Wednesday, January 29, 2014

THE WRAP: Randolph-Macon Wins At Hampden-Sydney; Showdown For First On Saturday

Hampden-Sydney hit the first basket of the game, a three-pointer 19 seconds in.

It was their only lead of the night.

Randolph-Macon matched it, took an early lead, extended it to 10 at intermission, then held off the Tigers the entire second half for a 69-60 victory, the Yellow Jackets' 10th consecutive win dating back to December 28th. Randolph-Macon is now 8-1 in the ODAC, 14-4 overall.

Coincidentally, so are the Guilford Quakers. In Greensboro tonight, Guilford held off pesky Randolph 60-58 to also improve to 8-1, 14-4. On Saturday, the Quakers come to Ashland for "Back To The Hive 2014" for the battle for first place. The Quakers gave Randolph-Macon their only league loss back on November 26th, 73-71 in overtime.

The game was the last in a early three-game losing streak for the Jackets. Since then, Randolph-Macon is 13-1, only losing to still-unbeaten Cabrini, the #2 team in America in Division III on the road.

Andre Simon paced the Jackets once again, this time with 16 points, while Connor Sullivan added 14 and Joe Hassell 13. It was the first win at Hampden-Sydney for the Jackets against their archrivals since a 70-68 victory on January 22, 2011.

Back To The Hive is a basketball doubleheader Saturday, with the Randolph-Macon women kicking off action with a big game against co-league leader Lynchburg at 2pm. The Jacket men's battle with Guilford follows at approximately 4pm.


Yellow Jacket Makes ODAC Tournament Poster....

Connor Sullivan hits the big time!

Check out this tweet from the ODAC!


Friday, January 24, 2014

THE WRAP: Randolph-Macon Women Take "Disappointing" Victory....

It's not every day the head coach of a team calls a win "disappointing".

But in analysis of her team's 96-76 win over Washington & Lee Thursday night, Randolph-Macon women's basketball coach Carroll LaHaye was blunt, but fair, in her assessment.

"We played a very boring game tonight," LaHaye said, noting the team's lack of energy, the lack of energy in the atmosphere in Crenshaw Gymnasium. But LaHaye was quick to point out the fans weren't at fault.

"We as a team need to give the fans something to get excited about," LaHaye noted. Despite the margin of victory, the mid-season win was produced by a team that looked in early season form.



But the Jackets offense was able to overcome both 35 percent shooting from the field in the second half, and a tenacious, gritty Generals squad, limited to just seven players after an early-game injury to guard Darby Lundquist. Washington & Lee, who came to Ashland just 1-5 in the ODAC and 3-10 overall, proved to be a much tougher challenge than expected.

"They were very physical, and we started out slow," said leading scorer Katie Anderson, who tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds for another double-double, her eighth of the year. The Jackets overcame the slow start with hot shooting, 54.3 percent from the field, 10-of-13 at the line, but only found themselves up seven at halftime at 50-43.

The second half was much like the first, Randolph-Macon ahead much of play by 9 to 15 points, but the game never felt like one where the Jackets were in as much control as the scoreboard suggested. Missing point guard Khajae Hester to injury, the Jackets never seemed to find the rotation that provided the runaway spark seen by them so many times in earlier games this season.

LaHaye reports Hester is in rehab and hopes to be back soon.



Lauren Vugteveen had a strong performance, adding 17 points, many down low, while Lindsey Sharman added 15 and Sarah Parsons 12. Taylor Huber was ice cold, shooting 2-of-15 from the floor, scoring six of her ten points from the free throw line.

Randolph-Macon will need to find that rotation, and soon, as February looms. Up next is a trip to Roanoke to battle a Maroons squad in the middle of the ODAC standings, just a game behind R-MC, that the Jackets defeated 105-81 just before Thanksgiving.

Randolph-Macon stands at 5-2 in ODAC play, in a three-way tie for third with Guilford and Virginia Wesleyan. Eastern Mennonite and Lynchburg are tied for first at 6-1. Below is the rest of the regular season schedule:

Saturday 1/25: at Roanoke
Tuesday 1/28: at Eastern Mennonite
Saturday 2/1: vs. Lynchburg
Wednesday 2/4: vs. Virginia Wesleyan
Saturday 2/8: at Hollins
Wednesday 2/11: at Shenandoah
Saturday 2/15: vs. Guilford
Wednesday 2/19: at Washington & Lee
Saturday 2/22: vs. Emory & Henry (Senior Day)

The next four games will go a very long way to determining if Randolph-Macon grabs a bye in the first round of the ODAC Tournament, or if they'll have to battle in a play-in game on Monday February 24th.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

THE WRAP: Jackets Win 8th Straight, Pulling Away from Marlins.....

