Central Region | Archive | December, 2008

By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manger, Washington D.C. Metro Area

*Click the links above for videos and photos from Tuesday’s championship game.

*All-Tournament team listed below.

Ahead by nine points with 2 minutes, 49 seconds remaining in the Pohanka Chantilly Basketball Tournament final, the Spartan players — and its coach, Bill Gibson — were under more duress than would be expected.

But West Springfield, who led by 20 points less than two minutes prior, had watched Mills Godwin senior Michelle Foley (game-high 23 points) connect on three three-pointers in just over a minute.

Two of the three were second-chance baskets, and the Spartans called a time-out.

Whatever Gibson said to his team in the huddle worked, as West Springfield scored eight of the game’s final 10 points en route to a 60-47 win and the tournament championship.

“We wanted to be in control of the game and not rush things,” said Gibson, whose team played in a local Christmas tournament for the first time in 15 years. “They hit a couple threes in a row. I said, ‘Hey, no drama. It’s our game to win.’

“We didn’t want to play not to lose. We wanted to play to win.”

Added Spartan freshman forward Logan Battle, who had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds: “We just stuck together like we always have.”

It was not the first time West Springfield turned the momentum on a dime on Tuesday.

The Eagles led by as many as nine points, 16-7, in the first quarter, visibly dominating the Spartans. But West Springfield went on a 24-2 run over the next 13:58 to lead, 31-18 midway through the third quarter.

“We just kept telling ourselves that if the ball doesn’t fall for us, we just had to keep getting the boards and taking it up,” said junior forward Mel Todd, who had 10 of her game-high 13 rebounds in the first half. “The shots would sooner-or-later fall for us.”

With so many options, that poise comes as no surprise.

Senior Sam Landers scored a team-high 15 points en route to Tournament MVP honors.

Freshman April Robinson had six assists and three steals and also made the All-Tournament team.

Senior Pui Sham connected on four three-point attempts in the second half.

Sophomore forward Muffin Brassfield scored all eight of her points during the Spartans’ pivotal second-quarter run.

And that is in addition to Battle and Todd, who collectively had 24 rebounds. The Eagles, as a team, had 26.

“We have a nice mix of everything,” Gibson said. “This got our kids some confidence, as far as our younger kids, the freshman that we have that played really well … We’re pretty deep and that’s what we need.”

“I’ve still got Sam and Pui, who are seniors who I want to see do real well. It’s all about this year.”

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

West Springfield   10  16  15  19  —  60
Mills Godwin         16   2    9   20  —  47

West Springfield — Landers 4 6-6 15; Battle 6 2-8 14; Sham 4 0-0 12; Brassfield 3 0-0
8; Todd 3 1-7 7; Robinson 1 0-0 3; Gaston 0 1-2 1. Team
totals: 21 10-23 60.
Mills Godwin– Foley 8 2-2 23; Sisson 2 4-4 10; Watkins 1 2-4 4; Foster 1 1-2 3; Henshaw 1 1-4 3; Cole 1 0-2 2; Teague 1 0-0 2. Team totals: 15 10-18 47.
Three pointers — West Springfield 8 (Sham 4, Brassfield 2, Landers, Robinson); Mills Godwin 7 (Foley 5, Sisson 2).

All-Tournament Team
Sam Landers, West Springfield, Sr. (MVP)
Michelle Foley, Mills Godwin, Sr.
Jenna Marlette, Chantilly, Jr.
Lena Negri, Yorktown, So.
April Robinson, West Springfield, Fr.
Andrea Sission, Mills Godwin, Jr.

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com

Meadowbrook wants to run, run and run some more.

On Monday night, so did Hermitage.

It turned the game into a full-court, press-you-press-me race that Meadowbrook won 69-57 to take the Henrico Holiday Hoops tournament.

The more athletic Monarchs loved the break-neck style and two Monarchs excelled in different periods.

Sterling Martin took advantage in the second. He scored 15 of Meadowbrook’s 21 points on an array of moves, mostly jumpers from the much-improved shooter.

He had two of his team’s three 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 17 points.

