Randolph-Macon jumped on their arch rivals, Hampden-Sydney, in their baseball game Wednesday at Hugh Stephens Field, scoring 3 runs in the first and 3 more in the second. They were ahead 13-5 going into the 9th inning....
...but the Tigers weren't done. A surge rally in the 9th fell two runs short as the Jackets survived 13-11 to go to 3-2 in ODAC play, 7-6 overall. Atlee graduate, freshman Mitch Keeler had a career game, hitting for the cycle and driving in six of Macon's 13 runs.
Minutes after the win, attention turned to Day Field where the men's lacrosse team faced off against Ferrum, capturing a 17-13 win in their final pre-ODAC tuneup. Randolph-Macon improved to 4-4 with the win, and start conference play Saturday at Washington & Lee at 1pm.
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In the first game in the history of Lee-Davis girls lacrosse, the Confederates fell hard at Deep Run, 19-0. It was 14-0 at halftime, but head coach Catherine Ostoich kept the girls positive and confident, and it paid off in better defensive play in the second half.
"Defense has to be our foundation," Ostoich said after the game. "While it would be great to be on the attack, first you have to have the ball."
Goalkeeper Harper Matthews, one of six players on the roster with lacrosse experience, was peppered all game by the Wildcats' offense. Though it was a hard first outing, it was a solid foundation game for the Confederates, and this day will be looked back upon years from now as the launching point of a successful program...
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OTHER SCORES:
SOFTBALL: Atlee 9, Clover Hill 2 (Atlee now 1-0; Holte with the complete game victory, Annamarie Warley had 2 hits and Cameron Hall slammed a home run...)
BASEBALL: Atlee 10, Clover Hill 6
Patrick Henry 15, Thomas Jefferson 1 (5 innings)
Atlee will be 1-0 when they come to PH Friday at 6pm. The Patriots first host Maggie Walker Governors School Thursday evening.
BOYS SOCCER: Atlee 2, Henrico 2 (Raiders begin the season with a draw, now 0-0-1, will play at Patrick Henry Friday at 7:30...)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The List of Tuesday's Rescheduled Events!
BASEBALL: Atlee at Clover Hill will be played Wednesday at 5pm.
Patrick Henry at Thomas Jefferson will be played Wednesday at 4:30pm.
SOFTBALL: Atlee at Clover Hill will be played Wednesday at 5pm.
BOYS SOCCER: Atlee at Clover Hill will be played on April 18th at 7pm.
Patrick Henry at Thomas Jefferson will be played Wednesday at 4:30pm.
GIRLS SOCCER: Clover Hill at Atlee will be played on April 18th at 7pm.
J.R. Tucker at Lee-Davis will be played Friday at 7pm.
LACROSSE: Girls scrimmage between Atlee and Hermitage is cancelled.
Boys match vs. Benedictine will be rescheduled, no date yet.
GIRLS TENNIS: Clover Hill at Lee-Davis will be played Wednesday at 4:30.
Patrick Henry at Douglas Freeman will be played Wednesday at 4:30.
Patrick Henry at Thomas Jefferson will be played Wednesday at 4:30pm.
SOFTBALL: Atlee at Clover Hill will be played Wednesday at 5pm.
BOYS SOCCER: Atlee at Clover Hill will be played on April 18th at 7pm.
Patrick Henry at Thomas Jefferson will be played Wednesday at 4:30pm.
GIRLS SOCCER: Clover Hill at Atlee will be played on April 18th at 7pm.
J.R. Tucker at Lee-Davis will be played Friday at 7pm.
LACROSSE: Girls scrimmage between Atlee and Hermitage is cancelled.
Boys match vs. Benedictine will be rescheduled, no date yet.
GIRLS TENNIS: Clover Hill at Lee-Davis will be played Wednesday at 4:30.
Patrick Henry at Douglas Freeman will be played Wednesday at 4:30.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
SATURDAY ROUNDUP: Jackets To Sweet Sixteen; PH Grad With Walk-Off Homer!
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Randolph-Macon made their second trip north in eight days to play WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Neither snow nor rain nor long bus rides would deter Coach Nathan Davis and his team's appointment with the Sweet Sixteen.
Joe Hassell had a huge night, pouring in 18 points to lead the Jackets past the Engineers 79-68, handing WPI only their 3rd loss of the year. Double figures also were found by Lamar Giggetts and Connor Sullivan, as well as Marcus Badger.
The Jackets led most of the way, though they could never pull away. Several WPI runs, especially in the second half, kept the Engineers within striking distance, at one point missing a chance to cut the Macon lead to just three.
When forced to foul the Jackets late to extend the game, Randolph-Macon converted. This combined with a total reliance by WPI's offense on three-point shots in the final minutes, not making many of them, sealed the win for the Jackets (21-9).
Sunday it will be announced the day and time of the Randolph-Macon Sweet Sixteen Matchup against #2 ranked Amherst College, likely to be held at Amherst, Massachusetts. This means in the span of two calendar weeks, the Jackets will have traveled by bus to and from the Bronx, NY, Worcester, Mass fighting a snowstorm, and now to Amherst, a town nestled more in northwestern Massachusetts and better known for being the home of the University of Massachusetts.
LeFrak Gymnasium, on the Amherst College campus, seats about 2,450 and, as the crow flies, is only a mile or two from the UMass football stadium.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL: PH grad Katie Woody was the hero in the first of two games today as she slammed a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to lead Randolph-Macon to a comeback 4-3 win over Wilkes University. The teams entered extra innings tied at 2-2 with Wilkes scoring one in their half of the frame before Woody's heroics at the SeaGull Classic in Salisbury, Maryland.
In the nightcap against Alleghany College, PH grad Madison Gilman started the offense with an RBI groundout to score Christa Simon. The Jackets added another in that first inning, one more in the second, then broke the game open with four runs in the fourth as "Scoop" Simon ripped a two-run single with the bases loaded to plate two, then pitcher Heather Lewis laced a double scoring two more.
The 9-1 win puts Randolph-Macon at 8-2 on the 2013 season. Lewis, the senior leader from Deep Run High School, pitched both games, extending her record to 6-1.
Next the Jackets make-up what would have been their season opening doubleheader with Averett, originally scheduled for February 22nd. First pitch for game one of the twinbill in Ashland is set for Thursday at 2:30pm.
HIGH SCHOOL: All four county baseball teams were in scrimmage action today as Atlee bested Meadowbrook, Patrick Henry defeated Monacan, Lee-Davis defeated Midlothian and Hanover was victorious over Marple Newtown High School from Pennsylvania.
In softball action, Dinwiddie defeated Lee-Davis. The Patrick Henry softball team spent the morning working feverishly to get their field in regular season shape. They will get to make up one scrimmage postponed due to weather when they play Caroline in Ashland Monday at 5pm. The 2012 State Runner-Up, led by new head coach Shelby Webb, will open the 2013 season with back-to-back home games, Thursday at 6pm in the Colonial District against Maggie Walker Governors School, then Friday at 6pm in a county rival game with Atlee!
Joe Hassell had a huge night, pouring in 18 points to lead the Jackets past the Engineers 79-68, handing WPI only their 3rd loss of the year. Double figures also were found by Lamar Giggetts and Connor Sullivan, as well as Marcus Badger.
The Jackets led most of the way, though they could never pull away. Several WPI runs, especially in the second half, kept the Engineers within striking distance, at one point missing a chance to cut the Macon lead to just three.
When forced to foul the Jackets late to extend the game, Randolph-Macon converted. This combined with a total reliance by WPI's offense on three-point shots in the final minutes, not making many of them, sealed the win for the Jackets (21-9).
Sunday it will be announced the day and time of the Randolph-Macon Sweet Sixteen Matchup against #2 ranked Amherst College, likely to be held at Amherst, Massachusetts. This means in the span of two calendar weeks, the Jackets will have traveled by bus to and from the Bronx, NY, Worcester, Mass fighting a snowstorm, and now to Amherst, a town nestled more in northwestern Massachusetts and better known for being the home of the University of Massachusetts.
LeFrak Gymnasium, on the Amherst College campus, seats about 2,450 and, as the crow flies, is only a mile or two from the UMass football stadium.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL: PH grad Katie Woody was the hero in the first of two games today as she slammed a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to lead Randolph-Macon to a comeback 4-3 win over Wilkes University. The teams entered extra innings tied at 2-2 with Wilkes scoring one in their half of the frame before Woody's heroics at the SeaGull Classic in Salisbury, Maryland.
In the nightcap against Alleghany College, PH grad Madison Gilman started the offense with an RBI groundout to score Christa Simon. The Jackets added another in that first inning, one more in the second, then broke the game open with four runs in the fourth as "Scoop" Simon ripped a two-run single with the bases loaded to plate two, then pitcher Heather Lewis laced a double scoring two more.
The 9-1 win puts Randolph-Macon at 8-2 on the 2013 season. Lewis, the senior leader from Deep Run High School, pitched both games, extending her record to 6-1.
Next the Jackets make-up what would have been their season opening doubleheader with Averett, originally scheduled for February 22nd. First pitch for game one of the twinbill in Ashland is set for Thursday at 2:30pm.
HIGH SCHOOL: All four county baseball teams were in scrimmage action today as Atlee bested Meadowbrook, Patrick Henry defeated Monacan, Lee-Davis defeated Midlothian and Hanover was victorious over Marple Newtown High School from Pennsylvania.
In softball action, Dinwiddie defeated Lee-Davis. The Patrick Henry softball team spent the morning working feverishly to get their field in regular season shape. They will get to make up one scrimmage postponed due to weather when they play Caroline in Ashland Monday at 5pm. The 2012 State Runner-Up, led by new head coach Shelby Webb, will open the 2013 season with back-to-back home games, Thursday at 6pm in the Colonial District against Maggie Walker Governors School, then Friday at 6pm in a county rival game with Atlee!
Thursday, March 07, 2013
2013 High School Baseball and Softball Previews!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
UPDATE: Scrimmage Postponed....
Today's Cosby/Patrick Henry softball scrimmage has been postponed until March 8th.....
State Title "Rematch" in Scrimmage Wednesday...
It won't come close to approaching the importance of their last meeting, but.....
Cosby visits Patrick Henry Wednesday for the Patriots' first scrimmage of the 2013 softball season, and scrimmage debut of new head coach Shelby Webb. The biggest question will be who will take the mound and attempt to replace Emma Mitchell, the 2012 Group AAA Player of the Year, now at UVA.
Cosby lost players to graduation, too, but returns ace Chelsea Whitcomb, who is only a junior but has already verbally committed to Virginia Tech.
Game starts at 5pm and we will live tweet!
Cosby visits Patrick Henry Wednesday for the Patriots' first scrimmage of the 2013 softball season, and scrimmage debut of new head coach Shelby Webb. The biggest question will be who will take the mound and attempt to replace Emma Mitchell, the 2012 Group AAA Player of the Year, now at UVA.
Cosby lost players to graduation, too, but returns ace Chelsea Whitcomb, who is only a junior but has already verbally committed to Virginia Tech.
Game starts at 5pm and we will live tweet!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
ODAC TOURNAMENT: Jackets Come Back!
Down 13 in the first half, 6 at halftime, 15 during the second half, Randolph-Macon went to a tried and true formula to claw their way back into contention in Salem Friday night in their ODAC Tournament Quarterfinal against Guilford.
Playing a relentless defense which kept Guilford from making a field goal in the game's final 13 minutes, the Jackets pulled off the comeback victory over the Quakers, 57-56, to advance to the semis.
Connor Sullivan led the Jackets with 12 points, followed by Andre Simon with 11, but it was Marcus Badger who had the shot of the game, hitting a jumper with 35 seconds left to give Randolph-Macon their first and only lead of the night.
Badger then turned on the defense, blocking a three-point attempt by Guilford's Josh Pittman to help preserve the win.
Randolph-Macon, now 17-9, face their arch-rival, and this season's nemesis, Hampden-Sydney, in Saturday night's 8pm semifinal. The Tigers defeated the Jackets twice in the regular season, 70-60 in Farmville January 16th and 66-47 in Ashland on February 6th.
We will LIVE TWEET updates Saturday night after 8pm, so follow us! @hanoversports
Playing a relentless defense which kept Guilford from making a field goal in the game's final 13 minutes, the Jackets pulled off the comeback victory over the Quakers, 57-56, to advance to the semis.
Connor Sullivan led the Jackets with 12 points, followed by Andre Simon with 11, but it was Marcus Badger who had the shot of the game, hitting a jumper with 35 seconds left to give Randolph-Macon their first and only lead of the night.
Badger then turned on the defense, blocking a three-point attempt by Guilford's Josh Pittman to help preserve the win.
Randolph-Macon, now 17-9, face their arch-rival, and this season's nemesis, Hampden-Sydney, in Saturday night's 8pm semifinal. The Tigers defeated the Jackets twice in the regular season, 70-60 in Farmville January 16th and 66-47 in Ashland on February 6th.
We will LIVE TWEET updates Saturday night after 8pm, so follow us! @hanoversports
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
PH girls see season end again at hands of Cosby...
Cosby, for the second straight year, brought the Patrick Henry girls basketball team's season to a very sudden halt.
Using height in the paint and utilizing relentless half-court defensive pressure, the Patriots could never find an offensive rhythm, while Cosby scored transition buckets off turnovers, building a 22-point lead by halftime en route to an easy 68-31 win.
The Titans, ahead 13-6 after one, pushed on the accelerator on both ends of the floor, going deep into their bench to keep fresh legs attacking the Patriot offense. A pivotal 14-2 run, helped in part by Cosby drawing free throws on almost every Patriot foul in the half, gave the Titans (26-1) breathing room.
Cosby kept it up after intermission, leading 51-28 after three, as only Summer Price, Amber Lee, and Rachel Adams had scored for the Patriots. Jasmine Pinder scored her only two points of this, her final PH game, at the free throw line in the fourth quarter, the game's outcome long decided.
Price led the Patriots with 14 points, and Lee added 11.
The Patriots finish the season with a 21-6 record and only lose the Pinder twins, Jasmine and Tyler, to graduation. Summer Price, the Colonial District Player of the Year and a first-team All-Central Region selection, will return a core that includes Amber Lee, Ashley Samuels, Rachel Adams, India Coles, and Chantell Gordon.
And, with a core group of developing players ready to come up from JV to contribute, and it looks promising that success will continue for the Patriot girls in the new "Conference 16" in the "5A North" Classification.
Now, relive the Mills Godwin Miracle with interviews from Summer Price and head coach Phillip Cobb!
Using height in the paint and utilizing relentless half-court defensive pressure, the Patriots could never find an offensive rhythm, while Cosby scored transition buckets off turnovers, building a 22-point lead by halftime en route to an easy 68-31 win.
The Titans, ahead 13-6 after one, pushed on the accelerator on both ends of the floor, going deep into their bench to keep fresh legs attacking the Patriot offense. A pivotal 14-2 run, helped in part by Cosby drawing free throws on almost every Patriot foul in the half, gave the Titans (26-1) breathing room.
Cosby kept it up after intermission, leading 51-28 after three, as only Summer Price, Amber Lee, and Rachel Adams had scored for the Patriots. Jasmine Pinder scored her only two points of this, her final PH game, at the free throw line in the fourth quarter, the game's outcome long decided.
Price led the Patriots with 14 points, and Lee added 11.
The Patriots finish the season with a 21-6 record and only lose the Pinder twins, Jasmine and Tyler, to graduation. Summer Price, the Colonial District Player of the Year and a first-team All-Central Region selection, will return a core that includes Amber Lee, Ashley Samuels, Rachel Adams, India Coles, and Chantell Gordon.
And, with a core group of developing players ready to come up from JV to contribute, and it looks promising that success will continue for the Patriot girls in the new "Conference 16" in the "5A North" Classification.
Now, relive the Mills Godwin Miracle with interviews from Summer Price and head coach Phillip Cobb!
Monday, February 18, 2013
County Teams 2-2 in Postseason Games Monday....
Sarah Parsons poured in 27 points while Patrick Henry grad freshman Katie Anderson added 18 as Randolph-Macon upset Roanoke on the road Monday night 72-64 to advance to the quarterfinals of the ODAC Women's Basketball Tournament.
