LYNCHBURG, VA - Believe the hype.

Behind the state's most highly publicized player, Duke-bound J.J. Redick, Cave Spring ended Hayfield's hope of becoming the Northern Region's first state-title winner in 21 years. The Knights defeated the Hawks, 72-52, Thursday in a Group AAA Tournament semifinal at Vines Center in Lynchburg.

VHSL AAA Boys Basketball Tournament
VHSL AAA Girls Basketball Tournament
VHSL AA Boys Basketball Tournament
VHSL A Boys Basketball Tournament

Redick, a 6-foot-4 senior shooting guard, scored a game-high 34 points and made three consecutive three-pointers over a 1-minute, 16-second span early in third quarter. The burst gave Cave Spring (17-10) a 37-19 lead and Hayfield (26-3) was never able to trim the lead under 13 points the rest of the way.

West Springfield Girls advance to final
Cave Spring pictures
Hayfield pictures

``[Redick] is ready for the big leagues," said Hayfield guard Chris Kardelis, the Hawks' defensive stopper who was matched against Redick. ``I thought he'd be quicker but he can really shoot it. He'll be ready for Duke."

Redick, who made a Group AAA tournament single-game record seven 3-pointers in Cave Spring's quarterfinal win over Heritage last Saturday, shot 5-for-13 from behind the three-point arc against Hayfield. Redick's 12 three-pointers made and 27 attempted in two games are tournament records, and he'll get the chance to extend those marks Saturday when Cave Spring faces George Wythe in the state final.

``Once I got a few shots to fall, I started to feel comfortable," Redick said. ``I had been hearing all week about how [Kardelis] was going to shut me down. But every guy I've faced this season comes out there to do that."

And it wasn't just Redick's ability to shoot the three-pointer that ended Hayfield's season. Cave Spring's Adam Trumbower (11 points) and Andrew Davison (13 points) combined to make all six of their three-point attempts.

``We got beat by a better team tonight," Hayfield coach Charlie Thompson said. ``[Redick] is the focal point, but it makes it tough when you focus on him and he kicks it out to other guys who can make shots."

James Steward kept Hayfield in contention early. The senior forward scored 12 of Hayfield's first 14 points and the Hawks trailed by three with 4:56 left in the second quarter.

``I just wanted this game so bad," Steward said. ``I had to play my heart out."

Unfortunately for Hayfield, the rest of the Hawks struggled. When Redick and Trumbower made back-to-back three-pointers to end the second quarter, it sent Cave Spring into the locker room with a 28-17 halftime lead and Hayfield never seriously threatened after Redick's burst to start the third quarter.

Steward finished with a team-high 21 points. But no other Hawk reached double figures and Hayfield shot 30.2 percent from the floor as a team.

Kardelis had eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Hawks' effort was also slowed when junior forward Jahmar Claxton sprained his ankle late in the second quarter and was relegated to the bench for much of the second half.

Cave Spring did an excellent job defending Hayfield's half-court offense, and Thompson said a member of the Cave Spring coaching staff told him the Knights had game film from Hayfield's 37-35 loss to Lake Braddock in the Patriot District Tournament final.

``[Cave Spring] having that film from Lake Braddock hurt us," Thompson said. ``But we've still got to execute. That didn't cost us the game."

Added Steward: ``It was pretty tough [to lose]. But I have no regrets about the season we had. I didn't think we'd come this far, to the final four in the state. But we did."