“I had to take over,” Martin said. “I saw the score getting a little lopsided, my team was looking a little down so I had to take it into my own hands, make a few plays and do what I had to do to help my team get back in the game.”

Teammate Doug Brewer did the same thing in the fourth period. Up 42-36 going into the final eight minutes, he scored nine straight points to answer Hermitage scores, a few from freshman Micah Thomas (15 points).

Brewer, after not scoring in the first half and only hitting three points in the third, had 14 points in the deciding quarter to tie Martin for the team- and game-lead of 17 points.

“Coach [Ksaan Brown] talked about stop rushing it and go to the basket,” Brewer said. “He always talks about team work and that’s what pulled off the victory.”

The Panthers, who won the Henrico title last season, came as close as six points down the stretch but the Monarchs held them off with their relentless drives to the basket.

Take tourney MVP Andrew Simmons (10 points).

With two minutes left, he received an outlet pass and instead of pulling the ball back with his team up seven points, he drove to the basket for an old-fashioned three-point play that put Meadowbrook up 10.

“We scrimmaged them before the season started and we knew they were very athletic,” Hermitage coach Joe Coulter said. “Tonight they were just a little bit better than we were. We played great all tournament, we got two big wins.”

Hermitage snapped a four-game losing streak during the tournament and played its sixth straight game without captain and leading scorer Manny Winston. He should return in 2009 as his cracked collarbone is close to 100 percent.

The Panthers received 11 points for Herman Kinard and nine from Jermaine Walters.

But it was Meadowbrook’s night.

“I think we kind of pulled them out of their style,” said Brown, in his first year as head man at Meadowbrook. “I don’t think they wanted to play that pace, that’s our pace. I kept telling my guys if we can get them to play our pace, we should come out with the win.”

Meadowbrook 11 21 10 27 – 69
Hermitage       13   9 14 21 – 57
Meadowbrook (5-1): Martin 17, Aiken 6, Carter 0, Brewer 17, Tucker 2, Morman 2, Coble 8, Simmons 10, Daily 4, Jackson-Davis 3. Totals: 27 12-22 69. 3-point goals: Martin 2, Aiken.
Hermitage (5-5): Blount 6, Thomas 15, Cumbia 2, Walters 9, Johnson 2, Burnette 2, McLeod 3, Kinard 11, Riddick 2, Alston 5. Totals: 21 13-25 57. 3-point goals: Walters, Thomas.

All-tournament team: Andrew Simmons, Meadowbrook (MVP); Doug Brewer, Meadowbrook; Micah Thomas, Hermitage; Herman Kinard, Hermitage; Tom Hart, St. Christopher’s; Trey Davis, Henrico

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One of, if not the, most sought-after Central Region student-athletes ended his recruitment Sunday at 1 p.m.

Deep Run football star Antone Exum cast his lot with Virginia Tech. The 6-1, 205-pound safety/quarterback chose the Hokies over Penn State.

The Nittany Lions and Hokies had been all around Deep Run’s campus trying to secure Exum’s commitment, but Tech recruiting coordinator Jim Cavanaugh, head coach Frank Beamer and position opportunity won out over the Pennsylvania school.

“It’s time in my life to move on with my football career and I’m just excited to be a Hokie,” said Exum, who will focus on football but may have a shot to moonlight on the basketball team as well. “Both of the schools are very good universities and institutions and that’s why those were my final two.

“What really separated Virginia Tech was that I was more comfortable with the positions that they wanted me to play.”

Exum will get a look at quarterback, cornerback and/or safety.

With Tech only having two scholarship QBs returning in incumbent Tyrod Taylor and redshirt freshman Ju-Ju Clayton, a former Hermitage star and DigitalSports player of the year in 2007-08, Exum could come into play under center or in the Wild Turkey formation with his terrific running ability.

VT’s ridiculous history with defensive backs had to also be a big recruiting chip for Exum, who’s measureables are off the charts as a defender.

Seeing guys like former Highland Springs star Macho Harris become a national star and projected as a first-day NFL pick didn’t hurt.

“I work hard for everything that I’ve achieved and want to achieve in high school,” Exum said. “Now taking it to the next level in college, I know I’m going to have to work even harder, because I know everybody out there is trying to get that edge.”