Hannah Livermon had 8 points, Lauren Vugteveen had 7, while the fourth freshman, Khajae Hester went four-for-four in a critical late-game stretch to hold off and eliminate the Maroons.
Randolph-Macon improves to 6-20 and next plays Guilford on Thursday at 6pm at Salem Civic Center. The Jackets lost at Guilford in their lone meeting of the season, 69-57.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Summer Price led the way with 25 points as Patrick Henry held off a fourth quarter Petersburg surge to eliminate the Lady Waves from the Central Region Tournament, 47-39 in Ashland. The Patriots, now 21-5, must next face the team that ended their season a year ago, the Cosby Titans, on the road Tuesday night in Chesterfield.
Cosby opened their tournament by disposing of Atlee, 91-34. The Raiders' season ended tonight, but not before earning seven district wins, an 11-11 record, and seeing Stephanie Staples reach the 1,000 point mark for her Raider career!
The lone county boys team in the Central Region Tourney, the Hanover Hawks, fell on the road to L.C. Bird 95-65, eliminating the Hawks and concluding their season.
Hannah Livermon had 8 points, Lauren Vugteveen had 7, while the fourth freshman, Khajae Hester went four-for-four in a critical late-game stretch to hold off and eliminate the Maroons.
Randolph-Macon improves to 6-20 and next plays Guilford on Thursday at 6pm at Salem Civic Center. The Jackets lost at Guilford in their lone meeting of the season, 69-57.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Summer Price led the way with 25 points as Patrick Henry held off a fourth quarter Petersburg surge to eliminate the Lady Waves from the Central Region Tournament, 47-39 in Ashland. The Patriots, now 21-5, must next face the team that ended their season a year ago, the Cosby Titans, on the road Tuesday night in Chesterfield.
Cosby opened their tournament by disposing of Atlee, 91-34. The Raiders' season ended tonight, but not before earning seven district wins, an 11-11 record, and seeing Stephanie Staples reach the 1,000 point mark for her Raider career!
The lone county boys team in the Central Region Tourney, the Hanover Hawks, fell on the road to L.C. Bird 95-65, eliminating the Hawks and concluding their season.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE.......
Wall-to-wall basketball tonight!
Capital District Boys Semifinal: #5 Hanover vs. #1 Henrico, 6pm at Varina High School
Colonial District Girls Semifinal: #3 Patrick Henry vs. #2 Deep Run, 7:30pm at Mills Godwin High School
Men's College Basketball: Randolph-Macon at Shenandoah, 7pm
We will LIVE TWEET from Patrick Henry/Deep Run tonight, so follow us! @hanoversports
Capital District Boys Semifinal: #5 Hanover vs. #1 Henrico, 6pm at Varina High School
Colonial District Girls Semifinal: #3 Patrick Henry vs. #2 Deep Run, 7:30pm at Mills Godwin High School
Men's College Basketball: Randolph-Macon at Shenandoah, 7pm
We will LIVE TWEET from Patrick Henry/Deep Run tonight, so follow us! @hanoversports
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Friday Highlights: PH Loses Finale, is #3 Seed in Tourney; Atlee's Staples gets to 1,000
There just wasn't enough in the tank for Patrick Henry.
Playing their third game in three nights, with Tyler Pinder out due to injury and Summer Price still not 100 percent after an illness forced her to miss Wednesday's night game, Patrick Henry fell at Deep Run 49-39 to complete their regular season at 13-3 in the Colonial, 17-5 overall.
The real nemesis on Friday night was turnovers. The Patriots had 25 of them and, by our count, only attempted 15 shots from the floor in the second half, both numbers indicative of a team not getting nearly enough regular offense generated to secure a win.
Summer Price scored 16 while Amber Lee added 14 points and 16 boards. Price is now at 993 career points at Patrick Henry, and can reach the 1,000 point barrier when Patrick Henry hosts a first round Colonial District Tournament game on Tuesday.
The Patriots finished in a second-place tie with Deep Run at 13-3 (Mills Godwin won the regular season title at 14-2), but, by virtue of Deep Run sweeping the District games against PH, Deep Run will be the #2 seed. You'll recall Patrick Henry's win over Deep Run in December was a non-district game in the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament.
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Meanwhile, congratulations to Atlee senior Stephanie Staples, who reached the 1,000 point mark as a Raider in Friday night's regular season finale, a 68-52 loss to Capital District regular season champion Highland Springs. Atlee will enter the Capital tournament Tuesday as the #4 seed, ensuring them a first-round home game, time and opponent TBD.....
Playing their third game in three nights, with Tyler Pinder out due to injury and Summer Price still not 100 percent after an illness forced her to miss Wednesday's night game, Patrick Henry fell at Deep Run 49-39 to complete their regular season at 13-3 in the Colonial, 17-5 overall.
The real nemesis on Friday night was turnovers. The Patriots had 25 of them and, by our count, only attempted 15 shots from the floor in the second half, both numbers indicative of a team not getting nearly enough regular offense generated to secure a win.
Summer Price scored 16 while Amber Lee added 14 points and 16 boards. Price is now at 993 career points at Patrick Henry, and can reach the 1,000 point barrier when Patrick Henry hosts a first round Colonial District Tournament game on Tuesday.
The Patriots finished in a second-place tie with Deep Run at 13-3 (Mills Godwin won the regular season title at 14-2), but, by virtue of Deep Run sweeping the District games against PH, Deep Run will be the #2 seed. You'll recall Patrick Henry's win over Deep Run in December was a non-district game in the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament.
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Meanwhile, congratulations to Atlee senior Stephanie Staples, who reached the 1,000 point mark as a Raider in Friday night's regular season finale, a 68-52 loss to Capital District regular season champion Highland Springs. Atlee will enter the Capital tournament Tuesday as the #4 seed, ensuring them a first-round home game, time and opponent TBD.....
Thursday, February 07, 2013
PH Survives Hermitage in OT, Loses Pinder....
Leading most of the way with part of their attention seered behind their own bench, Patrick Henry's girls basketball team went cold in the fourth quarter, scoring just six points, allowing Hermitage to storm back to force overtime.
The Patriots clamped down defensively, holding the Panthers scoreless until the final 0.8 of a second when Destini Walker hit a meaningless three to cut the final margin to 51-50.
Patrick Henry moves to 13-2 in the Colonial, in a tie with Mills Godwin with a game to go in the regular season. Godwin will be heavily favored Friday night against rival Douglas Freeman, while Patrick Henry travels for the third straight night, this time to #3 Deep Run. The Patriots and Wildcats have split two meetings this season.
Tyler Pinder won't be available Friday night, and possibly longer. After rebounding the ball in the second quarter, Pinder was fouled by Hermitage's Walker and she fell awkwardly to the floor, then screamed in pain. After a few moments, she was carried off the court by head coach Phillip Cobb and the trainer for Hermitage.
Pinder will undergo tests on her knee within 24 hours to determine the injury. We'll keep you posted.
Summer Price, who didn't play in Wednesday's win over John Marshall due to illness, didn't start the game. But after Hermitage ran out to a quick 9-2 advantage, Price entered the game, and took over, scoring 32 points, including the game-clinching free throw with 8 seconds left in the extra stanza.
Tyler Pinder had a rebound and steal before going out. Twin sister Jasmine scored six points and had four rebounds and two steals, while Amber Lee was a force on the inside rebounding, garnering 19, including a few critical boards in overtime when the Panthers suddenly went cold. Lee scored 8 points.
We will live tweet tomorrow night from Deep Run beginning just before 6pm!
The Patriots clamped down defensively, holding the Panthers scoreless until the final 0.8 of a second when Destini Walker hit a meaningless three to cut the final margin to 51-50.
Patrick Henry moves to 13-2 in the Colonial, in a tie with Mills Godwin with a game to go in the regular season. Godwin will be heavily favored Friday night against rival Douglas Freeman, while Patrick Henry travels for the third straight night, this time to #3 Deep Run. The Patriots and Wildcats have split two meetings this season.
Tyler Pinder won't be available Friday night, and possibly longer. After rebounding the ball in the second quarter, Pinder was fouled by Hermitage's Walker and she fell awkwardly to the floor, then screamed in pain. After a few moments, she was carried off the court by head coach Phillip Cobb and the trainer for Hermitage.
Pinder will undergo tests on her knee within 24 hours to determine the injury. We'll keep you posted.
Summer Price, who didn't play in Wednesday's win over John Marshall due to illness, didn't start the game. But after Hermitage ran out to a quick 9-2 advantage, Price entered the game, and took over, scoring 32 points, including the game-clinching free throw with 8 seconds left in the extra stanza.
Tyler Pinder had a rebound and steal before going out. Twin sister Jasmine scored six points and had four rebounds and two steals, while Amber Lee was a force on the inside rebounding, garnering 19, including a few critical boards in overtime when the Panthers suddenly went cold. Lee scored 8 points.
We will live tweet tomorrow night from Deep Run beginning just before 6pm!
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Macon Falls Hard To Rivals At Crenshaw....
A brief good start for Randolph-Macon, and a brief comeback attempt early in the second half, were the only bright spots tonight for the Yellow Jackets in their attempt to take down arch-rival, and ODAC leader, Hampden-Sydney.
The Tigers held the Jackets without a point for nine minutes in the middle of the first half en route to a 15 point halftime lead, which proved too much to overcome as Hampden-Sydney pulled away for a 66-47 win Wednesday night at a sold out Crenshaw Gymnasium.
"You have to give them credit. They came in and played well tonight," Randolph-Macon head coach Nathan Davis said, giving a nod to the Tigers performance. He wasn't entirely unhappy with his defense. It was the offense that never found a rhythm.
"I thought we did a good job defensively throughout the game for the most part, but we had a stretch where we turned it over a bunch of times, which allowed them, despite how well we were playing defensively, to get a couple of easy baskets. They had a three that bounced around and go in, and they started feeling good about themselves," Davis noted.
The Jackets shot just 26 percent from the floor in the first half, missing all six of their three-point attempts, and found themselves down 32-17 at intermission. But Randolph-Macon stormed out of the locker room on a 6-0 run in 90 seconds to trim the lead to nine. Joe Hassell's jumper with 12:52 to go cut the lead to 35-29, but Hanover High graduate Greg Lewis responded with a big three-pointer for the Tigers, and Randolph-Macon never got within seven points again. Lewis scored 14 for the Tigers.
Randolph-Macon was led by Andre Simon and Lamar Giggetts' 10 point efforts.
The Jackets, now 8-5 in the ODAC, tied for 4th place with Guilford a game behind Randolph, next face Eastern Mennonite at home this Saturday at 2pm.
The Tigers held the Jackets without a point for nine minutes in the middle of the first half en route to a 15 point halftime lead, which proved too much to overcome as Hampden-Sydney pulled away for a 66-47 win Wednesday night at a sold out Crenshaw Gymnasium.
"You have to give them credit. They came in and played well tonight," Randolph-Macon head coach Nathan Davis said, giving a nod to the Tigers performance. He wasn't entirely unhappy with his defense. It was the offense that never found a rhythm.
"I thought we did a good job defensively throughout the game for the most part, but we had a stretch where we turned it over a bunch of times, which allowed them, despite how well we were playing defensively, to get a couple of easy baskets. They had a three that bounced around and go in, and they started feeling good about themselves," Davis noted.
The Jackets shot just 26 percent from the floor in the first half, missing all six of their three-point attempts, and found themselves down 32-17 at intermission. But Randolph-Macon stormed out of the locker room on a 6-0 run in 90 seconds to trim the lead to nine. Joe Hassell's jumper with 12:52 to go cut the lead to 35-29, but Hanover High graduate Greg Lewis responded with a big three-pointer for the Tigers, and Randolph-Macon never got within seven points again. Lewis scored 14 for the Tigers.
Randolph-Macon was led by Andre Simon and Lamar Giggetts' 10 point efforts.
The Jackets, now 8-5 in the ODAC, tied for 4th place with Guilford a game behind Randolph, next face Eastern Mennonite at home this Saturday at 2pm.
Wednesday Night Hoops
Two IMPORTANT games tonight: one high school, one college!
Patrick Henry's girls team, in a three-way tie for first in the Colonial District, begin a three games in three days stretch tonight at John Marshall at 6pm. Tomorrow they travel to Hermitage, site of their only district loss last season, then Friday they go to Deep Run for the regular season finale. The Patriots and Wildcats have split their two games this season so far (one in district, one meeting in T-DIT Tournament in December).
Randolph-Macon's men's team plays their archrival Hampden-Sydney tonight at 7pm before a sold out Crenshaw Gymnasium. The Jackets are riding a five-game winning streak and are in a three-way tie for 3rd in the ODAC (H-SC is #1). The top four finishers get a bye in the first round of the ODAC Tournament in two weeks, so a win tonight would be crucial for R-MC.
Follow us on Twitter (@hanoversports) as we will be at Crenshaw, live tweeting tonight's action!!
Patrick Henry's girls team, in a three-way tie for first in the Colonial District, begin a three games in three days stretch tonight at John Marshall at 6pm. Tomorrow they travel to Hermitage, site of their only district loss last season, then Friday they go to Deep Run for the regular season finale. The Patriots and Wildcats have split their two games this season so far (one in district, one meeting in T-DIT Tournament in December).
Randolph-Macon's men's team plays their archrival Hampden-Sydney tonight at 7pm before a sold out Crenshaw Gymnasium. The Jackets are riding a five-game winning streak and are in a three-way tie for 3rd in the ODAC (H-SC is #1). The top four finishers get a bye in the first round of the ODAC Tournament in two weeks, so a win tonight would be crucial for R-MC.
Follow us on Twitter (@hanoversports) as we will be at Crenshaw, live tweeting tonight's action!!
NATIONAL SIGNING DAY!
Here's a list of county athletes who signed letters of intent and made college commitments today!
HANOVER:
Sam Rogers chose Tuesday night to walk on at Virginia Tech, picking the Hokies walk-on offer over Virginia. Rogers told HanoverCountySports.org that Tech's winning tradition and coaching staff did help give Virginia Tech an edge in the final decision. He will be groomed to be a fullback/H-back.
Tailback L.J. Jones signed a letter of intent at Morehead State University, an FCS program in Kentucky.
Lineman Josh Hutto signed a letter of intent to play for Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. Campbell, also an FCS program, is in the same league (Pioneer) as Morehead State, so Jones and Hutto will see each other from opposite sides of the field when the two teams meet on October 5th!
Donte Haynesworth officially signed with Norfolk State, where he will play in the defensive secondary for the Spartans, joining a team that includes former Hermitage quarterback Brendan Riddick, now a running back at NSU.
In baseball, star shortstop Andrew Knizner had made his commitment to NC State months ago. Today's signing was a formality, but cemented Knizner into a program with a legitimate chance to win the ACC and make the College World Series in both 2014 and 2015.
In softball, pitcher Shannon Albright chose an interesting path, signing with a brand-new college program at Georgia Highlands College in Rome, Georgia. She will pitch there, her preferred position, which attracted her to the new school, as well as their head coach, Melissa Wood.
ATLEE:
Chad Jacob is a Keydet! He officially signed this morning with VMI to play football. Head Coach Roscoe Johnson told HanoverCountySports.org he expects five to six more players to make their college decisions in the next several weeks.
A lacrosse player, goalie Fitz Rogers, committed to play at Randolph-Macon. Rogers is one of the first lacrosse players from the county to make a college commitment. Lacrosse is now scheduled, pending final approval, to be VHSL sanctioned in the county in 2014.
PATRICK HENRY:
Travis Phillips will continue his track career at East Carolina University. Phillips, who starred at wide receiver for the Patriots football team, will also have an opportunity to play football for the Pirates as well, a team on the move soon from Conference USA to the Big East Conference.
Track stars Jessica Shelton and Malina Richardson both signed to attend Radford University!
And finally, we broke the news earlier this week that Tyler and Jasmine Pinder, four-year varsity basketball players (and twins), have committed to play collegiately at Bridgewater College.
PHOTO GALLERY available at our Facebook page!!
HANOVER:
Sam Rogers chose Tuesday night to walk on at Virginia Tech, picking the Hokies walk-on offer over Virginia. Rogers told HanoverCountySports.org that Tech's winning tradition and coaching staff did help give Virginia Tech an edge in the final decision. He will be groomed to be a fullback/H-back.
