remaining. Mattocks had the offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer and pushed it back around to Henderson for the go-ahead.
“We talked a lot about adversity,” said Pinn. “Every time-out, those kids never thought they were going to lose the game, they were saying we got to play harder, we got to do this or do that. I was listening to them talk about making their own adjustments.”
Lancaster had turned in a perfect 29-0 season last year for its first state championship since 2018. Pinn lost all but one of the starters from that team.
“I’m not gonna lie, before the season, I didn’t think we were gonna get back there,” said Henderson. “But I knew we had people that wanted it and the two losses helped out. It humbled us.”
“We knew we had lost a lot and we had to go harder, work harder and take on some bigger roles,” said Mattocks. “And a lot of the young boys grew into their roles.”
The Siegel Center was a sea of red and black last Thursday with Lancaster’s fans making up about 75% of the crowd. The Devils returned late after the 8 p.m. tip-off Thursday, but rolled through the county just after sunset on Friday, March 8, escorted by local first responders and on a decorated bus. Fans lined the roadways from White Stone through Kilmarnock and up to the high school in Lancaster, waving banners and signs.
“We really appreciate the support,” said Pinn. “That turnout [at the game] was definitely one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen. The whole community was there. And then the parade. We loved it all and were glad we could bring the community together for something positive.”
Lancaster Red Devils……15 13 11 26 — 65
Auburn Eagles……………20 13 13 13 — 59