For the first five minutes, the 16th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan Marlins looked quicker, stronger, better than the homestanding Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets.

Then the Jackets took a breath, stepped back, reassessed, and went on the attack.

Fueled by an aggressive Akeem Holmes, Randolph-Macon erased a five-point Marlins lead with a 13-4 run just past the halfway point of the first half and never looked back, pulling away in the second half for an impressive 78-62 win in ODAC play Wednesday night at Crenshaw Gymnasium.

"When they had the stretch where they took a seven-point lead, we knew we had to calm down and not lose our heads," Holmes said on the court after the contest. "We needed to take it slow, pass the ball, reverse it, and work our way back into it."

That they did, with Holmes leading the way. The King William native kept the Jackets within striking distance as the team figured out how to answer the Marlins, then Connor Sullivan took over. Sullivan hit a basket, then a three-pointer after a Marlins timeout, stole the ball, drew a foul and hit two free throws to give Randolph-Macon the 23-22 edge at 7:52 left before intermission. By halftime, the seven-point hole was a seven-point advantage at 38-31.




The Jackets flew out of the starting blocks in the second half, scoring five points in the first 90 seconds, holding Virginia Wesleyan to two points in the first five minutes. Andre Simon, who the Yellow Jackets with 23 points, forced two three-point plays, hitting one of two free throws for a five-point stretch to make it a 20-point Randolph-Macon lead at 53-33. The Marlins never threatened again.

"We didn't have a ton of adjustments to make at halftime," Randolph-Macon head coach Nathan Davis said. "There were little things we've been working on that we had to reinforce. They (Virginia Wesleyan) were 5-for-8 to start the game, but Joe (Hassell) turned around and got a deflection. They tried to go to D.J. Woodmore and we were to make him step back and he couldn't get a shot off."

It was that kind of disruption that kept the Marlins (5-2 ODAC, 12-4 overall) off-kilter for the rest of the game. Even when they added a full-court press to their repertoire midway through the second half, the Jackets broke it with ease, helping Randolph-Macon get easy baskets down low, an aid to their 54 percent shooting performance for the game. The Marlins shot 36 percent.

Davis is not worried about a letdown when the Jackets battle Roanoke (1-6, 7-8) in the Star City on Saturday afternoon.

"It comes back to maturity on our guys. Roanoke is a bit down the past few weeks in a stretch we started when we got after them," Davis explained. "Their coach is really good, he'll have them ready to go. Our guys have been around enough to know if we're not ready to fire around and make plays and defend, then we'll be in trouble."

Game time Saturday is 3:30 after the Maroons and Jackets women's game at 1pm.

Friday, January 17, 2014

RIVALRY NIGHT: Lee-Davis, Atlee Split Hoops Doubleheader....

What a Friday night at Lee-Davis High School!  The inaugural class of the new Lee-Davis Athletic Hall of Fame is inducted, the DECA Club continued its year-long efforts for the American Cancer Society, and the Confederates and Raiders battled on the basketball court as the 25th anniversary of their storied Eastern Hanover rivalry is just around the corner.

The main event, the boys basketball game, did not disappoint, providing a furious final minute.

Atlee, desperate to end a 10-game losing streak, took the early lead, extending it to 15-10 after a quarter when R.J. Jenkins nailed a 55-foot shot at the buzzer. Lee-Davis answered with a 7-0 run in the early minutes of the second to tie the game at 17. The Raiders defense stiffened, allowing Brian Miller to spur a run giving Atlee a 29-21 halftime lead. Miller scored 13 of his game-high 19 points in the first half.

The Raiders showed no signs of giving in over the third quarter, building the lead as high as ten. But the Confederates began to turn the tide in the quarter's final minutes, knocking the Raiders lead down to two at 36-34 with a quarter to go.

It was Lee-Davis' tenacious defense that led the way, holding Atlee to six fourth quarter points. The Confederate offense struggled itself, but found a way to take the lead at 43-42 with 1:46 to go, Lee-Davis opting to take precious time off the clock when on offense.

Miller took matters into his own hands, driving to draw a foul and get to the line to try to give the Raiders the lead again. But the usually reliable Miller missed a pair as "The Asylum" stomped their feet in fury in the home bleachers. Atlee, though, got the offensive board and called timeout with 28 seconds left to draw up what they hoped would be the winning play.

The Raiders wanted to work inside, but couldn't. Triple teaming down low by the Confederates forced Atlee to call time again to talk it over with 09.1 left. Jarris Hendricks got the look from three to win, but missed. A battle for the ball found it going out of bounds, back to Atlee again, but with just a tenth of a second left.

