Down four heading into the fourth quarter, the Pirates made a frantic push to get within one of the Devils but would not get any closer as the Devils clinched the championship in the Washington Youth Basketball League 5-7-year old division by winning 22-21 thriller.
Larry Gborn paced the Devils with 13 points, while Oliver Thomas scored six and Rashad Little added two as the Devils finished the WYBL season with 10-1 record.
“It was a lot of fun,” Devils coach Austin Thomas said. “They kids wanted it and they worked very hard.”
The Pirates were led by Quasim Oden, who poured in nine points, while T’Cavyone McIver tallied eight and Jamir Bush and Narqueen Oden scored two each.
After the first quarter the Pirates held a 6-4 lead, but the Devils got defensive in the second as they outscored the Pirates 4-0 to take an 8-6 lead.
Both teams got hot in the third as the Devils racked up eight points, while the Pirates tallied six. After that outburst, the Devils would take 16-12 lead into the fourth.
It was in the final quarter that the Pirates got hot and began to close in on the Devils. The Pirates got within one of the Devils, 22-21, after a Jamir Bush basket with 1:10 left to play. However, the Devils were able to kill the clock and escape with a victory.
“I’m just proud that our kids fought through the adversity of being so far behind,” Pirates coach John Lampkins said. “In this league a four-point deficit is like a 15-point deficit, so to see them fight a large deficit like that and get it down to one makes me very proud of them.”
Though the Devils were happy to win the game, Thomas said he was thrilled to see his athletes grow as players.
“I think the biggest growth for us was understanding positions,” Thomas said. “Understanding how to shift into a zone, how to follow the ball and keep your hands up and I think that’s why we were able to outrebound teams.”

Pirates    6    0    6    9    —    21
Devils    4    4    8    6    —    22
Pirates (21)
Quasim Oden 9, T’Cavyone McIver 8, Jamir Bush 2, Narqueen Oden 2.
Duke (22)
Larry Gborn 14, Oliver Thomas 6, Rashad Little 2.