Tailback L.J. Jones signed a letter of intent at Morehead State University, an FCS program in Kentucky.
Lineman Josh Hutto signed a letter of intent to play for Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. Campbell, also an FCS program, is in the same league (Pioneer) as Morehead State, so Jones and Hutto will see each other from opposite sides of the field when the two teams meet on October 5th!
Donte Haynesworth officially signed with Norfolk State, where he will play in the defensive secondary for the Spartans, joining a team that includes former Hermitage quarterback Brendan Riddick, now a running back at NSU.
In baseball, star shortstop Andrew Knizner had made his commitment to NC State months ago. Today's signing was a formality, but cemented Knizner into a program with a legitimate chance to win the ACC and make the College World Series in both 2014 and 2015.
In softball, pitcher Shannon Albright chose an interesting path, signing with a brand-new college program at Georgia Highlands College in Rome, Georgia. She will pitch there, her preferred position, which attracted her to the new school, as well as their head coach, Melissa Wood.
ATLEE:
Chad Jacob is a Keydet! He officially signed this morning with VMI to play football. Head Coach Roscoe Johnson told HanoverCountySports.org he expects five to six more players to make their college decisions in the next several weeks.
A lacrosse player, goalie Fitz Rogers, committed to play at Randolph-Macon. Rogers is one of the first lacrosse players from the county to make a college commitment. Lacrosse is now scheduled, pending final approval, to be VHSL sanctioned in the county in 2014.
PATRICK HENRY:
Travis Phillips will continue his track career at East Carolina University. Phillips, who starred at wide receiver for the Patriots football team, will also have an opportunity to play football for the Pirates as well, a team on the move soon from Conference USA to the Big East Conference.
Track stars Jessica Shelton and Malina Richardson both signed to attend Radford University!
And finally, we broke the news earlier this week that Tyler and Jasmine Pinder, four-year varsity basketball players (and twins), have committed to play collegiately at Bridgewater College.
PHOTO GALLERY available at our Facebook page!!
Monday, February 04, 2013
Central Region Gymnastics Tournament Results
Kristen Valasek of Patrick Henry swept every category Saturday en route to winning the Colonial District and Central Region Individual All-Around Title in the 2013 Gymnastics Championships, held Saturday at Deep Run High School.
Valasek, a junior, will be joined by two other county gymnasts in the All-Around category at the Group AAA State Championships February 15 and 16. Atlee sophomore Skylar Lambert swept the Capital District in all four competitions to help her not only finish second in the All-Around to Valasek, but power Atlee's team to a second place finish, ensuring the team a trip to states in two weeks.
Maddy Greene of Godwin placed 3rd, then Patrick Henry freshman sensation Keion Greenhow finished fourth, qualifying for states with a score of 35.250, besting Madison Godsey of Lee-Davis by just 0.075 points.
(Lambert on floor exercise)
(Greenhow on the beam)
(Valasek on the dismount)
CENTRAL REGION TEAM RESULTS:
1) Mills Godwin (Colonial District Champ) 139.525
2) Atlee (Capital District Champ) 139.425
3) Deep Run 139.050
4) Patrick Henry 138.375
5) Lee-Davis 137.750
6) Hanover 130.125
7) Glen Allen 126.700
CENTRAL REGION ALL-AROUND RESULTS:
1) Kristen Valasek, Patrick Henry (Colonial Champ) 37.925
2) Skylar Lambert, Atlee (Capital Champ) 36.900
3) Maddy Greene, Mills Godwin 35.725
4) Keion Greenhow, Patrick Henry 35.250
5) Madison Godsey, Lee-Davis 35.175
Eleni Poulos, Deep Run 35.175
7) McKaella Grow, Mills Godwin 34.775
8) Derika Banks, Atlee 34.625
9) Brooke Morris, Lee-Davis 34.400
10) Katelynne Gillis, Hanover 34.225
11) Hailey Hulser, Atlee 34.175
12) Kinsee Stonebreaker, Lee-Davis 34.000
14) Lauren Earley, Patrick Henry 33.400
The following county gymnasts qualified for state competition by finishing in the Top 8 in the Central Region in an individual exercise....
BEAM: Valasek, Lambert, Godsey
BARS: Valasek, Lambert, Greenhow, Banks
VAULT: Valasek, Lambert, Morris, Gillis, Godsey
FLOOR: Valasek, Lambert, Hulser, Stonebreaker, Godsey, Banks, Becca Fields (Lee-Davis)
Congratulations, ladies!!!
Valasek, a junior, will be joined by two other county gymnasts in the All-Around category at the Group AAA State Championships February 15 and 16. Atlee sophomore Skylar Lambert swept the Capital District in all four competitions to help her not only finish second in the All-Around to Valasek, but power Atlee's team to a second place finish, ensuring the team a trip to states in two weeks.
Maddy Greene of Godwin placed 3rd, then Patrick Henry freshman sensation Keion Greenhow finished fourth, qualifying for states with a score of 35.250, besting Madison Godsey of Lee-Davis by just 0.075 points.
CENTRAL REGION TEAM RESULTS:
1) Mills Godwin (Colonial District Champ) 139.525
2) Atlee (Capital District Champ) 139.425
3) Deep Run 139.050
4) Patrick Henry 138.375
5) Lee-Davis 137.750
6) Hanover 130.125
7) Glen Allen 126.700
CENTRAL REGION ALL-AROUND RESULTS:
1) Kristen Valasek, Patrick Henry (Colonial Champ) 37.925
2) Skylar Lambert, Atlee (Capital Champ) 36.900
3) Maddy Greene, Mills Godwin 35.725
4) Keion Greenhow, Patrick Henry 35.250
5) Madison Godsey, Lee-Davis 35.175
Eleni Poulos, Deep Run 35.175
7) McKaella Grow, Mills Godwin 34.775
8) Derika Banks, Atlee 34.625
9) Brooke Morris, Lee-Davis 34.400
10) Katelynne Gillis, Hanover 34.225
11) Hailey Hulser, Atlee 34.175
12) Kinsee Stonebreaker, Lee-Davis 34.000
14) Lauren Earley, Patrick Henry 33.400
The following county gymnasts qualified for state competition by finishing in the Top 8 in the Central Region in an individual exercise....
BEAM: Valasek, Lambert, Godsey
BARS: Valasek, Lambert, Greenhow, Banks
VAULT: Valasek, Lambert, Morris, Gillis, Godsey
FLOOR: Valasek, Lambert, Hulser, Stonebreaker, Godsey, Banks, Becca Fields (Lee-Davis)
Congratulations, ladies!!!
Friday, February 01, 2013
Basketball Tripleheader: Hanover at Atlee....
The first month of 2013 ended Thursday with a hot night of hoops action at Atlee as the Raiders welcomed in the Hanover Hawks for boys JV, girls varsity, and boys varsity games.
After the Atlee boys held serve at home with a 51-37 win over the Hawks, the girls took center stage on Senior Night for Atlee's Stephanie Staples and Nikki Gordon.
Gordon had two points in the fourth, Staples added 13, but it was Cierra Shelton with 22 points who drove the Atlee engine to a 60-47 Capital District win over Hanover.
Hanover took the early lead on a three from Amber Norris and led after a quarter 9-8. The Raiders fought basket for basket through the second until the Hawks broke at 17-17 tie on a Sarah Belcher field goal and free throws by Haleigh Omohundro and April Lankford for a 21-17 halftime edge.
Hanover extended the lead to seven early in the third, but a seven-point run by the Raiders, capped off by a Shelton trey, tied the game at 26. Norris responded with a traditional three-point play with 4:14 to go for a 29-26 lead.
The lead grew to 36-30 with 1:08 left in third. Then the Raider Run of 2013 began.
Staples hit a three. Add another Atlee basket and a missed front end of a one-and-one by Norris and the third quarter ended with Hanover ahead 36-35.
Staples hit a two to start the fourth, taking the lead for Atlee for good. Jamari Blackwell's two off an inbounds pass continued the run, and, by the time it finally ended with a Norris free throw with 4:08 to play, the lead was 15 at 52-37.
Another eight for the Raiders pushed it to 60-37 with 3:07 left. In six minutes, Atlee had outscored Hanover by an amazing 30-1.
The Hawks hit some baskets and free throws in the final minutes to cut the lead but the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Norris led Hanover with 11 points, while Omohundro added 9. Atlee improved to 4-4 in the Capital, 7-8 overall, while Hanover fell to 2-8, 3-12.
*******************
The boys varsity game saved the best action for last.
Atlee got off to the hot start, hitting 3 from behind the arc for an early 9-2 lead, but the Hawks were patient, whittled down the lead, cutting it to 13-12 after a quarter.
Back and forth they went through the second fighting for the lead. With the score tied at 31, Trayvonte Brown, affectionately known by Hawk Nation as "TBIII", drove the lane and hit a floater at the buzzer to give Hanover the 33-31 halftime lead. Brown led Hanover in scoring with 15 points.
Atlee spent much of the third quarter playing catch-up, as Hanover built leads of 5 and 9 respectively during the frame. The Raiders cut the 9-point lead to four in the final minute before two Hawk baskets put their lead back at eight at 57-49 after 3.
Atlee started the fourth with a quick 5-0 run and the lead was never more than four for anyone. But, in the end, missed free throws spelled doom down the stretch for the Raiders.
Here's the timeline, beginning with 5:17 to play in the contest:
--Quincy Randolph missed the front end of a one-and-one when Hanover led 59-57.
--Atlee got a defensive stop, Brian Miller was fouled, but he made just 1 of 2 free throws. It's 59-58 Hanover at 4:34 and the Hawks called time.
--Jalen Elliott drove to the hoop off the timeout, scored and drew the fourth foul on Rashaun Winters. But, Elliott, too missed his free throw due to a lane violation (his shot was actually good), keeping the lead at one possession at 61-58.
--Quincy Randolph's three-pointer w/3:09 to go gave Atlee its final lead at 63-61. The Hawks responded with a 4-0 run.
--Miller missed two free throws with 2:15 to play when the Raiders were down 2 at 65-63.
--The Hawks made a field goal to extend the lead to four again, then Winters drove the lane for a hoop and drew a foul w/1:23 to go. Winters, though, missed the chance at the traditional three-point play by missing his free throw and it was Hanover 67-65.
--Winters would, on the next possession, get a steal, fire the ball to Miller, who got the hoop and harm, fouled by Elliott. With 55.5 to go, Miller approached the line with one free throw to take the lead.
--He missed. It remained 67-67. As Hanover came downcourt, Randolph forced a steal, saw Miller streaking toward the bucket, but overthrew him. We were still tied, Hanover gets the ball back.
--The freshman, Elliott, makes the most of it by drawing a foul and, while the Atlee student section screamed their heads off, he calmly sank the first of two free throws for the 68-67 lead. Then he promptly missed the second shot, Winters rebounded, and the final sequence of events began.
As Atlee looked for a shot to take the lead, a held ball occurred on the floor with 12.7 seconds left. The possession arrow favored Hanover. On the Hawks inbounds pass, the fight for the ball ended in one Raider down in pain, a missed foul call, and another held ball, giving possession to Atlee at 8.2 seconds to go.
Brett Ayer, the sophomore who hit five three-pointers on the night (he didn't miss any attempts, either) got knocked to the floor hard by a Hawk and withered in pain at halfcourt. No whistle. There could have been and it would have been justified.
But that didn't seal Atlee's doom. Their earlier poor free throw shooting, and a key play by Donte Haynesworth were responsible for the final nail in the coffin.
On the inbounds pass at 8.2 seconds, Haynesworth went for the second pass of the possession. While not able to steal the ball, he did knock it out of bounds, further downcourt, and took five seconds off the clock in the process.
Now Atlee had to inbounds 60 feet from the basket with 3.2 seconds left. The ball got into the hands of Mac Gray who, as you see below, went down the sideline and launched a game-winning three point attempt with 1.3 seconds to go. It was too long, and Hanover had survived in the Rage Cage.
Brian Miller led in scoring for the Raiders with 18, followed by Quincy Randolph with 16 and Ayer with his 15. Rashaun Winters had 14 rebounds, nine of them in the first half, seven blocks and a steal.
After Brown's 15 for Hanover, Haynesworth and Elliott each added 10 points while Jordan Wade had 9 points and 9 rebounds. Haynesworth's biggest contributions were his seven steals and knockaway in the final 10 seconds to help force Atlee into a tough last shot.
The Hawks improve to 5-4 in the Capital, 9-4 overall as they begin a brutal stretch of games. Friday night they host Capital District leader Henrico at 7:30. The Hawks lost to Henrico 99-66 a few weeks ago. The Hawks welcome Armstrong to Hanover for a 3:30 game on Saturday. Then Hanover travels to Glen Allen Monday night and Highland Springs Tuesday night.
Atlee falls to 1-8 in the Capital, 3-14 overall, and next battle #2 in the district Armstrong at home Friday at 7:30, followed by trips to Varina Monday and to Lee-Davis Tuesday before hosting Henrico Wednesday. Those Varina and Henrico games are makeups from the January weather disruptions.
Atlee's Senior Night for boys may be tomorrow against Armstrong, which was their regularly scheduled final home game, but may be moved to Wednesday's game versus Henrico......
AS ALWAYS: Follow us on Twitter (@hanoversports) for 24/7 updates on ALL things going on in Hanover County....sports, weather, school closings, interesting hashtags, and who knows what else!
1) Stephanie Staples (3rd from left) and Nikki Gordon (far right) were honored before the game on Senior Night for the girls basketball team.
2) Staples drives for two during her last game in a varsity uniform for the Raiders.....
After the Atlee boys held serve at home with a 51-37 win over the Hawks, the girls took center stage on Senior Night for Atlee's Stephanie Staples and Nikki Gordon.
Gordon had two points in the fourth, Staples added 13, but it was Cierra Shelton with 22 points who drove the Atlee engine to a 60-47 Capital District win over Hanover.
Hanover took the early lead on a three from Amber Norris and led after a quarter 9-8. The Raiders fought basket for basket through the second until the Hawks broke at 17-17 tie on a Sarah Belcher field goal and free throws by Haleigh Omohundro and April Lankford for a 21-17 halftime edge.
Hanover extended the lead to seven early in the third, but a seven-point run by the Raiders, capped off by a Shelton trey, tied the game at 26. Norris responded with a traditional three-point play with 4:14 to go for a 29-26 lead.
The lead grew to 36-30 with 1:08 left in third. Then the Raider Run of 2013 began.
Staples hit a three. Add another Atlee basket and a missed front end of a one-and-one by Norris and the third quarter ended with Hanover ahead 36-35.
Staples hit a two to start the fourth, taking the lead for Atlee for good. Jamari Blackwell's two off an inbounds pass continued the run, and, by the time it finally ended with a Norris free throw with 4:08 to play, the lead was 15 at 52-37.
Another eight for the Raiders pushed it to 60-37 with 3:07 left. In six minutes, Atlee had outscored Hanover by an amazing 30-1.
The Hawks hit some baskets and free throws in the final minutes to cut the lead but the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Norris led Hanover with 11 points, while Omohundro added 9. Atlee improved to 4-4 in the Capital, 7-8 overall, while Hanover fell to 2-8, 3-12.
*******************
The boys varsity game saved the best action for last.
Atlee got off to the hot start, hitting 3 from behind the arc for an early 9-2 lead, but the Hawks were patient, whittled down the lead, cutting it to 13-12 after a quarter.
Back and forth they went through the second fighting for the lead. With the score tied at 31, Trayvonte Brown, affectionately known by Hawk Nation as "TBIII", drove the lane and hit a floater at the buzzer to give Hanover the 33-31 halftime lead. Brown led Hanover in scoring with 15 points.
Atlee spent much of the third quarter playing catch-up, as Hanover built leads of 5 and 9 respectively during the frame. The Raiders cut the 9-point lead to four in the final minute before two Hawk baskets put their lead back at eight at 57-49 after 3.
Atlee started the fourth with a quick 5-0 run and the lead was never more than four for anyone. But, in the end, missed free throws spelled doom down the stretch for the Raiders.
Here's the timeline, beginning with 5:17 to play in the contest:
--Quincy Randolph missed the front end of a one-and-one when Hanover led 59-57.
--Atlee got a defensive stop, Brian Miller was fouled, but he made just 1 of 2 free throws. It's 59-58 Hanover at 4:34 and the Hawks called time.
