This basketball season marks the 40th anniversary of our boys basketball team’s run to the VHSL State Final Four. The 1981-82 boys team coached by Ron Smoot put together an incredible season and became only the second SJHS boys team to advance to the state tournament.

The Generals had a team made up of all seniors and sophomores, with five from each class making up the roster. The Generals were small, with just two players on their roster measuring over six feet. The Generals used a scrappy defense and balanced scoring to keep teams off balance the entire season. It was Coach Smoot’s third season as the head coach. His team was led by seniors Matt Moyers (15 ppg), Steve Brown (13.5 ppg), Jim Romick (11 ppg), Bob Goodier (8.8 ppg), and sophomore Kevin Moomaw (8.8 ppg).

The Generals had an 18-8 record and fell in the State Final Four to eventual State Champion Drewry Mason, which featured a lineup led by 6’ 10” Tim Martin (averaging 23 ppg) and three other players over 6’ 5”. Three of the Generals losses were to county rival Central which featured the Lambiotte brothers, but the season also had three close wins over Strasburg and four incredible battles with district rival William Monroe.

The Generals finished the regular season in a tie with William Monroe with identical 8-2 records. During the regular season, the Generals won at home by one point (59-58) and then lost at Monroe by 55-54. The two teams squared off in a one-game playoff for the automatic region berth. The Generals pulled off the win with a 58-54 victory. Bob Goodier led the Generals with 15 points and Dwight Brill led the Green Dragons with 20 points. The two teams advanced to face one another again in the Skyline District Tournament Championship. The Green Dragons won a thriller on a buzzer-beater by Franklin Rucker to take the game 49-47. Both teams advanced to the Region B tournament.

The Generals received a bye in the first round of the region tournament and faced George Mason in the regional semi-finals. Behind the career offensive night of guard Jim Romick (28 points) the Generals defeated the Mustangs 67-51. The Generals would not get the rematch with the Green Dragons that many anticipated but instead had to face the defending state champions from Cumberland High School (20-3) in the region championship.

The Generals finally broke open a tight game in the closing minutes of the game by knocking down free throw after free throw. The Generals went an astounding 17-21 at the line in the fourth quarter to win 83-74. The Generals were led by Matt Moyers with a career-high 31 points. Steve Brown added 19 and Jim Romick had 15. Bob Goodier added six points as did sophomore David Zirkle off the bench. With the upset, the Generals advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 1962. The chant of U-Hall (the University of Virginia basketball arena which hosted the VHSL State Tournament at the time) had been following the team for most of the postseason became a reality.

Coach Smoot said of the team after the regional final; “We really wanted it badly. There is a certain chemistry on the team that’s hard to describe. The players all believed they were the better team and they proved it.”

On a personal note, I went to the state game on a pep bus. Even though we lost, it was one of the greatest experiences of my childhood and started a life-long love affair with the state basketball tournament that still runs strong today. A big thank you to the amazing team of 1981-82. We hope to have a feature on the 1962 team later this year. They will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of their run to the state final four.