– Stephen M. Lewis

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com

What wonders a loss can do.

After Collegiate upset John Marshall last Saturday, the defending Central Region champions refocused.

Now everyone is seeing the team it expected, as Travis McKie poured in a career-high 37 points to lead John Marshall, ranked second in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, to a 92-70 victory over No. 4 Huguenot in the John Marshall Showcase.

“We wanted to get out here and play as a family,” McKie said. “We wanted to come out here and make the people feel good.”

A standing-room only crowd raised the heat index in John Marshall’s gym, as former greats like Warren Peebles and Milton Bell of JM and Bo Jones Jr. (Huguenot assistant, girls coach) and Ted Berry watched.

But no one cared about the temperature, as the two top-notch city teams played to a standstill in the first half.

McKie dropped in 13 points in the first quarter, including three 3-pointers, as JM led 22-9 at the end of the first. That’s when Huguenot started to find its range from behind the arc.

The Falcons nailed 11 3-pointers in the contest, five in the second quarter en route to 31 points.

David Brown gave buddy and point-guard counterpart Randall Ward fits in the period, scoring 11 points, including three treys for the Falcons, who suffered their first loss.

“It was an opportunity for us and for John Marshall to play in front of
the community, relatives, loved ones,” Jones said. “Everything went
well the first half. I commend coach Frank Threatts for his leadership towards that second half.”

The much-improved Brown led Huguenot with 19 points, but was held to five in the second half, which belonged to Jayem.

The Justices went on an 11-2 bolt to start the half, paced by Maurice Johnson, who had 18 points in the game for the Justices.

Jones used two quick timeouts to try to stop JM’s run, but the Justices had found their inside-, outside- and mid-range groove.

The coup de grace came with two minutes to go in the third period. Ward directed McKie inside on a smaller defender. The 6-7 junior put on an Hakeem Olajuwon-type fake and scored as the JM faithful went nuts.

The Falcons raced the ball up the floor, but McKie detered Brown’s shot as it got back to Ward. The senior found Quantae Cooley who dropped it off to a trailing Johnson for a two-hand slam that brought the house down.

At that point it was 65-48 John Marshall.

“John Marshall shot extremely well, extremely well,” Jones said. “We were struggling to get it into the basket. This is the time where you need to bring your A-game both halves.”

Huguenot also got good efforts from Sean Brown (12 points), Jonathan Crawley (11), Trevor Williamson (11) and Corey Sheppard (eight), but was without Juan Wilson (ankle injury).

Randall Braxton put up stellar numbers for JM (14 points and 10 rebounds), while Ward contributed 12 points and eight assists to go along with Ernest Brown‘s relentless effort inside.

“The kids played well. They fooled me,” Threatts said. “They were back here laughing and joking [before the game]. I didn’t know what type of mindset they would have. But as soon as they hit the floor, they played real good ball. They played the way they are capable of playing. The way we would like to see them play all the time.”

In the first boys game, Freire Charter of Philadelphia (Pa.) topped Armstrong 72-52. Octavious Booker led Charter with 27 points, and Jabrill Trawick added 18 points.

Armstrong was paced by Xavier Gary‘s 19 points, as the Wildcats will take on Huguenot Saturday at 4 p.m., as Friere’s athletic squad matches up with John Marshall at 6.

“Calm, calm everybody down,” Threatts said. “They like to play fast, we like to play fast. Well, we’ll see who’s the fastest.”

John Marshall 22 18 27 25 – 92
Huguenot         9 31 13 17 – 70
John Marshall (8-1): Ward 12, M. Johnson 18, Cooley 8, E. Johnson 0, McKie 37, Brown 3, Braxton 14. Totals: 36 15-21 92. 3-point goals: McKie 4, Ward.
Huguenot (6-1): De. Brown 3, Da. Brown 19, Sheppard 8, S. Brown 12, Crawley 11, Crawford 3, Williams 3, Williamson 11. Totals: 28 3-6 70. 3-point goals: Da. Brown 4, Sheppard 2, Williamson 2, De. Brown, Crawford, Williams.