--Jalen Elliott drove to the hoop off the timeout, scored and drew the fourth foul on Rashaun Winters. But, Elliott, too missed his free throw due to a lane violation (his shot was actually good), keeping the lead at one possession at 61-58.
--Quincy Randolph's three-pointer w/3:09 to go gave Atlee its final lead at 63-61. The Hawks responded with a 4-0 run.
--Miller missed two free throws with 2:15 to play when the Raiders were down 2 at 65-63.
--The Hawks made a field goal to extend the lead to four again, then Winters drove the lane for a hoop and drew a foul w/1:23 to go. Winters, though, missed the chance at the traditional three-point play by missing his free throw and it was Hanover 67-65.
--Winters would, on the next possession, get a steal, fire the ball to Miller, who got the hoop and harm, fouled by Elliott. With 55.5 to go, Miller approached the line with one free throw to take the lead.
--He missed. It remained 67-67. As Hanover came downcourt, Randolph forced a steal, saw Miller streaking toward the bucket, but overthrew him. We were still tied, Hanover gets the ball back.
--The freshman, Elliott, makes the most of it by drawing a foul and, while the Atlee student section screamed their heads off, he calmly sank the first of two free throws for the 68-67 lead. Then he promptly missed the second shot, Winters rebounded, and the final sequence of events began.
As Atlee looked for a shot to take the lead, a held ball occurred on the floor with 12.7 seconds left. The possession arrow favored Hanover. On the Hawks inbounds pass, the fight for the ball ended in one Raider down in pain, a missed foul call, and another held ball, giving possession to Atlee at 8.2 seconds to go.
Brett Ayer, the sophomore who hit five three-pointers on the night (he didn't miss any attempts, either) got knocked to the floor hard by a Hawk and withered in pain at halfcourt. No whistle. There could have been and it would have been justified.
But that didn't seal Atlee's doom. Their earlier poor free throw shooting, and a key play by Donte Haynesworth were responsible for the final nail in the coffin.
On the inbounds pass at 8.2 seconds, Haynesworth went for the second pass of the possession. While not able to steal the ball, he did knock it out of bounds, further downcourt, and took five seconds off the clock in the process.
Now Atlee had to inbounds 60 feet from the basket with 3.2 seconds left. The ball got into the hands of Mac Gray who, as you see below, went down the sideline and launched a game-winning three point attempt with 1.3 seconds to go. It was too long, and Hanover had survived in the Rage Cage.
Brian Miller led in scoring for the Raiders with 18, followed by Quincy Randolph with 16 and Ayer with his 15. Rashaun Winters had 14 rebounds, nine of them in the first half, seven blocks and a steal.
After Brown's 15 for Hanover, Haynesworth and Elliott each added 10 points while Jordan Wade had 9 points and 9 rebounds. Haynesworth's biggest contributions were his seven steals and knockaway in the final 10 seconds to help force Atlee into a tough last shot.
The Hawks improve to 5-4 in the Capital, 9-4 overall as they begin a brutal stretch of games. Friday night they host Capital District leader Henrico at 7:30. The Hawks lost to Henrico 99-66 a few weeks ago. The Hawks welcome Armstrong to Hanover for a 3:30 game on Saturday. Then Hanover travels to Glen Allen Monday night and Highland Springs Tuesday night.
Atlee falls to 1-8 in the Capital, 3-14 overall, and next battle #2 in the district Armstrong at home Friday at 7:30, followed by trips to Varina Monday and to Lee-Davis Tuesday before hosting Henrico Wednesday. Those Varina and Henrico games are makeups from the January weather disruptions.
Atlee's Senior Night for boys may be tomorrow against Armstrong, which was their regularly scheduled final home game, but may be moved to Wednesday's game versus Henrico......
AS ALWAYS: Follow us on Twitter (@hanoversports) for 24/7 updates on ALL things going on in Hanover County....sports, weather, school closings, interesting hashtags, and who knows what else!
1) Stephanie Staples (3rd from left) and Nikki Gordon (far right) were honored before the game on Senior Night for the girls basketball team.
2) Staples drives for two during her last game in a varsity uniform for the Raiders.....
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Hanover/Lee-Davis Basketball Showdown!
The Hanover Hawks and Lee-Davis Confederates ended their frustrating two-week exam/winter weather layoff with a girls/boys hoops doubleheader at The Asylum Tuesday night, with the Hawks escaping with two victories.
SEE the action in our exclusive photo album BY CLICKING HERE!
SEE the action in our exclusive photo album BY CLICKING HERE!
Atlee Swimmer Murphy Commits To JMU!
Congratulations to Atlee swimmer Madalyn Murphy, who signed a letter of intent today to attend James Madison University in the fall and swim for the Dukes!
Murphy plans to major in Health Sciences and will swim both the breaststroke and individual medley for James Madison. Ironically, Murphy first met JMU swim and dive coach Samantha Smith almost a decade ago at a swimming camp where Smith was teaching. Murphy will now swim for Smith and the Dukes for the next four years.
Pictured below are Madalyn, as well as her parents Will and Laura. Congratulations!!
Murphy plans to major in Health Sciences and will swim both the breaststroke and individual medley for James Madison. Ironically, Murphy first met JMU swim and dive coach Samantha Smith almost a decade ago at a swimming camp where Smith was teaching. Murphy will now swim for Smith and the Dukes for the next four years.
Pictured below are Madalyn, as well as her parents Will and Laura. Congratulations!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Lone Game on Tuesday Prep Calendar
It's Capital vs. Colonial when Hanover travels to Hermitage for basketball action tonight at 7:30 in the lone game of the exam period.
In college play, the Randolph-Macon women look for their first winning streak of the season tonight at home against Randolph at 7pm.....
In college play, the Randolph-Macon women look for their first winning streak of the season tonight at home against Randolph at 7pm.....
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Patriots split with Wildcats; Hanover sweeps Lee-Davis....
The bad news for Patrick Henry's girls basketball team was the only thing more frigid than the outdoor temperature tonight was their outside shooting.
The Lady Patriots shot 12-of-58 from the field en route to losing their first Colonial District game of 2012-13, 42-32 to Deep Run. The Wildcats weren't able to do much better, but took advantage of key rebounds and Patriots foul trouble to get the win, drawing them within one game of Patrick Henry in the district standings.
Patrick Henry, now 5-1, 9-3, next travels to Douglas Freeman to play the Rebels Tuesday at 6pm.
In the doubleheader nightcap, Lucas Pienkowski scored 17 points while William Holman hit four critical free throws in the fourth quarter to stave off a Wildcat comeback as Patrick Henry finally got their first district home win, 49-43 over Deep Run.
The Patriots move to 2-4 in the Colonial, 5-7 overall. (Below, Khalil Mock on the free throw line....)
--------------------
At Hanover tonight, the Lee-Davis girls lost a fourth quarter lead and fell to the Hawks 65-58. Taylor Peay poured in 19 points to lead Hanover to their first Capital District win (1-2, 2-6 overall). Olivia Tuck led all scorers with 23 points for Lee-Davis, who fall to 0-4 in the Capital, 3-7 overall.
In boys action, Hanover had little trouble with Lee-Davis on their home court, winning 61-39 to move to 2-1 in the Capital, 5-1 overall. Trayvonte Brown withstood a technical foul to score 17 points, while freshman Jalen Elliott added 17 of his own. LaDarein Autry led Lee-Davis with 17 points, while Josh Brown had 10.
The Hawks will face a fired-up Henrico squad on Azalea Avenue Friday night. The Warriors are coming off a 74-72 upset loss to Armstrong tonight.....
The Lady Patriots shot 12-of-58 from the field en route to losing their first Colonial District game of 2012-13, 42-32 to Deep Run. The Wildcats weren't able to do much better, but took advantage of key rebounds and Patriots foul trouble to get the win, drawing them within one game of Patrick Henry in the district standings.
Patrick Henry, now 5-1, 9-3, next travels to Douglas Freeman to play the Rebels Tuesday at 6pm.
In the doubleheader nightcap, Lucas Pienkowski scored 17 points while William Holman hit four critical free throws in the fourth quarter to stave off a Wildcat comeback as Patrick Henry finally got their first district home win, 49-43 over Deep Run.
The Patriots move to 2-4 in the Colonial, 5-7 overall. (Below, Khalil Mock on the free throw line....)
--------------------
At Hanover tonight, the Lee-Davis girls lost a fourth quarter lead and fell to the Hawks 65-58. Taylor Peay poured in 19 points to lead Hanover to their first Capital District win (1-2, 2-6 overall). Olivia Tuck led all scorers with 23 points for Lee-Davis, who fall to 0-4 in the Capital, 3-7 overall.
In boys action, Hanover had little trouble with Lee-Davis on their home court, winning 61-39 to move to 2-1 in the Capital, 5-1 overall. Trayvonte Brown withstood a technical foul to score 17 points, while freshman Jalen Elliott added 17 of his own. LaDarein Autry led Lee-Davis with 17 points, while Josh Brown had 10.
The Hawks will face a fired-up Henrico squad on Azalea Avenue Friday night. The Warriors are coming off a 74-72 upset loss to Armstrong tonight.....
Monday, December 31, 2012
A Final Look Back at 2012.....
It feels like we just christened 2012, and now it's time to say goodbye. As we do, we'll just make a quick list of just some things we are thankful to have experienced, and covered, whether wins or losses, here on HanoverCountySports.org and on our Twitter feed, @hanoversports.....
---Patrick Henry girls basketball winning the Colonial District regular season crown....
---their heartbreaking loss at the buzzer to Deep Run in the tournament semifinals....
---and their 23-3 overall record.
---Watching Katie Anderson finish with 1,509 career points, knowing she was headed to Macon...
---strong performances by Lee-Davis and Hanover in wrestling action, including Tanner Tinsley of the Hawks winning the state championship at 170 pounds, a year after winning it all at 152...
---all the other wrestlers who won Capital District titles....
---Atlee sweeping the boys and girls Central Region swimming championships...
---appreciating the careers of Maggie Roy, Jillian Asay, Taylor Wieczorek, Molly Brown, Calvin Croskey and Adam Desgain at Crenshaw Gymnasium...
---Jordan Walton being named first-team all-state baseball and signing with the St. Louis Cardinals...
---great baseball pitching, including Kyle Palmer of Patrick Henry, Michael Thomas of Lee-Davis, Chris Childress of Hanover, Luke Bolka of Atlee and others...
---#3 seed Atlee winning the Capital District Tournament and a berth in the Central Region Tourney...
---an INCREDIBLE season of softball:
---Lee-Davis overcoming the loss of Kelly Heinz on the mound to win the Capital District regular season crown and seeing their season end at the hands of eventual state champion Cosby...
---Hanover being the only county team not to make regionals, even though they beat Lee-Davis, Atlee, AND Patrick Henry during the regular season...
---Atlee, from the #3 seed, winning the Capital District Tournament and gamely fighting Patrick Henry before falling in the regional semis...
---...and of course, the memorable Patrick Henry Patriots, who won the Colonial District, finished 2nd to Cosby in the Central Region, won two games in Northern Virginia, and fell in a 10-inning classic, again to Cosby, 3-2, in the state championship game.
The softball names of 2012 are many, and in no particular order: Jessica Holte, Delani Ferrar, Taylor Sutherland, Shelby Hill, MacKenzie Keyes, Lexi Cumbia, Cameron Hall, Blair Jones, Kiandra Mitchum, Shannon Albright, Erica Barrett, Brooke Throckmorton, Lynnse Caler, Maura Long, Lauren McIntyre, Haleigh Cottrell, Amy Wingfield, Taylor Deemer, Ryleigh Hawker, Lacie Madison, Casey Price, Victoria Houff, Lynsee Stonebreaker, Becca Fields, Madison Gilman, Emma Mitchell, Sam Moore, Katie Woody, Ashley Samuels, Paige Mitchell, Ellen Davidson, Hunter Glave, Allison Tingler, and so many others...
---Our summer was filled with a journey for the ages with the Mechanicsville Post 175 American Legion baseball team as they won 23 consecutive games before finishing third in the State Tournament in August. N.C. State recruit Andrew Knizner of Hanover led the way with his bat and fine shortstop play for a team filled with some of the best players from Hanover, Lee-Davis, and Atlee high schools...
---Two trips to RIR for NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing, including one race (September) that didn't end until after 12:30am due to rain delays...
---An afternoon with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Patrick Henry...
---A five-set volleyball match for the ages from Patrick Henry's boys team, falling 15-13 in the tiebreaker at Colonial District champion Douglas Freeman...then beating Deep Run on Senior Night to cement the return of the program.
---A strong run by the Lee-Davis girls volleyball team to the Central Region finals, earning a berth in the State Tournament...
---and, of course, the Atlee girls volleyball team, who swept through the Capital District and Central Region, losing only two matches during the regular season at the Tournament of Champions in Roanoke in October, then ousting Ocean Lakes in the state quarters and Stone Bridge in the state semis before falling to Kellam in five sets in the title tilt at the Siegel Center in November. Atlee had Championship Point in the fourth set at 24-23 before falling.
We'll miss Hailey Brooks, Karlie Suber, Kayleigh Moody and Stella Thai, but look forward to the returning core of Kylah Blackmore, Melanie Snyder (who just returned from the U.S. Volleyball Training Center in Colorado Springs), Rachel Stanford, Clarke Tyler, and Molly Jarvis....
---Patrick Henry girls winning the Colonial District outdoor track crown, and the Atlee boys and girls sweeping the Capital....
---And football.
Football brought us:
---a 2,000 yard rusher in Atlee's Morris Jackson...in only 9 games, scoring 33 touchdowns...
---an almost 2,000 yard rusher in Lee-Davis' Chris Simpson, who helped his team clinch the top seed in the Division 5 playoffs and first home playoff game in 15 years...
---Kenner Berry, who threw for over 2,250 yards for a prolific Atlee offense, with his favorite receiver, Chad Jacob, receiving many post-season honors at tight end...
---the emergence of Travis Phillips as one of the state's best wide receivers at Patrick Henry...
---and the Hanover Hawks, who overcame a second season of injury issues, got help in week 10, made it back to the playoffs, won the Central Region on the road, and hosted their first-ever state semifinal, falling 28-21 to Stone Bridge.
Some of the football names other than those above?
Tyler Phelps, Nathan Boone, Bryson Wong, Otis Harris (who gained 1,000 yards rushing for PH), Daniel Fogleman, Josh Hutto, Thomas Brooks, L.J. Jones (3,300 yards in two years), Josh Harris, Donte Haynesworth (he'll be playing in college after this season), Brennan Gary, Usman Mahmood, Deshaun Rogers, Mark Reisenweaver, Donald Kidd, Brandon Sulser, Austin Rice, Jordon Prentiss, Blake Stattelman, Russell Munn, Tye Burriss, Ross Gardner, Reid Ramey, Tanner Ramey, just to name a few. :)
We've been so amazed by the stories, performances, and people from Little League to high school, college to NASCAR, and thankful to have witnessed so much in the year of 2012.
Bring on 2013!
Happy New Year from HanoverCountySports.org!!
---Patrick Henry girls basketball winning the Colonial District regular season crown....
---their heartbreaking loss at the buzzer to Deep Run in the tournament semifinals....
---and their 23-3 overall record.
---Watching Katie Anderson finish with 1,509 career points, knowing she was headed to Macon...
---strong performances by Lee-Davis and Hanover in wrestling action, including Tanner Tinsley of the Hawks winning the state championship at 170 pounds, a year after winning it all at 152...
---all the other wrestlers who won Capital District titles....
---Atlee sweeping the boys and girls Central Region swimming championships...
---appreciating the careers of Maggie Roy, Jillian Asay, Taylor Wieczorek, Molly Brown, Calvin Croskey and Adam Desgain at Crenshaw Gymnasium...
---Jordan Walton being named first-team all-state baseball and signing with the St. Louis Cardinals...
---great baseball pitching, including Kyle Palmer of Patrick Henry, Michael Thomas of Lee-Davis, Chris Childress of Hanover, Luke Bolka of Atlee and others...
---#3 seed Atlee winning the Capital District Tournament and a berth in the Central Region Tourney...