Atlee only had a chance at a miracle tip-in. They passed the ball in front of the basket, but Tariq Caldwell swatted the ball down to end it, a 43-42 Confederate victory.

Lee-Davis moves to 4-8 with the important win that head coach Rob Rice says should propel his club for the remainder of the season. Atlee left at 2-11, with possibly its most heartbreaking loss so far in a season that began with huge promise, but has slowly turned into a nightmare.





OTHER ACTION: Cierra Shelton scored 21 points, Ashley Weaver added 19, and Atlee girls basketball improved to 8-4 with an impressive 59-35 win over Lee-Davis, whose two-game winning streak was snapped.

Patrick Henry's girls team avenged an ugly 38-37 loss to Hermitage in the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament 3rd Place Game last month by knocking off the Panthers in Ashland tonight, 60-53 to improve to 10-2 on the season.

Congratulations to the Hanover boys squad, who led throughout but held off a late fourth quarter Varina charge to pick up the win, 68-65 tonight in the Bird Cage, improving the record to 10-5 overall.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

GYMNASTICS: Annual County Meet Thursday Night!

It's time for the annual gymnastics meet pitting all four county schools!

The 2014 edition will take place at Hanover High School. We'll see the likes of Jordan Lipinski and Becca Fields of Lee-Davis, Derika Banks of Atlee, Kristen Valasek and Keion Greenhow of Patrick Henry and Leah Kemler of the host Hawks.

The meet begins at 7pm, follow us on Twitter for updates as the evening progresses!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Lee-Davis DECA Fights Cancer At Rivalry Basketball Doubleheader!!

            The Lee Davis DECA chapter has partnered with the American Cancer Society (ACS) in a “Crusade Against Cancer”.  The biggest rivalry game of the year between long-time competitors, the Atlee Raiders and the Lee Davis Confederates will be the culmination of months of activities at both schools to raise awareness and money for The American Cancer Society.  The two schools came head to head in early November in football for the first battle in the Crusade Against Cancer.  The basketball doubleheader will be held at Lee Davis High School at 7052 Mechanicsville Turnpike on Friday January 17th.  Fans of Lee Davis are asked to participate in the second White Out athletic event of the year by attending the game dressed in white.  If fans would like to support the ACS at this game, a donation box will be available on site. 
Lee-Davis DECA has organized a number of activities leading up to the basketball rivalry game.  In the weeks prior to the game, the students and staff of Lee Davis participated in a gift card drive to support young cancer patients.  LD DECA is also selling “White Out to Wipe Out Cancer” t-shirts that can be purchased from any DECA member or at the school store during lunches.  Lee Davis will be participating in a spirit week leading up to the game and will be seeing a return of the Penny Wars coin canisters throughout the school. 
THIS FRIDAY, students at Lee-Davis will be “whiting out” for the game.  Students, staff and community at Lee-Davis will have the opportunity to purchase a “White Out to Wipe Out Cancer” t-shirt that was designed by the Advanced Marketing class.  T-shirts will sell for $10.00 and all proceeds are being donated to the ACS.  Several local businesses helped with the cost of these shirts as business sponsors – N&J Sales & Service, Norvell Signs, Hanover Career Student Resource, Inc., HomeTown Realty (Cindy Overton), Mr. & Mrs. John Wash, Sr., and Italian Kitchen.
This event is part LD DECA’s year long “Crusade Against Cancer”.  Lee Davis clubs and athletic teams are getting behind DECA’s effort for the ACS.  One of the first groups to get involved has been the LD athletics.  The Lee Davis sports teams have stepped up to the plate, each raising awareness for a specific type of cancer. The Lee Davis Boys Varsity Volleyball team held an awareness game for thyroid cancer, the Varsity Field Hockey team hosted an awareness game for brain cancer, and the Girls Varsity Volleyball team held an event for breast cancer awareness. 
Winter teams begin their efforts with the Boys & Girls Varsity Basketball game on Jan. 17th.  According to LD DECA Advisor, Donna Roush, “...the goal for our Crusade Against Cancer was to find a cause that would unify our student organizations in an effort to educate as well as raise awareness and money for a cause everyone has been affected by in some way.”  A “Wall of Honor” has been planned for the main hallway to give students and faculty a chance to post pictures of loved ones affected by cancer.  Kensley Watkins, LD DECA Co-President explains that photos can be placed in three categories:  In Memory of, Undergoing Treatment, or Survivors.  Space on the Wall of Honor can be purchased for $5.00 and $10.00 with 100% of the money going directly to the ACS.  Any community member may purchase space on the Wall in order to honor their loved ones fighting cancer.  “The most exciting part of this effort for the American Cancer Society is that the students put together their plans over the summer and have really worked hard with a great deal of commitment to make this all happen," Roush said.