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The buzz about R.C. Orlan started a few years back when former Deep Run star pitcher Deck McGuire was mowing down batters. Now he’s a Georgia Tech, a rookie of the year.

Orlan is looking to follow in his footsteps as the left-handed hurler is headed to North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

“It was either between them or Eastern U,” Orlan said to DigitalSports intern Mason Bryan. “It just came down to the prestige of the school. I just really wanted to play in Omaha (Neb.) and maybe have a chance at a national title.”

The second-team all-Colonial District pick and Commonwealth games selection will look to lead the Wildcats back to the state title game as McGuire did in 2007, and he’s worked in the offseason to get to that point.

“As a pitcher, you really want to work on legs,” Orlan said. “So I’ve been going to St. Chris and coach Blanton’s real helpful. He gives me a workout and I hit the squats really hard and he works a lot of abs in there.”

– Stephen M. Lewis

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Younger brothers or sisters, or kids got nothing to do on break?

Check out the camp flyer below for more information!

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Norfolk State has combed the Central Region for one of its top inside players.

Highland Springs center Dashon Ross is headed east. At 6-3, Ross would be the tallest player on NSU’s roster right now.

This is a roster that includes former Petersburg star guard Ebony Gibbs, currently a senior.

“It feels good,” Ross said of the commitment. “I still have to bust my tail for the team. I still have to work hard as other players do.

“Just because I’ve committed to Norfolk State doesn’t mean I can’t work hard for my players.”

Radford was also in the running for Ross’ services, but Norfolk State felt like more of a fit.

“I chose Norfolk State because it was a team, a team that’s a family,” said Ross, who is averaging 10 points per game this season. “I wanted a team that would combine and be a family on the court.”

– Stephen M. Lewis

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com

Cosby coach Rachel Mead and assistant Ryan Abbott had to lock their lips and throw away the key. The information they had couldn’t get out at that moment.

“We both knew once tryouts had started,” Mead said, “that they were already better than last year.”

Cosby’s girls basketball team proved once again its the best in the Central Region, knocking off L.C. Bird 64-37 in the Times-Dispatch Invitational final Monday night at VCU’s Siegel Center.

The Titans look head, shoulders and maybe waist above the competition heading into a new year.

At 7-0, DigitalSports’ No. 1 squad has won every game by double figures, with five of the wins being by 20 or more points, including a 40-point dismantling of a good Deep Run team in the TDIT semifinals.

They beat No. 2 Thomas Dale by 18 points in the TDIT opener. The margins of victory and how dominant Cosby looks doing it has been astounding.

“Maturity, just playing together,” Mead said of the rapid improvement. “They knew where they are on the floor before the other team. It’s really come through from the get-go.”

Leading the way is a terrific junior trio of Jazmin Pitts, Becca Wann and Andrea Bertrand, a group that’s been expected to dominate since their freshman seasons. It seems like domination is here.

Bertrand registered 22 points, eighth in the fourth period, and Wann 17, including two college-length 3-pointers.

Pitts, the U.Va. commit, got in foul trouble, but still tallied 12 points. That’s 51 of Cosby’s 64.

Ellen Katzman had seven, and she’s the only senior on the team.

“Beating Dale, that was a big boost for us this weekend,” Wann said of the win that avenged Cosby’s loss to the Knights in last season’s region quarterfinals. “Once we knew we could beat that good of a team by that big of a deficit, we knew that Bird would still be tough and we’d have to come out with the same intensity that we did against Dale and that’s what we did.”

Bird, ranked third, got an excellent performance from last year’s DS player of the year Ruthanne Doherty. She scored 21 points. The next highest scorer for the Skyhawks was Barbara Sitton at four points.

Skyhawks coach Chevette Waller pulled no punches afterward.

“Right now we’re just trying to gel,” Waller said. “We have three solid players. We have to find the fourth and the fifth.