---an INCREDIBLE season of softball:
---Lee-Davis overcoming the loss of Kelly Heinz on the mound to win the Capital District regular season crown and seeing their season end at the hands of eventual state champion Cosby...
---Hanover being the only county team not to make regionals, even though they beat Lee-Davis, Atlee, AND Patrick Henry during the regular season...
---Atlee, from the #3 seed, winning the Capital District Tournament and gamely fighting Patrick Henry before falling in the regional semis...
---...and of course, the memorable Patrick Henry Patriots, who won the Colonial District, finished 2nd to Cosby in the Central Region, won two games in Northern Virginia, and fell in a 10-inning classic, again to Cosby, 3-2, in the state championship game.
The softball names of 2012 are many, and in no particular order: Jessica Holte, Delani Ferrar, Taylor Sutherland, Shelby Hill, MacKenzie Keyes, Lexi Cumbia, Cameron Hall, Blair Jones, Kiandra Mitchum, Shannon Albright, Erica Barrett, Brooke Throckmorton, Lynnse Caler, Maura Long, Lauren McIntyre, Haleigh Cottrell, Amy Wingfield, Taylor Deemer, Ryleigh Hawker, Lacie Madison, Casey Price, Victoria Houff, Lynsee Stonebreaker, Becca Fields, Madison Gilman, Emma Mitchell, Sam Moore, Katie Woody, Ashley Samuels, Paige Mitchell, Ellen Davidson, Hunter Glave, Allison Tingler, and so many others...
---Our summer was filled with a journey for the ages with the Mechanicsville Post 175 American Legion baseball team as they won 23 consecutive games before finishing third in the State Tournament in August. N.C. State recruit Andrew Knizner of Hanover led the way with his bat and fine shortstop play for a team filled with some of the best players from Hanover, Lee-Davis, and Atlee high schools...
---Two trips to RIR for NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing, including one race (September) that didn't end until after 12:30am due to rain delays...
---An afternoon with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Patrick Henry...
---A five-set volleyball match for the ages from Patrick Henry's boys team, falling 15-13 in the tiebreaker at Colonial District champion Douglas Freeman...then beating Deep Run on Senior Night to cement the return of the program.
---A strong run by the Lee-Davis girls volleyball team to the Central Region finals, earning a berth in the State Tournament...
---and, of course, the Atlee girls volleyball team, who swept through the Capital District and Central Region, losing only two matches during the regular season at the Tournament of Champions in Roanoke in October, then ousting Ocean Lakes in the state quarters and Stone Bridge in the state semis before falling to Kellam in five sets in the title tilt at the Siegel Center in November. Atlee had Championship Point in the fourth set at 24-23 before falling.
We'll miss Hailey Brooks, Karlie Suber, Kayleigh Moody and Stella Thai, but look forward to the returning core of Kylah Blackmore, Melanie Snyder (who just returned from the U.S. Volleyball Training Center in Colorado Springs), Rachel Stanford, Clarke Tyler, and Molly Jarvis....
---Patrick Henry girls winning the Colonial District outdoor track crown, and the Atlee boys and girls sweeping the Capital....
---And football.
Football brought us:
---a 2,000 yard rusher in Atlee's Morris Jackson...in only 9 games, scoring 33 touchdowns...
---an almost 2,000 yard rusher in Lee-Davis' Chris Simpson, who helped his team clinch the top seed in the Division 5 playoffs and first home playoff game in 15 years...
---Kenner Berry, who threw for over 2,250 yards for a prolific Atlee offense, with his favorite receiver, Chad Jacob, receiving many post-season honors at tight end...
---the emergence of Travis Phillips as one of the state's best wide receivers at Patrick Henry...
---and the Hanover Hawks, who overcame a second season of injury issues, got help in week 10, made it back to the playoffs, won the Central Region on the road, and hosted their first-ever state semifinal, falling 28-21 to Stone Bridge.
Some of the football names other than those above?
Tyler Phelps, Nathan Boone, Bryson Wong, Otis Harris (who gained 1,000 yards rushing for PH), Daniel Fogleman, Josh Hutto, Thomas Brooks, L.J. Jones (3,300 yards in two years), Josh Harris, Donte Haynesworth (he'll be playing in college after this season), Brennan Gary, Usman Mahmood, Deshaun Rogers, Mark Reisenweaver, Donald Kidd, Brandon Sulser, Austin Rice, Jordon Prentiss, Blake Stattelman, Russell Munn, Tye Burriss, Ross Gardner, Reid Ramey, Tanner Ramey, just to name a few. :)
We've been so amazed by the stories, performances, and people from Little League to high school, college to NASCAR, and thankful to have witnessed so much in the year of 2012.
Bring on 2013!
Happy New Year from HanoverCountySports.org!!
Friday, December 28, 2012
THURSDAY ROUNDUP....
Boys Basketball:
Hopewell 71, Patrick Henry 47 (1st round of Fort Lee Holiday Tournament; PH, now 3-6, battles Dinwiddie in consolation bracket Friday at 3pm.
Girls Basketball:
Atlee 56, Tallwood 52 (OT) (first win of the season for the Lady Raiders, competing at the Boo Williams/Ronald Curry Classic in Hampton. They'll play Lakeland at 3pm Friday)
J.R. Tucker 58, Hanover 37 (semis of Clover Hill Winter Break Tournament; Hawks, now 1-5, play Clover Hill in 3rd place game Friday at 5:30pm. Glen Allen and J.R. Tucker will play afterwards for the tournament title...)
Other games on Friday:
BOYS:
Atlee at St. Christopher's, 7:15pm
Caroline at Lee-Davis, 7pm
Hopewell 71, Patrick Henry 47 (1st round of Fort Lee Holiday Tournament; PH, now 3-6, battles Dinwiddie in consolation bracket Friday at 3pm.
Girls Basketball:
Atlee 56, Tallwood 52 (OT) (first win of the season for the Lady Raiders, competing at the Boo Williams/Ronald Curry Classic in Hampton. They'll play Lakeland at 3pm Friday)
J.R. Tucker 58, Hanover 37 (semis of Clover Hill Winter Break Tournament; Hawks, now 1-5, play Clover Hill in 3rd place game Friday at 5:30pm. Glen Allen and J.R. Tucker will play afterwards for the tournament title...)
Other games on Friday:
BOYS:
Atlee at St. Christopher's, 7:15pm
Caroline at Lee-Davis, 7pm
Thursday, December 27, 2012
All-Metro Football Team Honors!
Congratulations to the following Hanover County players selected to the All-Metro Football Team:
1st Team Offense: Chris Simpson (RB), Lee-Davis; Morris Jackson (RB), Atlee; Sam Rogers (Utility), Hanover; Chad Jacob (TE), Atlee
2nd Team Offense: Josh Hutto (OL), Hanover; Alec Eberle (OL), Atlee; Travis Phillips (WR), Patrick Henry; Donte Haynesworth (WR), Hanover; L.J. Jones (RB), Hanover
2nd Team Defense: Donald Kidd (DL), Lee-Davis; David Crytser (LB), Hanover
Honorable Mention: Nick Clarke (C), Atlee; Russell Munn (OL), Lee-Davis
First and Second Team members will be honored at the 2013 Banquet on January 24th at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa in Short Pump.
OUR TAKE: Great call on all of the above candidates and very well deserved. The only glaring exception is Kenner Berry of Atlee, who threw for 20 touchdowns and over 2,250 yards on a team hampered with problems on defense and special teams that weren't of his own doing. An Honorable Mention for Berry would have been appropriate.
Congratulations to all of our student-athletes here in Hanover County!
1st Team Offense: Chris Simpson (RB), Lee-Davis; Morris Jackson (RB), Atlee; Sam Rogers (Utility), Hanover; Chad Jacob (TE), Atlee
2nd Team Offense: Josh Hutto (OL), Hanover; Alec Eberle (OL), Atlee; Travis Phillips (WR), Patrick Henry; Donte Haynesworth (WR), Hanover; L.J. Jones (RB), Hanover
2nd Team Defense: Donald Kidd (DL), Lee-Davis; David Crytser (LB), Hanover
Honorable Mention: Nick Clarke (C), Atlee; Russell Munn (OL), Lee-Davis
First and Second Team members will be honored at the 2013 Banquet on January 24th at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa in Short Pump.
OUR TAKE: Great call on all of the above candidates and very well deserved. The only glaring exception is Kenner Berry of Atlee, who threw for 20 touchdowns and over 2,250 yards on a team hampered with problems on defense and special teams that weren't of his own doing. An Honorable Mention for Berry would have been appropriate.
Congratulations to all of our student-athletes here in Hanover County!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
SATURDAY WRAP: Green Dragon Relays, PH in T-DIT....
The 30th Annual Green Dragon Relays took place Saturday in Richmond's Arthur Ashe Center, with Lee-Davis and Atlee participating and turning in several strong performances!
--Madison Angus of Lee-Davis finished 3rd in the girls pole vault at 9 1/2 feet...
--Michael Doggett of Lee-Davis finished 3rd in the boys pole vault at 12 feet...
--Austin Cannon of Atlee WON the boys shot put at 50 feet, 3.5 inches, his teammate Evan Griffey placed 3rd at 44 feet, 3 inches...
--Logan Shearon of Atlee, a freshman, placed 3rd in the girls high jump at 4 1/2 feet, just ahead of Lee-Davis' Dawnyshia Griffin...
--Dallas Tennessee of Lee-Davis finished 2nd in the girls long jump at 17 feet, 1/2 inch...
-- India Lowe of Atlee was 4th in the girls triple jump at 32 feet, 7 inches, followed by teammate Cierra Shelton in 5th (32 feet, 2 3/4 inches)..
--Derek Henderson of Atlee was 4th in the boys triple jump (38 feet, 4 3/4 inches), followed by teammate Javaughn Gordon at 38 feet, 1/2 inch.
In track events....
--David Segovia of Atlee WON the boys 55 meter hurdles in 8.23; Lee Warren of Lee-Davis finished 3rd at 8.27 with Atlee's T.J. Warren 5th at 8.70.
--Bonny Turnage of Lee-Davis easily WON the girls 1600 meters (5:31.49), with teammate Hailey Warren finishing second in 5:43.82.
--Maggie Morgan of Lee-Davis WON the girls 1000 meter freshman run in 3:39.44, with 8th grader Mary Kate Roberson of Atlee placing 2nd (3:47.83) and Lee-Davis' Shelby Rathert third (3:49.82).
--Michael Bright of Atlee finished 2nd in the boys 1000 meter freshman run in 3:05.60.
--Highland Springs won the girls 4 X 200 relay in 1:54.67, but Lee-Davis and Atlee placed 2nd and 3rd respectively (1:56.29 and 1:56.37).
--Lee-Davis finished second to Highland Springs in the boys 4 X 200 relay at 1:41.85...
--Atlee cruised to VICTORY in the girls and boys 4 X 800 relays: the girls won in 10:58.34, the boys at 8:55.89. The girls won by 30 seconds, the boys by nearly seven.
--Atlee and Lee-Davis finished one-two in the girls 4 X 400 freshman relay....
--Lee-Davis WON the boys 4 X 400 freshmen relay in 4:08.73...
--Lee-Davis took second in the girls 4 X 400 relay in 4:32.66...
And in the final race of the day, Atlee fell just short of winning the boys 4 X 400 relay, finishing second to Varina. The Blue Devils came in at 3:46.97, the Raiders under a second behind at 3:47.63. Lee-Davis was third at 3:50.88.
Congrats to all participants!!
---------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately for Patrick Henry's girls basketball Saturday, their shooting was as icy as the cold drink containers in the concession stand. Varina took full advantage of the Patriot baskets not falling to retake a lead, then hold on to defeat Patrick Henry 62-60 in the 5th place game of the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament at the Siegel Center Saturday afternoon.
Summer Price, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, poured in 32 points, half of them in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were desperately trying to erase a small but consistent Varina lead. Jasmine Pinder had one of her better offensive outputs in some time, scoring 14. Amber Lee had 6, low for her, as she was bit by the "cold shooting bug", as were others, in the second half. Three-pointers, runners in the lane, even a point-blank layup for Price, all missing their mark.
That was enough of an opening to allow Varina, led by Mia Fitts' 19 points, to erase a 31-27 halftime deficit to march to victory. Varina moves to 10-1 with the win, while Patrick Henry moves to 9-2 and must next prepare to play the one team they did defeat in the tournament, Deep Run, on Thursday January 3rd when Colonial District play heats up.
Patrick Henry is alone in first in the Colonial at 5-0, while every other team has at least two district losses. The Patriots beat Deep Run in a nip and tuck battle Friday 52-49.
--Madison Angus of Lee-Davis finished 3rd in the girls pole vault at 9 1/2 feet...
--Michael Doggett of Lee-Davis finished 3rd in the boys pole vault at 12 feet...
--Austin Cannon of Atlee WON the boys shot put at 50 feet, 3.5 inches, his teammate Evan Griffey placed 3rd at 44 feet, 3 inches...
--Logan Shearon of Atlee, a freshman, placed 3rd in the girls high jump at 4 1/2 feet, just ahead of Lee-Davis' Dawnyshia Griffin...
--Dallas Tennessee of Lee-Davis finished 2nd in the girls long jump at 17 feet, 1/2 inch...
-- India Lowe of Atlee was 4th in the girls triple jump at 32 feet, 7 inches, followed by teammate Cierra Shelton in 5th (32 feet, 2 3/4 inches)..
--Derek Henderson of Atlee was 4th in the boys triple jump (38 feet, 4 3/4 inches), followed by teammate Javaughn Gordon at 38 feet, 1/2 inch.
In track events....
--David Segovia of Atlee WON the boys 55 meter hurdles in 8.23; Lee Warren of Lee-Davis finished 3rd at 8.27 with Atlee's T.J. Warren 5th at 8.70.
--Bonny Turnage of Lee-Davis easily WON the girls 1600 meters (5:31.49), with teammate Hailey Warren finishing second in 5:43.82.
--Maggie Morgan of Lee-Davis WON the girls 1000 meter freshman run in 3:39.44, with 8th grader Mary Kate Roberson of Atlee placing 2nd (3:47.83) and Lee-Davis' Shelby Rathert third (3:49.82).
--Michael Bright of Atlee finished 2nd in the boys 1000 meter freshman run in 3:05.60.
--Highland Springs won the girls 4 X 200 relay in 1:54.67, but Lee-Davis and Atlee placed 2nd and 3rd respectively (1:56.29 and 1:56.37).
--Lee-Davis finished second to Highland Springs in the boys 4 X 200 relay at 1:41.85...
--Atlee cruised to VICTORY in the girls and boys 4 X 800 relays: the girls won in 10:58.34, the boys at 8:55.89. The girls won by 30 seconds, the boys by nearly seven.
--Atlee and Lee-Davis finished one-two in the girls 4 X 400 freshman relay....
--Lee-Davis WON the boys 4 X 400 freshmen relay in 4:08.73...
--Lee-Davis took second in the girls 4 X 400 relay in 4:32.66...
And in the final race of the day, Atlee fell just short of winning the boys 4 X 400 relay, finishing second to Varina. The Blue Devils came in at 3:46.97, the Raiders under a second behind at 3:47.63. Lee-Davis was third at 3:50.88.
Congrats to all participants!!
---------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately for Patrick Henry's girls basketball Saturday, their shooting was as icy as the cold drink containers in the concession stand. Varina took full advantage of the Patriot baskets not falling to retake a lead, then hold on to defeat Patrick Henry 62-60 in the 5th place game of the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament at the Siegel Center Saturday afternoon.
Summer Price, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, poured in 32 points, half of them in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were desperately trying to erase a small but consistent Varina lead. Jasmine Pinder had one of her better offensive outputs in some time, scoring 14. Amber Lee had 6, low for her, as she was bit by the "cold shooting bug", as were others, in the second half. Three-pointers, runners in the lane, even a point-blank layup for Price, all missing their mark.
That was enough of an opening to allow Varina, led by Mia Fitts' 19 points, to erase a 31-27 halftime deficit to march to victory. Varina moves to 10-1 with the win, while Patrick Henry moves to 9-2 and must next prepare to play the one team they did defeat in the tournament, Deep Run, on Thursday January 3rd when Colonial District play heats up.