Hawks Take 5th Straight in 2nd OT Win over Jaguars....

They've seen this script before.

The Hanover Hawks have played the Glen Allen Jaguars three times already this season, Monday night's affair at Hanover being the first regularly-scheduled game.

December 7th, at Glen Allen, the Hawks and Jags met for the Conference 20 Preseason Tournament title, with Hanover winning in overtime. Three weeks later at Henrico High School, the Jaguars survived battle #2 over the Hawks in the consolation semis of the Henrico Holiday Hoops Tournament.

In Round 3, the Jaguars held the lead most of the first half, watched Hanover stay close, then take the lead into the fourth quarter, 50-49, setting the stage for yet another frantic finish.

Grayson Midulla led Glen Allen with 25 points but struggled mightily at the free throw line in the second half, much to the delight of Hanover. Cutch Ellis had 12 first half points but was cooled off a bit in the second and spent time on the bench in foul trouble. Jalen Elliott scored all of two points in the first 30 minutes.

It was up to Jordan Wade to keep the Hawks alive, Many of his 17 points came after intermission, yet Glen Allen found a way to up the lead to six at 60-54, with possession of the ball with 1:50 to go. The Jags committed a costly turnover, and Elliott went to work.

Jalen had a personal 5-0 run to help the Hawks erase the lead. a Cutch Ellis lay-in gave Hanover the 62-60 lead with 10 seconds to go. Glen Allen broke the press, got the ball to Midulla, who raced to the basket with four fouls to make the tying basket with two seconds to go. Elliott launched an 80-footer which hit the front rim and backboard before falling away. Overtime again for the Hawks and Jaguars...

This time Hanover took the six point lead, but first they saw their nemesis, Midulla commit his fifth personal foul and exit the game with under three minutes left in the extra session. The Hawks, with a 68-64 advantage, milked over a minute off the clock, then extended the lead to six. That lead held with 28 seconds to go, but an Ellis lay-in to seal the win rimmed out, the Jaguars advanced the ball, and Tre'shawn Blackston knocked home a trey from the baseline to cut the lead to 70-67 with 14 seconds left.

Glen Allen drew up their defensive scheme in a timeout, and it worked. Hanover turned the ball over with 10.9 to go. The Jaguars had a prayer.

But the prayer was never asked, much less answered, as freshman Jason Wade stole the ball from Glen Allen, ran the clock down to 1.2 seconds left, then hit two free throws for the margin of victory.

The 9-4 Hawks get no break, as the Highland Springs Springers come to the Bird Cage for a 7:30 matchup Tuesday night.

**********************************

In girls action, Hanover fell to 5-8 with a 72-37 loss to Glen Allen at home. Nikki Petzer led the Hawks with 11 points.  Meanwhile, Lee-Davis picked up a big road victory, defeating Dinwiddie 46-42. The 3-8 Confederates were led by Imani Boothe with 17 points, while Olivia Tuck added 13.

Monday, January 13, 2014

LISTEN LIVE: Glen Allen at Hanover Doubleheader TONIGHT!

Click on the Mixlr Player at the top of the page to listen LIVE tonight as the Glen Allen Jaguars come to the Bird Cage to take on the Hanover Hawks!

Girls basketball begins at 6pm, followed by the third matchup of the season between the boys' squads around 7:30pm. The teams have split the first two meetings.

To listen to the game on smartphones, tablets, or on Kindle Fire, just bookmark this link: http://mixlr.com/hcs-media-network

Coverage begins at 5:45pm exclusively on HCS Media Network, The RVA Home For High School Sports!

Saturday, January 11, 2014

SNAPSHOTS: Patrick Henry, Atlee at Deep Run Wrestling Duals....

The action began Friday, continues today for the Patriots and Raiders.  Photos courtesy of @glib49!!





Wednesday, January 08, 2014

FIRST ON TWITTER FROM HCS: Patrick Henry Seeks New Football Coach...

The Jonathan Clark experiment only lasted one season.

HCS Media confirmed late this afternoon, and broke the news on Twitter around 4pm ET, the Patrick Henry is in search of a new head football coach. Hanover County Public Schools posted a vacancy in its employment section of its website looking for a coach for the Patriots.

Clark was not retained after a tough season which saw the Patriots lose their first six straight games before pulling out a late win at Homecoming over Thomas Jefferson, then win the following Saturday at John Marshall before losing to Deep Run and Douglas Freeman to conclude the campaign at 2-8.