“We have no shooters right now. If Ruthy’s going to have a bad day…”

Cosby    17 14 19 14 – 64
L.C. Bird  5   6 17   9 – 37
Cosby (7-0): Bertrand 22, Wann 17, Pitts 12, Nichols 5, Kirshner 0, Christian 0, Conyers 1, Foster 0, Lennox 0, Katzman 7, Barnett 0, Horton 0, Gillespie 0. Totals: 23 14-20 64. 3-point goals: Wann 2, Katzman, Nichols.
L.C. Bird (6-2): Doherty 21, Sitton 4, Walton 2, Cruz 2, Miles 0, Robinson 2, Smith 3, Tunstall 3, Rosamont 0. Totals: 13 10-13 37. 3-point goal: Tunstall.

All-tournament team: Becca Wann, Cosby (MVP); Jazmin Pitts, Cosby; Andrea Bertrand, Cosby; Ruthanne Doherty, L.C. Bird; Richelle Price, Atlee

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by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com

Highland Springs is getting better, and better and better.

It showed Monday night in a 64-39 victory over Collegiate in the Times-Dispatch Invitational final at VCU’s Siegel Center.

The season began with a whole new group leading Highland Springs. Now at 7-1, players are starting to step to the forefront. Positions are being established.

Call Xavier Parham The General. The point guard’s confidence builds with every dribble.

He directed a beautiful first-half outing, sandwiching two 3-pointers around three pretty assists, including a ridiculous look to Natwan Young, who had a game-high 18 points.

Parham was also key to getting Collegiate’s Jake McGee cooled down.

McGee stroked two treys over Highland Springs’ zone early, before coach George Lancaster went to a diamond-and-one look to slow him down, with Parham in his jersey the rest of the night.

Then there’s The Marksman. Highland Springs usually has a bunch of these, but this season it seems Jarvis Threatt is the hired assassin from long distance.

The sophomore buried two 3-pointers, one at the end of the third and another to start the fourth that pushed the lead to 18 points. It was part of a 10-0 run that put the Cougars away.

So it looks as though the Springers, ranked fifth in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, are returning to their recent history with guys like Sage Reed, Trey Williams, Derrick Hopkins, Jeri Mask and Young able to pick up the scoring load at any moment.

But something is missing. A go-to guy.

Maybe that is Young, MVP of the TDIT. The 6-5 senior has been sensational after a tough start to the season in the Rebel Invitational.

He was the only Springer to score in double figures in each of the TDIT games, averaging 19 per start.

Defensively, rarely does he not come up with the rebound and you can’t come into the lane and toss anything up. He’ll toss it out.

“Coach just told me to put my hands up,” said Young, a matchup nightmare, “and don’t try to block it so it will draw a foul.”

He did get in a little trouble, but Highland Springs was way too tough this night to be knocked off in a similar fashion as John Marshall was by Collegiate.

All-tournament pick McGee put in 12 to lead the Cougars, while Stephen Stites added seven for a second-place Collegiate will gladly take.

“Excited for what our guys did accomplish this weekend, and disappointed in a tough loss tonight,” Collegiate coach Alex Peavey said. “John Marshall’s had a great season so far with a lot of good talent. I thought our guys showed a lot of heart and character, fight and resolve to pull away and get that win.

“Proud of them tonight as well. We didn’t come away with the win, but also not satisfied with just being in the championship. But proud of where we’re going.”

Highland Springs 20 13 11 20 – 64
Collegiate            14   8   7 10 – 39
Highland Springs (7-1): Threatt 10, Parham 8, Lewis 0, Alston 2, Hodnett 6, Young 18, Mask 0, Judon 2, T. Williams 7, Booker 0, Hopkins 2, Reed 6, S. Williams 3. Totals: 23 14-27 64. 3-point goals: Threatt 2, Parham 2.
Collegiate (4-3): Corrigan 6, T. Kelley 6, C. Kelley 0, Hungerford 3, Hawthorne 0, Wiltshire 5, Franz 0, Foley 0, Gottschalk 0, Stites 7, McGee 12, Foster 0, Agee 0. Totals: 12 11-15 39. 3-point goals: McGee 2, Hungerford, Stites.

All-tournament team: Natwan Young, Highland Springs (MVP); Trey Williams, Highland Springs; Jake McGee, Collegiate; Travis McKie, John Marshall; Antone Exum, Deep Run

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