Patrick Henry is alone in first in the Colonial at 5-0, while every other team has at least two district losses. The Patriots beat Deep Run in a nip and tuck battle Friday 52-49.
Friday, December 21, 2012
PH survives "non-district" test with Deep Run....
They aren't officially meeting for the first time in Colonial District play until January 3rd in Ashland, but, Patrick Henry and Deep Run found themselves paired Friday evening in the consolation bracket of the T-DIT, attempting to avoid the dreaded 9am game for 7th place on Saturday.
The lead went back and forth much of the first half, as the Wildcats found ways to make the Patriots seem tense controlling the basketball. But their five turnovers in the second quarter were a far cry from their 12 in the same quarter in round one yesterday against Highland Springs.
The Patriots built a four-point lead, but, Amanda Turner gave Patrick Henry nightmare flashbacks of the game-winning shot that knocked the Patriots out of last year's Colonial District tournament, nailing a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer to bring Deep Run within one at 25-24.
The Patriots played their best ball in the third and early fourth quarter, better controlling the ball and quietly building an eleven-point lead, as India Coles lit up the Wildcats for seven points during the span. But Deep Run had one more run in them, and, four minutes later, they tied the game at 46-46 on an Alley Odell basket.
It was nip and tuck the rest of the way, Amber Lee scoring to make it 50-48 Patrick Henry, then Turner making a free throw to cut the lead to 50-49 with 49 seconds left. Tyler Pinder was fouled, but missed a one-and-one and in spite of a Lee offensive rebound not converted into points, Deep Run had the ball with a chance to win.
The seconds ticked away until, with four to go, Megan Fitzsimmons found the ball in the lane after it had been blocked by the Patriots. Her shot from 12 feet went in.....and out of the basket. Lee rebounded, was fouled with 2.2 seconds to go, and the junior calmly sank both free throws for a 52-49 edge.
The Wildcats got off an anemic three-point attempt at the buzzer from 45 feet that fell way short, and the Patriots breathed a sigh of relief.
Patrick Henry moves to 9-1 on the year, and now they know exactly who their #1 rival in the district will be come January and beyond. This is no surprise, as most prognosticators predicted Deep Run would win the Colonial this season.
This tournament game does not count in the district standings, but their games January 3rd in Ashland and February 8th in Twin Hickory do.
And don't be shocked if there's a fourth and final matchup in the Colonial District tournament.
Patrick Henry will play Varina, 61-51 winners over Prince George in the other consolation bracket game, for 5th place at 12noon at the Siegel Center. Deep Run and Prince George will tip off for 7th place at 9am.
The lead went back and forth much of the first half, as the Wildcats found ways to make the Patriots seem tense controlling the basketball. But their five turnovers in the second quarter were a far cry from their 12 in the same quarter in round one yesterday against Highland Springs.
The Patriots built a four-point lead, but, Amanda Turner gave Patrick Henry nightmare flashbacks of the game-winning shot that knocked the Patriots out of last year's Colonial District tournament, nailing a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer to bring Deep Run within one at 25-24.
The Patriots played their best ball in the third and early fourth quarter, better controlling the ball and quietly building an eleven-point lead, as India Coles lit up the Wildcats for seven points during the span. But Deep Run had one more run in them, and, four minutes later, they tied the game at 46-46 on an Alley Odell basket.
It was nip and tuck the rest of the way, Amber Lee scoring to make it 50-48 Patrick Henry, then Turner making a free throw to cut the lead to 50-49 with 49 seconds left. Tyler Pinder was fouled, but missed a one-and-one and in spite of a Lee offensive rebound not converted into points, Deep Run had the ball with a chance to win.
The seconds ticked away until, with four to go, Megan Fitzsimmons found the ball in the lane after it had been blocked by the Patriots. Her shot from 12 feet went in.....and out of the basket. Lee rebounded, was fouled with 2.2 seconds to go, and the junior calmly sank both free throws for a 52-49 edge.
The Wildcats got off an anemic three-point attempt at the buzzer from 45 feet that fell way short, and the Patriots breathed a sigh of relief.
Patrick Henry moves to 9-1 on the year, and now they know exactly who their #1 rival in the district will be come January and beyond. This is no surprise, as most prognosticators predicted Deep Run would win the Colonial this season.
This tournament game does not count in the district standings, but their games January 3rd in Ashland and February 8th in Twin Hickory do.
And don't be shocked if there's a fourth and final matchup in the Colonial District tournament.
Patrick Henry will play Varina, 61-51 winners over Prince George in the other consolation bracket game, for 5th place at 12noon at the Siegel Center. Deep Run and Prince George will tip off for 7th place at 9am.
Twas The Weekend Before Christmas.....
...and teams were busy!
Patrick Henry basketball plays Deep Run at 6pm in the consolation bracket of the T-DIT Tournament at St. Christopher's. If they win, they play at the Siegel Center Saturday at noon. If they lose, they'll play at 9am. Tonight's game will NOT count in Colonial District standings.....
Atlee hosts the Raider Wrestling Duels welcoming teams from around the area and other parts of Virginia beginning at 9am Saturday.
Meanwhile the annual Green Dragon Relays, presented by Maggie Walker Governors School, take place at the Arthur Ashe Center all day Saturday. Atlee, Lee-Davis, and Hanover are all participating.....
Patrick Henry basketball plays Deep Run at 6pm in the consolation bracket of the T-DIT Tournament at St. Christopher's. If they win, they play at the Siegel Center Saturday at noon. If they lose, they'll play at 9am. Tonight's game will NOT count in Colonial District standings.....
Atlee hosts the Raider Wrestling Duels welcoming teams from around the area and other parts of Virginia beginning at 9am Saturday.
Meanwhile the annual Green Dragon Relays, presented by Maggie Walker Governors School, take place at the Arthur Ashe Center all day Saturday. Atlee, Lee-Davis, and Hanover are all participating.....
Hidden Gem: Atlee Falls To Hermitage in Overtime....
Going into Thursday night, all eyes were on Patrick Henry girls basketball as they prepared to face Highland Springs in a battle of unbeatens in the first round of the T-DIT Tournament.
By night's end, the Patriots were licking their wounds and another game took center stage in an overtime thriller.
Summer Price led PH with 14 points, who fell hopelessly behind, committing 21 first half turnovers due to a withering full-court pressure defense by the Springers (4-0). The final, 72-43, was Patrick Henry's largest margin of defeat in at least two years.....
The Patriots (8-1) will now face Colonial District foe Deep Run, who lost to St. Catherine's 54-43, tonight at 6pm at St. Christopher's. The game will not count in district standings. A win puts PH in the consolation game at 12noon Saturday, a loss means they play in the 5th place game at 9am. Saturday's game will be played at the Siegel Center.
------------------------------
This reporter arrived to Hermitage High following the Patriots game to find a 12-12 tie in boys hoops action late in the first quarter. I settled in, and watched an excellent game unfold.
Atlee looked nothing like a team on a seven-game losing streak, and Hermitage was not playing up to the potential they showed last week in their fourth-quarter comeback win over Patrick Henry in Ashland. The Raiders were pleased to take a 34-30 halftime lead to the locker room and came out strong in the second half, despite the foul totals piling up all around them.
A Quincy Randolf basket with 11 seconds left in the third gave Atlee what would be their biggest lead at 8 points, 52-44. But credit Hermitage for a quick resurgence early in the fourth, going on a 7-0 run to make it 56-55 with 4 minutes to play. Brian Miller sank four straight free throws in a nearly two minute stretch and the Raider defense clamped down on the Panthers, building a 60-55 edge with 2:23 to go.
Hermitage answered with five points of their own to tie the game at 1:54 left. An Atlee shot at an easy fast break layup was mishandled and Hermitage took over, but couldn't convert, and, when Miller hit two more free throws with 1:15 left, it was 62-60 Atlee.
25 seconds later, again, Miller reached the charity stripe. This time, though, he couldn't convert on the front end of a one-and-one, and Hermitage took full advantage. Nico Johnson's drive to the hoop drew a foul, and, with 25 seconds left in regulation, Johnson calmly sank both free throws to tie the game at 62-62.
The Raiders set up a play for the game-winning shot, and, after multiple attempts to drive, Miller found an opening, got inside the lane, but his running floater at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.
Overtime.
Atlee, who lost one player to fouls in the 4th, lost two more in overtime, severely hampering the rotation. Hermitage took its first lead since the first half 18 seconds into the extra session. Atlee spent most of the overtime playing the role of Hermitage, keep pacing but not overcoming the deficit.....until, when Miller's two-pointer tied the game at 68-68 with 1:52 left.
From there, the Panthers went on their final run, getting two baskets on tip-ins, rebounding the ball on Atlee at the offensive end at will, to built a 72-69 lead. The Raiders cut it to one on free throws with 26 seconds left. Nico Johnson hit one of two free throws and it was 73-71, 18 seconds were left, and Atlee had the ball.
Brian Miller calmly brought the ball into the frontcourt, Atlee ran their offensive, trying to get Miller loose for a jumper, but the Panthers wisely kept him in check, and, when his desperation shot wedged between the rim and the backboard as the buzzer sounded, the game ended in a thud, literally and figuratively.
Frustrations were high as the Raiders left the Hermitage court knowing they let one get away in a season where, especially in their district, wins will be hard to come by. Miller led the Raiders with 26 points, but certainly wishes he was better than 7-for-13 at the charity stripe. Rashaun Winters added 16 points and played great late-game defense in spite of being hampered with four fouls.
Atlee, now 1-8, rest for Christmas, then return to practice to prepare for a game at St. Christopher's on Friday, December 28th. The Saints rolled over Thomas Jefferson 67-38 Thursday in the first round of the boys bracket of the T-DIT.
The Atlee girls also fell at Hermitage Thursday night, losing 73-61.
By night's end, the Patriots were licking their wounds and another game took center stage in an overtime thriller.
Summer Price led PH with 14 points, who fell hopelessly behind, committing 21 first half turnovers due to a withering full-court pressure defense by the Springers (4-0). The final, 72-43, was Patrick Henry's largest margin of defeat in at least two years.....
The Patriots (8-1) will now face Colonial District foe Deep Run, who lost to St. Catherine's 54-43, tonight at 6pm at St. Christopher's. The game will not count in district standings. A win puts PH in the consolation game at 12noon Saturday, a loss means they play in the 5th place game at 9am. Saturday's game will be played at the Siegel Center.
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This reporter arrived to Hermitage High following the Patriots game to find a 12-12 tie in boys hoops action late in the first quarter. I settled in, and watched an excellent game unfold.
Atlee looked nothing like a team on a seven-game losing streak, and Hermitage was not playing up to the potential they showed last week in their fourth-quarter comeback win over Patrick Henry in Ashland. The Raiders were pleased to take a 34-30 halftime lead to the locker room and came out strong in the second half, despite the foul totals piling up all around them.
A Quincy Randolf basket with 11 seconds left in the third gave Atlee what would be their biggest lead at 8 points, 52-44. But credit Hermitage for a quick resurgence early in the fourth, going on a 7-0 run to make it 56-55 with 4 minutes to play. Brian Miller sank four straight free throws in a nearly two minute stretch and the Raider defense clamped down on the Panthers, building a 60-55 edge with 2:23 to go.
Hermitage answered with five points of their own to tie the game at 1:54 left. An Atlee shot at an easy fast break layup was mishandled and Hermitage took over, but couldn't convert, and, when Miller hit two more free throws with 1:15 left, it was 62-60 Atlee.
25 seconds later, again, Miller reached the charity stripe. This time, though, he couldn't convert on the front end of a one-and-one, and Hermitage took full advantage. Nico Johnson's drive to the hoop drew a foul, and, with 25 seconds left in regulation, Johnson calmly sank both free throws to tie the game at 62-62.
The Raiders set up a play for the game-winning shot, and, after multiple attempts to drive, Miller found an opening, got inside the lane, but his running floater at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.
Overtime.
Atlee, who lost one player to fouls in the 4th, lost two more in overtime, severely hampering the rotation. Hermitage took its first lead since the first half 18 seconds into the extra session. Atlee spent most of the overtime playing the role of Hermitage, keep pacing but not overcoming the deficit.....until, when Miller's two-pointer tied the game at 68-68 with 1:52 left.
From there, the Panthers went on their final run, getting two baskets on tip-ins, rebounding the ball on Atlee at the offensive end at will, to built a 72-69 lead. The Raiders cut it to one on free throws with 26 seconds left. Nico Johnson hit one of two free throws and it was 73-71, 18 seconds were left, and Atlee had the ball.
Brian Miller calmly brought the ball into the frontcourt, Atlee ran their offensive, trying to get Miller loose for a jumper, but the Panthers wisely kept him in check, and, when his desperation shot wedged between the rim and the backboard as the buzzer sounded, the game ended in a thud, literally and figuratively.
Frustrations were high as the Raiders left the Hermitage court knowing they let one get away in a season where, especially in their district, wins will be hard to come by. Miller led the Raiders with 26 points, but certainly wishes he was better than 7-for-13 at the charity stripe. Rashaun Winters added 16 points and played great late-game defense in spite of being hampered with four fouls.
Atlee, now 1-8, rest for Christmas, then return to practice to prepare for a game at St. Christopher's on Friday, December 28th. The Saints rolled over Thomas Jefferson 67-38 Thursday in the first round of the boys bracket of the T-DIT.
The Atlee girls also fell at Hermitage Thursday night, losing 73-61.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Lee-Davis Splits With Dinwiddie.....
The home teams held court on Wednesday night......
In Mechanicsville, Imani Boothe had 14 points while Kerstin Winston dropped 11 and Olivia Tuck 10 and Lee-Davis kept the Dinwiddie Generals girls' team winless in 2012-13 with a 51-36 victory. The loss snapped a losing streak, improving the Lady Confederates record to 3-6.
In Dinwiddie, Ladarein Autry poured in 29 points and Josh Brown added 11 but it wasn't enough as Dinwiddie defeated the C'Feds 78-62 to go to 3-5 on the season. The Confederates started hot, grabbing a seven-point lead after one quarter, a three point edge at the break. But Dinwiddie roared back after scoring just 29 in the first half to score 23 in the third quarter and 26 in the fourth to break the game open.
Lee-Davis returns to action next Friday 12/28 when they host Group AA Caroline......
JV Boys Basketball Final: Dinwiddie 63, Lee-Davis 50......
In Mechanicsville, Imani Boothe had 14 points while Kerstin Winston dropped 11 and Olivia Tuck 10 and Lee-Davis kept the Dinwiddie Generals girls' team winless in 2012-13 with a 51-36 victory. The loss snapped a losing streak, improving the Lady Confederates record to 3-6.
In Dinwiddie, Ladarein Autry poured in 29 points and Josh Brown added 11 but it wasn't enough as Dinwiddie defeated the C'Feds 78-62 to go to 3-5 on the season. The Confederates started hot, grabbing a seven-point lead after one quarter, a three point edge at the break. But Dinwiddie roared back after scoring just 29 in the first half to score 23 in the third quarter and 26 in the fourth to break the game open.
Lee-Davis returns to action next Friday 12/28 when they host Group AA Caroline......
JV Boys Basketball Final: Dinwiddie 63, Lee-Davis 50......
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Randolph-Macon Plays Complete 40 Minutes....
Though Randolph-Macon could point to its amazingly difficult schedule to explain its 3-5 start (the combined record of their first nine opponents was 59-19), the Jackets were much more introspect coming into the home game against 9-1 Salisbury (Md.) Wednesday night.
"We worked hard to play our game," said forward Andre Simon, a game consisting of pressure defense, transition, limiting opponents shot opportunities and counting on their inside-out approach to generate offense.
The Jackets fired on all cylinders Wednesday, defeating Salisbury 77-55 to improve to 4-5 overall.
"Tonight was the first time this year we played consistently our game over 40 minutes," said Randolph-Macon head coach Nathan Davis.
Facing another possible mountain to climb when the Sea Gulls took a 24-17 lead halfway through the first half, the Jackets went on a 22-6 run in the last 8:56, fueled by two straight traditional three-point plays by Simon to give R-MC a 25-24 lead.
Dylan Robeson answered with a three-point shot to give Salisbury what would be their final lead at 27-25. The Jackets rallied in a stretch that included a basket by Simon, a Dylan Cole block, two missed free throws by Salisbury center Trent Epps, and a stretch where Joe Hassell tallied a basket, two free throws and three rebounds. When Hassell ended the scoring with a layup with one second left, the halftime tally was 39-30.