There were highs (the two wins), positive points (individual player development, playing teams such as Godwin and Freeman close), heartbreaking times (the fumble at the end of the Deep Run game, letting Atlee score in the final five seconds of the first half to break a scoreless tie and give the Raiders the 2nd half momentum to cruise to victory), and very low points (not scoring until week 3, being dismantled by J.R. Tucker).

In the end, Patriot leaders have determined that, in their quest to return the program to its glory years from 1982 to 2008 under Ray Long, a different person should be at the helm. The vacancy is being advertised through January 31st.

After the season ended November 8th, we, as well as many fans, wondered if Clark had earned a chance to have a second season. The question has now been answered.

Patrick Henry joins Glen Allen and Huguenot as schools in the "Central Region" looking for new head varsity football coaches for 2014.

Monday, January 06, 2014

WELCOME BACK!

A few weekend tidbits while you may have been traveling or taking down the tree:

1) Lee-Davis knocked off Colonial Heights 74-71 in overtime to win the consolation game of their Southerner Classic. J.R. Tucker defeated Banner Christian 78-73 to take the title. Tariq Caldwell represented the Confederates on the All-Tournament team, and was joined by:

MVP: Zach Grant, Banner Christian (69 points in 2 games, 13 three-pointers during span)
Jesse Sturgis, Banner Christian
Paul Flowers, J.R. Tucker
Chase McPherson, J.R. Tucker
Jacob Ezell, Colonial Heights

2) Atlee Swimming went 3-1 in team competition Saturday; the boys defeating Thomas Jefferson (Alexandria) 145-141 while falling to Princess Anne 154.5-131.5. The Atlee girls swept their opponents, winning 175-104 over TJ and 161-125 over Princess Anne.  Check our Twitter timeline for highlighted performances from Saturday's meet.

3) Atlee Wrestling began participating in Conference 11 Duals over the weekend, going 3-1 in action held on the home mat Saturday.

The Raiders fell to Mills Godwin 57-18, but defeated Deep Run 68-9, Douglas Freeman 50-26 and Hermitage 41-36. The Raiders are 3-1 in Conference 11, and 6-4 overall.

The Hanover Wrestling team placed sixth in the annual Hawk duals over the weekend. They lost in the fifth place match to Woodberry Forest 45-22. Benedictine won the title overall, beating Princess Anne for the crown 37-32.

4) We return to Live Tweet coverage Tuesday evening for the Lee-Davis/Hanover girls/boys basketball doubleheader in the Bird Cage, first game tips at 6pm!

HCS Media Network's LIVE and exclusive online radio coverage of high school sports returns to Hanover County next Tuesday, January 14th when we'll broadcast the girls/boys hoops doubleheader featuring Mills Godwin coming to Ashland to battle Patrick Henry.  Coverage begins at 5:45pm and can be heard on the Mixlr Player at the top of the page at HanoverCountySports.net!

Saturday, January 04, 2014

SNAPSHOTS: Lee-Davis in Southerner Classic

The Confederates were led by Tariq Caldwell's 21 points and 12 rebounds, fell behind early, forced a second half tie, but couldn't get over the hump, falling 72-67 to Banner Christian Friday night.

Lee-Davis (2-5) plays in the 5:30 consolation game versus Colonial Heights, 58-34 losers to J.R. Tucker, who face BC in the championship game at 7pm.



Friday, January 03, 2014

Lee-Davis Southerner Classic Underway Tonight!!

The annual boys basketball tournament takes place in early January this season, as J.R. Tucker battles Colonial Heights at 5:30 and host Lee-Davis plays Banner Christian at 7pm. Winners face off in the championship game Saturday night, 7pm. We will LIVE TWEET both first round games tonight and the title tilt Saturday on @hanoversports!  Better yet, come to Lee-Davis and join us for the first hoop action of 2014!

HCS Media Debuts Web Home For Atlantic 10 Women's Hoops!

HCS Media is proud to be the only #RVA media outlet to provide you a live web page dedicated solely to the 13 teams of Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball!  Stay with HCS to be your source for all things A-10 Hoops as the league prepares to host its postseason conference tournament for the first time ever at the Richmond Coliseum on March 5th through 9th.

DAILY, we will update scores, standings, stats, highlights, give links to interviews and features and much, much more. Get to know ALL 13 teams, including the two home teams, the "Fury" of VCU basketball, current owners of the best record in the conference (13-1), the Lady Spiders of Richmond, and more!

We'll always have a link to the page to the right on our web site, but the official address if you'd like to book mark it for future use is:

http://a10rva.blogspot.com

HCS Media: Your New Media Source For All Things Sports, Family, and Life in the RVA!!