Posted on 19 December 2008 by .
by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
Somewhere, Highland Springs‘ patented zone defense is twirling in a cold win outside Deep Run.
Coach George Lancaster scrapped the stopper he runs 99 percent of the time because Deep Run was shooting the lights out of an already dim gym, leading by 15 points midway through the first period.
Highland Springs went to a surprisingly stifling, sticky, suffocating man-to-man defense, handcuffing the Wildcats in a 72-66 comeback victory in Friday night’s Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament first round.
“Traditionally, Highland Springs runs a 2-2-1 pressure back to zone and we’ve been long and tall in that,” Lancaster said. “This year was just a pseudo defense. We start out in that and then we go man-to-man. I think we are a much better man-to-man team, and our speed showed it.”
Wide open 3-point shots for Antone Exum, Tommy Folliard and Jay Johnson – who hit two each – became extended periods in the triple-threat position, trying to figure out where to go next.
Highland Springs trailed 19-4 in the first period, only to outscore the Wildcats 62-30 before Deep Run made a run midway through the fourth period.
DR had 26 points through the first period and only 49 with 4:00 left in the contest. It was a phenomenal turnaround.
“I knew we weren’t going to continue to shoot like that,” Deep Run coach Rally Axselle said. “I knew that they would go on a run, I just hoped it wouldn’t be too big of a run.”
As good as the defensive effort was, Highland Springs, ranked fifth in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, started executing just as well offensively.
Sharp cuts and screens got jump shooters open, like Jeri Mask, who scored 14 of his career-high 20 points in the middle quarters.
Natwan Young was a load all game on the block. He had a team-high 21 points, 10 in the first quarter to keep Highland Springs from drowning.
Then Jarvis Threatt came off the pine to start putting nails in Deep Run’s coffin.
He had 13 off Highland Springs’ solid bench, including two big 3-pointers at the end of the third period to extend the Highland Springs lead to 56-43 over a shocked No. 7 Deep Run squad.
“It’s great to have a guy like Jeri Mask coming off the bench, a guy like [Derrick] “Skip” Hopkins coming off the bench, who’s a big wide body who knows how to play basketball,” Lancaster said. “Jarvis Threatt, who’s going to be a fine basketball player, 15 years old, sophomore. Any game he can give it to you.”
Down 17, Exum gave Deep Run an inspiring effort in the fourth period, coming off the bench to score eight of Deep Run’s 14 points as the Springer lead dropped to four.
The Wildcats full-court pressure caused some turnovers and the Springers faltered at the charity stripe to open the door, but the Springers did just enough to keep Deep Run at bay.
Exum led the Wildcats with a game-high 22 points, Johnson and Folliard put in 10 apiece and Michael Dosh had nine.
Deep Run will face Hopewell at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the loser’s bracket, while Highland Springs takes on Cosby at 8 p.m. in the semifinals. The Titans topped Hopewell 65-57.
All games in the TDIT are now at VCU’s Siegel Center.
H. Springs 14 21 21 16 – 72
Deep Run 26 9 8 23 – 66
Highland Springs (5-1): Threatt 13, Parham 6, Hodnett 1, Young 21, Mask 20, Williams 7, Booker 0, Hopkins 4, Reed 0. Totals: 26 16-25 72. 3-point goals: Threatt 3, Mask.
Deep Run (3-3): Simmons 2, Jackson 6, Dosh 9, Johnson 10, Clarke 1, Sudol 0, Peadon 6, Folliard 10, Exum 22, Molnar 0. Totals: 25 9-14 66. 3-point goals: Johnson 2, Folliard 2, Exum 2, Peadon.
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