The Jackets quickly opened the lead to 12 before Salisbury mounted its best comeback attempt of the second half, scoring seven unanswered to cut the Macon lead to 47-43. But the Jackets stopped the rally, and went on a tear.
Over the next 5 1/2 minutes, the Jackets went on a 14-0 run, and when the Sea Gulls took a timeout at 6:53 to go, it was 61-43.
Transition baskets picked up in the final minutes as, eventually, benches were emptied and everyone got playing time. The Jackets found it a much easier go cutting toward the basket for extra passes to open teammates for layups, including two by Andre Simon that were eye-popping.
Also in double figures were Hassell with 13 points and Connor Sullivan with 10. The Jackets outrebounded Salisbury 41-28.
Tomorrow begins a mandatory week off for the Christmas holiday. The Jackets return to practice on December 27th to prepare for their annual Coaches Classic, which begins December 29th at 3pm when R-MC takes on Washington College.
"We worked hard to play our game," said forward Andre Simon, a game consisting of pressure defense, transition, limiting opponents shot opportunities and counting on their inside-out approach to generate offense.
The Jackets fired on all cylinders Wednesday, defeating Salisbury 77-55 to improve to 4-5 overall.
"Tonight was the first time this year we played consistently our game over 40 minutes," said Randolph-Macon head coach Nathan Davis.
Facing another possible mountain to climb when the Sea Gulls took a 24-17 lead halfway through the first half, the Jackets went on a 22-6 run in the last 8:56, fueled by two straight traditional three-point plays by Simon to give R-MC a 25-24 lead.
Dylan Robeson answered with a three-point shot to give Salisbury what would be their final lead at 27-25. The Jackets rallied in a stretch that included a basket by Simon, a Dylan Cole block, two missed free throws by Salisbury center Trent Epps, and a stretch where Joe Hassell tallied a basket, two free throws and three rebounds. When Hassell ended the scoring with a layup with one second left, the halftime tally was 39-30.
The Jackets quickly opened the lead to 12 before Salisbury mounted its best comeback attempt of the second half, scoring seven unanswered to cut the Macon lead to 47-43. But the Jackets stopped the rally, and went on a tear.
Over the next 5 1/2 minutes, the Jackets went on a 14-0 run, and when the Sea Gulls took a timeout at 6:53 to go, it was 61-43.
Transition baskets picked up in the final minutes as, eventually, benches were emptied and everyone got playing time. The Jackets found it a much easier go cutting toward the basket for extra passes to open teammates for layups, including two by Andre Simon that were eye-popping.
Also in double figures were Hassell with 13 points and Connor Sullivan with 10. The Jackets outrebounded Salisbury 41-28.
Tomorrow begins a mandatory week off for the Christmas holiday. The Jackets return to practice on December 27th to prepare for their annual Coaches Classic, which begins December 29th at 3pm when R-MC takes on Washington College.
TUESDAY ROUNDUP....
The Patrick Henry girls basketball team was finally back at full strength and, though they struggled in the second half, they maintained their first half lead to hold off Mills Godwin 50-39 Tuesday to improve to 5-0 in the Colonial District, 8-0 overall. This gives the Patriots a two-game lead in the district over four teams with two losses: Deep Run, Godwin, Hermitage and John Marshall. Patrick Henry has defeated the latter three and will host Deep Run on January 3rd.
The Patriots next meet Highland Springs in round one of the 2012 Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament, Thursday at 6pm at Benedictine.
In other action, the Lee-Davis girls were overwhelmed on the road at Glen Allen 59-18. The Confederates, now 0-3 in the Capital District, 3-6 overall, next face Dinwiddie tonight (Wednesday) at 7pm....
In boys action, Glen Allen bested Lee-Davis in Mechanicsville 68-51 in Capital action, while Patrick Henry lost their fourth straight at home, 54-46 to Mills Godwin.
COLLEGE: In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Randolph-Macon women's basketball team fell to 1-10 with a 70-56 loss to Curry College. Hannah Livermon led the Jackets with 16 points, followed by Sarah Parsons with 15. The Jackets are off until January 5th when they return to ODAC play at Guilford.
The Patriots next meet Highland Springs in round one of the 2012 Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament, Thursday at 6pm at Benedictine.
In other action, the Lee-Davis girls were overwhelmed on the road at Glen Allen 59-18. The Confederates, now 0-3 in the Capital District, 3-6 overall, next face Dinwiddie tonight (Wednesday) at 7pm....
In boys action, Glen Allen bested Lee-Davis in Mechanicsville 68-51 in Capital action, while Patrick Henry lost their fourth straight at home, 54-46 to Mills Godwin.
COLLEGE: In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Randolph-Macon women's basketball team fell to 1-10 with a 70-56 loss to Curry College. Hannah Livermon led the Jackets with 16 points, followed by Sarah Parsons with 15. The Jackets are off until January 5th when they return to ODAC play at Guilford.
Monday, December 17, 2012
MONDAY RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOL: Atlee boys overwhelmed by turnovers and the speed of Varina tonight, with the Blue Devils winning 87-44 to move to 7-1 on the year. Brian Miller scored 14 for the Raiders, while Quincy Randolph added 10.
Armstrong handed Hanover its first loss of the year, both overall and the highly competitive Capital District, defeating the Hawks 79-69. The Hawks are 1-1 in district, 3-1 overall...
GIRLS: Varina remained unbeaten by defeating Atlee 75-47....
---------------------------
COLLEGE: In college basketball, Catholic held off Randolph-Macon in men's action on the road tonight 67-55. Andre Simon led the Jackets (3-5) with 16 points. They return to Crenshaw on Wednesday to face Salisbury. The R-MC women, participating in the Cruzin Classic in Fort Lauderdale, FL, fell to 1-9 losing to Hartwick College 61-49, as Hannah Livermon and Katie Anderson each scored 11 points.
The women compete again in the Classic tomorrow at 4pm against Curry College.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Hawks, Patriots Split in County Hoops Showdown
Trayvonte Brown scored 30 points as Hanover used a 27-13 third quarter to roll past county rival Patrick Henry in boys basketball Wednesday night, 88-65.
Lucas Pienkowski led Patrick Henry (3-3) with 22 points, but most of those came in the second half with the outcome no longer in doubt. Pienkowski picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, forcing him to the bench and forcing the Patriots to lean on the drive and dribble skills of Khalil Mock exclusively. Mock had a great night shooting, 7-of-11 from the field on the way to 19 points.
Hanover (3-0) as a team shot 50.6 percent, but much hotter inside the arc as they only made four of 24 three-point attempts. Patrick Henry's Wes Toro led all rebounders with 11.
The Patriots remain home for a Colonial District matchup versus Hermitage Friday night at 7:30, following the PH/Hermitage girls showdown at 6pm.
The Hawks next go into a brutal Capital District stretch with a trip to Armstrong on Monday night. Armstrong upset Highland Springs 79-58 Tuesday to remain unbeaten on the year, including a victory over Thomas Jefferson.
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The Patriot girls traveled to Hanover and came away with their sixth straight win to open the season, 51-31 over the Hawks. Amber Lee led the Patriots with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 blocks as the Patriots played without point guard Summer Price who was ill. This marked the second straight win for a depleted Patriots roster. Patrick Henry will host two pivotal home games before the Christmas break, Friday versus Hermitage and their transfer sensation Destini Walker, then Tuesday night against Mills Godwin.
Lucas Pienkowski led Patrick Henry (3-3) with 22 points, but most of those came in the second half with the outcome no longer in doubt. Pienkowski picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, forcing him to the bench and forcing the Patriots to lean on the drive and dribble skills of Khalil Mock exclusively. Mock had a great night shooting, 7-of-11 from the field on the way to 19 points.
Hanover (3-0) as a team shot 50.6 percent, but much hotter inside the arc as they only made four of 24 three-point attempts. Patrick Henry's Wes Toro led all rebounders with 11.
The Patriots remain home for a Colonial District matchup versus Hermitage Friday night at 7:30, following the PH/Hermitage girls showdown at 6pm.
The Hawks next go into a brutal Capital District stretch with a trip to Armstrong on Monday night. Armstrong upset Highland Springs 79-58 Tuesday to remain unbeaten on the year, including a victory over Thomas Jefferson.
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The Patriot girls traveled to Hanover and came away with their sixth straight win to open the season, 51-31 over the Hawks. Amber Lee led the Patriots with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 blocks as the Patriots played without point guard Summer Price who was ill. This marked the second straight win for a depleted Patriots roster. Patrick Henry will host two pivotal home games before the Christmas break, Friday versus Hermitage and their transfer sensation Destini Walker, then Tuesday night against Mills Godwin.
BREAKING: Hailey Brooks Named Gatorade State Player Of The Year!!
Atlee High School has its first-ever Gatorade State Player of the Year, and it is volleyball superstar Hailey Brooks, who captured the award for 2012, it was announced today.
Brooks, who found out about winning the award on Tuesday afternoon, told HanoverCountySports.org exclusively about the honor.
"It is awesome, just awesome. It's all because of the wonderful people who recommended me. Their recommendations are what gave me this incredible honor," Brooks said.
The official press release can be found at this link!
http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/assets/writable/14290/2012-13_VB_HBrooks.pdf
Brooks, who found out about winning the award on Tuesday afternoon, told HanoverCountySports.org exclusively about the honor.
"It is awesome, just awesome. It's all because of the wonderful people who recommended me. Their recommendations are what gave me this incredible honor," Brooks said.
The official press release can be found at this link!
http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/assets/writable/14290/2012-13_VB_HBrooks.pdf
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Now, About Those All-Region Teams.....
As the parent of a member of the cast of "It's A Wonderful Life" at Glen Allen High School this weekend as well as with the two breaking stories from Patrick Henry today, it put my column regarding this week's release of All-Central Region teams back awhile.
VIRGINIAPREPS.COM:
But now I'm ready.
When the announcements were made by VirginiaPreps.com and TimesDispatch.com (two separate awards, the latter done on coaches voting), the immediate reaction with regards to Hanover County was very quick and very sharp.....
"Why isn't Morris Jackson on the first team??"
The Atlee senior tailback, who was hurt in 2011, as well as down on the depth chart behind senior Jarred Hall, flew very, very low under the radar coming into the regular season. In his own county there was much more buzz surrounding Hanover's L.J. Jones, coming off an 1,800 yard season in 2011, and the Lee-Davis tandem of Deshaun Rogers and Chris Simpson.
But after Jackson scored two touchdowns in Atlee's opening week win over Deep Run, he followed it up with his coming out party in Ashland, rushing for seven touchdowns and 284 yards in Atlee's 56-35 win over Patrick Henry. Jackson was on his way to a season where, in only nine games, he would rush for 2,029 yards, scoring an amazing 33 touchdowns, averaging over 3.5 touchdowns PER GAME.
Surely this type of explosive, consistent performance should earn Jackson First Team All-Region honors, even in a crowded race of deserving hopefuls, right?
No.
Paul Robertson of L.C. Bird grabbed one of the two VirginiaPreps running back slots and one of three from the Times Dispatch. Although Robertson has had a legendary run in the playoffs, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards against the likes of Hermitage, Varina and Oakton, he finished the regular season over 200 yards behind Jackson, and, now through 13 games, has still scored two less touchdowns that Jackson did in 9 games.
We understand that post-season is taken into consideration by these award presenters, and don't begrudge Robertson his accolades.
Our contention is simple: Based on performance, Morris Jackson should have been named first team All-Region running back.....and not Derrick Green of Hermitage.
Sacrilege, you say? I expect to be a "lone wolf" in this defense and have no problem with that. But consider the following....
1) Green had 21 touchdowns, Jackson had 33.
2) Green was taken out of the second half of many games, while Jackson was not.
3) Green had the benefit of playing on a team with a good defense. Jackson did not, and, subsequently, found himself the spotlight in several track meets.
4) Green finished the regular season average 130 yards a game, Jackson averaged 225.4, nearly 100 yards MORE than Green.
Green played well, very well, this year for a 10-0 district champion. But, in my view, some of the accolades being given to Green are also because of everything else surrounding his impressive senior season. Few kids in the Central Region begin their final football season playing on Friday, then hopping on jets to places like Oregon, Auburn, and Michigan for Saturday football games. But that's what Green experienced, and deservedly so.
But, the bottom line is, although Green's recruitment has helped keep the U.S. Postal Service solvent, while Jackson has been continually passed by, Jackson's numbers are simply more productive.
Could Green have broken 2,000 yards by playing 40 quarters? Maybe. But remember, Morris did it in 36, missing one game.
So, had yours truly had a vote in all this, Morris Jackson, and not Derrick Green, would have earned All-Region First Team.
Does that mean Jackson is better than Green? No. It means he had a season more worthy of a first-team honor. Green's collegiate career may far outshine Jackson's, but that's not our concern here. Our concern here is 2012 on the field, and, in my view, 2,029 yards and 33 touchdowns in NINE games, constantly being asked to help a team with defensive woes stay in games, those are characteristics worthy of first-team honors.
In closing, Atlee fans.....Imagine the 2012 offense with the 2011 defense.......you're smiling, aren't you?
--------------------------------
CONGRATS TO THE FOLLOWING RECOGNIZED AS ALL-REGION:
VIRGINIAPREPS.COM:
First Team:
WR: Travis Phillips, Patrick Henry (Sr.)
TE: Chad Jacob, Atlee (Sr.)
ATH: Sam Rogers, Hanover (Sr.)
DL: Donald Kidd, Lee-Davis (Jr.)
Second Team:
RB: Morris Jackson, Atlee (Sr.)
RB: Morris Jackson, Atlee (Sr.)
RB: Chris Simpson, Lee-Davis (Sr.)
WR: Donte Haynesworth, Hanover (Sr.)
OL: Josh Hutto, Hanover (Sr.)
OL: Russell Munn, Lee-Davis (Sr.)
LB: David Crytser, Hanover (Sr.)
TIMESDISPATCH.COM (Coaches Voting):
First Team:
WR: Travis Phillips, Patrick Henry
RB: Chris Simpson, Lee-Davis
Utility: Sam Rogers, Hanover
DL: Donald Kidd, Lee-Davis
Second Team:
OL: Josh Hutto, Hanover
OL: Russell Munn, Lee-Davis
TE: Chad Jacob, Atlee
WR: Donte Haynesworth, Hanover
RB: Morris Jackson, Atlee
RB: LJ Jones, Hanover (Sr.)
LB: David Crytser, Hanover
LB: Sam Rogers, Hanover
UPDATE: Patrick Henry Approved To Move Conferences...
From the December 5th executive meeting minutes released today.....
"Approved the Final Conference Alignment Plan for 2013‐14 and 2014‐15 including moving Patrick Henry (Ashland) from 5A South to 5A North and from Conference 11 to Conference 16 and moving Caroline from 4A North to 4A South and from Conference 22 to Conference 20."
A link to the minutes released is HERE.
"Approved the Final Conference Alignment Plan for 2013‐14 and 2014‐15 including moving Patrick Henry (Ashland) from 5A South to 5A North and from Conference 11 to Conference 16 and moving Caroline from 4A North to 4A South and from Conference 22 to Conference 20."
A link to the minutes released is HERE.
BREAKING: Hart Out; Patrick Henry Seeks New Football Coach (UPDATED: Hart To Baseball, Report)
Late this afternoon, we broke the news on Twitter (@hanoversports) that Hanover County Schools has posted the job opening on its web site for a head varsity football coach for Patrick Henry High School.
Sam Hart's tenure in the position is over after three seasons and an overall record of 10-20. Hart was the longtime assistant to Ray Long, the Central Region's all-time winningest head coach who led Patrick Henry from 1982 to 2009.
Hart's first season, a 5-5 mark, was an improvement over Long's final season in 2009 when Patrick Henry went 3-7, their first losing season since 1992. But the Patriots slid back precipitously in 2011, falling to a 2-8 campaign, only defeating Thomas Jefferson and J.R. Tucker. With all three other county schools making the playoffs in 2011, the pressure was on in Ashland.
Coming into 2012, the football season lost one athlete to transfer (Raymon Minor), who never left his mark on the football field for the Patriots as he did on the basketball court, two young quarterbacks, and little experience on either line. They took their lumps early, losing to Hanover 41-0, then to Atlee at home 56-35 when Morris Jackson rushed for seven touchdowns.
A furious second half comeback in Mechanicsville in the Tomato Bowl fell 15 yards short and the Patriots were again swept in the county with Lee-Davis winning 27-20. After a loss to John Marshall in their Colonial opener, the Patriots were impressive at Douglas Freeman, winning 45-28 against a team that had defeated Atlee and would go on to finish 6-4.
But the Pats weren't able to capitalize on that success, losing close games to Deep Run and Mills Godwin to ensure their third losing season in four years. They finished with a loss at Hermitage.
The position is open until January 4th and currently, no word on any possible replacements. There is also no word on the fate of Hart's staff, which included first-year offensive coordinator Matt Crenshaw, previously the head coach at J.R. Tucker.
NBC12 (@MattLincolnTV) is reporting, thus confirming, a report we received from a reliable source a few weeks ago, but could not make public until now, that Hart will return to coaching the Patriots baseball team, where he was a coaching standout for over a decade. That position had been open since last summer.
The job opening is posted HERE.
Sam Hart's tenure in the position is over after three seasons and an overall record of 10-20. Hart was the longtime assistant to Ray Long, the Central Region's all-time winningest head coach who led Patrick Henry from 1982 to 2009.
Hart's first season, a 5-5 mark, was an improvement over Long's final season in 2009 when Patrick Henry went 3-7, their first losing season since 1992. But the Patriots slid back precipitously in 2011, falling to a 2-8 campaign, only defeating Thomas Jefferson and J.R. Tucker. With all three other county schools making the playoffs in 2011, the pressure was on in Ashland.
Coming into 2012, the football season lost one athlete to transfer (Raymon Minor), who never left his mark on the football field for the Patriots as he did on the basketball court, two young quarterbacks, and little experience on either line. They took their lumps early, losing to Hanover 41-0, then to Atlee at home 56-35 when Morris Jackson rushed for seven touchdowns.
A furious second half comeback in Mechanicsville in the Tomato Bowl fell 15 yards short and the Patriots were again swept in the county with Lee-Davis winning 27-20. After a loss to John Marshall in their Colonial opener, the Patriots were impressive at Douglas Freeman, winning 45-28 against a team that had defeated Atlee and would go on to finish 6-4.
But the Pats weren't able to capitalize on that success, losing close games to Deep Run and Mills Godwin to ensure their third losing season in four years. They finished with a loss at Hermitage.
The position is open until January 4th and currently, no word on any possible replacements. There is also no word on the fate of Hart's staff, which included first-year offensive coordinator Matt Crenshaw, previously the head coach at J.R. Tucker.
NBC12 (@MattLincolnTV) is reporting, thus confirming, a report we received from a reliable source a few weeks ago, but could not make public until now, that Hart will return to coaching the Patriots baseball team, where he was a coaching standout for over a decade. That position had been open since last summer.
The job opening is posted HERE.
Gymnastics: Atlee victorious in quad meet Tuesday
Congrats go to the Atlee Raiders gymnastics team for their early season win, defeating Lee-Davis, Douglas Freeman and Henrico on Tuesday night. The Confederates finished second, just 1.7 points behind the Raiders.
TEAM SCORES:
Atlee 133.85
Lee-Davis 132.15
Douglas Freeman 123.30
Henrico 119.25
INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS:
Beam: Jordan Lam (LD) and Derika Banks (A)....8.5
Floor: Kinsee Stonebreaker (LD).......................9.15
Vault: Becca Fields (LD)...................................8.95
Bars: Kaitlyn Ball (A)........................................8.25
All-Around Individual: Derika Banks (A): 34.45
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In Colonial District action, Patrick Henry fell to Deep Run and Mills Godwin in a district meet Tuesday. Final team scores were Deep Run 132.2, Mills Godwin 131.45, Patrick Henry 36.2.
TEAM SCORES:
Atlee 133.85
Lee-Davis 132.15
Douglas Freeman 123.30
Henrico 119.25
INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS:
Beam: Jordan Lam (LD) and Derika Banks (A)....8.5
Floor: Kinsee Stonebreaker (LD).......................9.15
Vault: Becca Fields (LD)...................................8.95
Bars: Kaitlyn Ball (A)........................................8.25
All-Around Individual: Derika Banks (A): 34.45
-----------------------
In Colonial District action, Patrick Henry fell to Deep Run and Mills Godwin in a district meet Tuesday. Final team scores were Deep Run 132.2, Mills Godwin 131.45, Patrick Henry 36.2.
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
All-Central Region Football Teams....
I mentioned on Twitter last night I would be discussing the various All-Central Region football teams that came out over the past 24 hours or so today here on the site.
I still plan to do it, but am working on some additional research to verify my opinions before stating them. I highly respect the people who create these lists, work in tandem with many of them, and, as always, want any of my opinions to be backed with credible information, and not an emotional response. The task of naming these teams is daunting every year, and 2012 provided some especially dicey situations.
Thanks for your patience, as we continue to make this site, and our Twitter feed (@hanoversports), one where you get information, analysis and opinion, but all three in a proper journalistic manner. :)
I still plan to do it, but am working on some additional research to verify my opinions before stating them. I highly respect the people who create these lists, work in tandem with many of them, and, as always, want any of my opinions to be backed with credible information, and not an emotional response. The task of naming these teams is daunting every year, and 2012 provided some especially dicey situations.
Thanks for your patience, as we continue to make this site, and our Twitter feed (@hanoversports), one where you get information, analysis and opinion, but all three in a proper journalistic manner. :)
COLONIAL: Patriots Sweep Tigers In Hoops....
Summer Price poured in 27 points and Patrick Henry survived a slow start to dispose of J.R. Tucker 53-40 Tuesday night to stay unbeaten at 2-0 in the Colonial District, 4-0 overall. Amber Lee chipped in 9 points and 16 rebounds and baskets at key times by India Coles, and the Pinder twins, Tyler and Jasmine, helped keep the Tigers at bay.
Jessica Lee's basket with 4:57 left in the 3rd move Tucker to within two at 33-31 before the Patriots went on an 8-0 run in just two minutes to create a gap that Tucker would not dissolve.
Patrick Henry finally enjoys their home opener this Friday when they face John Marshall at 6pm.
In boys play, Lucas Pienkowski and William Holman each contributed 15 points as Patrick Henry subdued Tucker 49-37, overcoming a cold shooting first half with relentless defense and occasional full-court pressure. Khalil Mock, who scored 30 points in the win Saturday night over Lee-Davis, was held to 8 points but contributed several very timely rebounds, especially in the second half, to keep Tucker from ever mounting a serious comeback.
Now 1-1 in the Colonial and 3-1 overall, the PH boys also finally get their home opener on Friday, as John Marshall comes to Ashland for a 7:30 contest. The Justices are favorites with Thomas Jefferson to win the Colonial, and Patrick Henry's only loss came opening night eight days ago to TJ, 93-55 on the road.
Jessica Lee's basket with 4:57 left in the 3rd move Tucker to within two at 33-31 before the Patriots went on an 8-0 run in just two minutes to create a gap that Tucker would not dissolve.
Patrick Henry finally enjoys their home opener this Friday when they face John Marshall at 6pm.
In boys play, Lucas Pienkowski and William Holman each contributed 15 points as Patrick Henry subdued Tucker 49-37, overcoming a cold shooting first half with relentless defense and occasional full-court pressure. Khalil Mock, who scored 30 points in the win Saturday night over Lee-Davis, was held to 8 points but contributed several very timely rebounds, especially in the second half, to keep Tucker from ever mounting a serious comeback.
Now 1-1 in the Colonial and 3-1 overall, the PH boys also finally get their home opener on Friday, as John Marshall comes to Ashland for a 7:30 contest. The Justices are favorites with Thomas Jefferson to win the Colonial, and Patrick Henry's only loss came opening night eight days ago to TJ, 93-55 on the road.
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Southerner Tip-Off Classic: Patriots Get Better Of Confederates
They weren't on each other's regular season schedules. So the only way long time rivals Lee-Davis and Patrick Henry could meet this year on the hardwood, barring post-season matchups, was by reaching the finals of this past weekend's Southerner Tip-Off Classic at Lee-Davis.
The Patrick Henry girls and boys disposed of Colonial Heights on Thursday and Friday, respectively, as Lee-Davis did to King William, and the matchups were set.
In the nightcap, the boys final was highlighted by physical play, lots of whistles, and two teams still trying to develop chemistry. In those situations, a single player can make the difference, and Saturday night was no different.
Khalil Mock stood head and shoulders above the rest from the start, scoring 8 of his game-high 30 points in the first quarter, as Patrick Henry withstood several Lee-Davis runs to win the tournament, 63-48. The game was closer than the 15-point final indicates.
Mock's early outburst gave PH a 15-10 lead after one, but a crucial scoreless stretch for Lee-Davis over the final 3:37 of the second allowed the Patriots to build an 11-point halftime lead at 26-15. After Ladarein Autry's two free throws made it 21-15, the Confederates went silent until after halftime.
A William Holman trey opened the third quarter, and, after a Mock basket with 3:13 left in the period, Patrick Henry was still comfortably ahead at 38-26. But Lee-Davis ended the third with a 6-0 run, as a Josh Brown basket cut it to 38-32 with 14 seconds left. The Patriots seemingly forgot to try to get a shot off before the buzzer, but the ball landed in Mock's hands, and, with under two seconds to go, he launched a three, and it hit the bottom of the net.
Six unanswered from Mock to open the fourth seemed to finish things at 47-32, but Lee-Davis did cut it to seven three times in the final stanza before hit free throws in the final 90 seconds to extend the margin of victory.
Autry led the Confederates (2-1) with 20 points, followed by Brown with 14. After Mock, Patrick Henry's leading scorer was Lucas Pienkowski with 16. All four players were named to the All-Tournament Team, and Mock was named MVP.
"We have a whole new cast, so this is a great tournament to help us grow up," said Randy Anderson, head coach of the Patriots (2-1). "This weekend helped us to focus on not only how to keep a lead, but how to build on a lead."
For the home team, the learning curve continues for a squad short on height, but tall on grit.
"Our inexperience is still hurting; we seem to get out of the gates really slow," noted new Lee-Davis coach Rob Rice. "We're small, but for us, playing hard will equal wins."
The Confederates already have a feather in their cap, opening their season last Tuesday with a road win over J.R. Tucker from the Colonial District on the same night Patrick Henry opened with a 38-point loss at the hands of Thomas Jefferson, easily one of the top five teams in the Central Region.
The Patriots next go to Tucker to face those same Tigers, while the Confederates get four days to practice, learn from the weekend of experience, and get ready for Capital District play when Varina visits Mechanicsville Friday night.
---------------------------------
In the girls final, Lee-Davis got off to a torrid start, leading 11-6 after a quarter, but the veteran Patriots settled down, taking a 27-21 lead to halftime en route to a 55-37 win.
The defining moment of the game was actually eight minutes in length, as the Patriots only allowed a Confederate free throw in a third quarter where they threw down the gauntlet and clinched the victory.
Not surprisingly, point guard Summer Price led the way with 32 points and was named tournament MVP. Inside, Rachel Adams (who is off to a solid start defensively) and Amber Lee had five each while Ashley Samuels continued her stellar defensive start with 10 rebounds and five steals.
"We're still working on our rotation," noted PH head coach Phillip Cobb afterwards, and the Patriots have liberally used all ten players on their roster in the opening week. Now 1-0, 3-0, the Patriots return to the Colonial Tuesday for a 6PM date with J.R. Tucker.
Lee-Davis (1-2), already suffering from early season nicks and bruises, including a sore elbow suffered by Kerstin Winston in the Patrick Henry loss, must travel across town Monday night to battle Clover Hill before opening Capital District play Friday night at Varina.
The Patrick Henry girls and boys disposed of Colonial Heights on Thursday and Friday, respectively, as Lee-Davis did to King William, and the matchups were set.
In the nightcap, the boys final was highlighted by physical play, lots of whistles, and two teams still trying to develop chemistry. In those situations, a single player can make the difference, and Saturday night was no different.
Khalil Mock stood head and shoulders above the rest from the start, scoring 8 of his game-high 30 points in the first quarter, as Patrick Henry withstood several Lee-Davis runs to win the tournament, 63-48. The game was closer than the 15-point final indicates.
Mock's early outburst gave PH a 15-10 lead after one, but a crucial scoreless stretch for Lee-Davis over the final 3:37 of the second allowed the Patriots to build an 11-point halftime lead at 26-15. After Ladarein Autry's two free throws made it 21-15, the Confederates went silent until after halftime.
A William Holman trey opened the third quarter, and, after a Mock basket with 3:13 left in the period, Patrick Henry was still comfortably ahead at 38-26. But Lee-Davis ended the third with a 6-0 run, as a Josh Brown basket cut it to 38-32 with 14 seconds left. The Patriots seemingly forgot to try to get a shot off before the buzzer, but the ball landed in Mock's hands, and, with under two seconds to go, he launched a three, and it hit the bottom of the net.
Six unanswered from Mock to open the fourth seemed to finish things at 47-32, but Lee-Davis did cut it to seven three times in the final stanza before hit free throws in the final 90 seconds to extend the margin of victory.
Autry led the Confederates (2-1) with 20 points, followed by Brown with 14. After Mock, Patrick Henry's leading scorer was Lucas Pienkowski with 16. All four players were named to the All-Tournament Team, and Mock was named MVP.
"We have a whole new cast, so this is a great tournament to help us grow up," said Randy Anderson, head coach of the Patriots (2-1). "This weekend helped us to focus on not only how to keep a lead, but how to build on a lead."
For the home team, the learning curve continues for a squad short on height, but tall on grit.
"Our inexperience is still hurting; we seem to get out of the gates really slow," noted new Lee-Davis coach Rob Rice. "We're small, but for us, playing hard will equal wins."
The Confederates already have a feather in their cap, opening their season last Tuesday with a road win over J.R. Tucker from the Colonial District on the same night Patrick Henry opened with a 38-point loss at the hands of Thomas Jefferson, easily one of the top five teams in the Central Region.
The Patriots next go to Tucker to face those same Tigers, while the Confederates get four days to practice, learn from the weekend of experience, and get ready for Capital District play when Varina visits Mechanicsville Friday night.
---------------------------------
In the girls final, Lee-Davis got off to a torrid start, leading 11-6 after a quarter, but the veteran Patriots settled down, taking a 27-21 lead to halftime en route to a 55-37 win.
The defining moment of the game was actually eight minutes in length, as the Patriots only allowed a Confederate free throw in a third quarter where they threw down the gauntlet and clinched the victory.
Not surprisingly, point guard Summer Price led the way with 32 points and was named tournament MVP. Inside, Rachel Adams (who is off to a solid start defensively) and Amber Lee had five each while Ashley Samuels continued her stellar defensive start with 10 rebounds and five steals.
"We're still working on our rotation," noted PH head coach Phillip Cobb afterwards, and the Patriots have liberally used all ten players on their roster in the opening week. Now 1-0, 3-0, the Patriots return to the Colonial Tuesday for a 6PM date with J.R. Tucker.
Lee-Davis (1-2), already suffering from early season nicks and bruises, including a sore elbow suffered by Kerstin Winston in the Patrick Henry loss, must travel across town Monday night to battle Clover Hill before opening Capital District play Friday night at Varina.
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Era Ends: Stone Bridge 28, Hanover 21
It's not every day you walk onto your high school field to play football in December, much less line up against a team whose quarterback will be playing for the Stanford Cardinal in 2013.
That is just part of the mammoth assignment that the Hanover Hawks gladly accepted Saturday afternoon, hosting their first-ever home state semifinal after playing three in five years on the road, facing the unbeaten Stone Bridge Bulldogs, favored to win the state championship.
Stone Bridge jumped on Hanover early, then the Hawks calmed down, clawed back into the game, fell behind again, fought back, then simply ran out of time as the Bulldogs escaped Mechanicsville with a 28-21 victory to advance to next Saturday's Division 5 State Final against Lake Taylor (who, too, escaped on the road with a 23-21 win at North Stafford) at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.
How close Hanover came to victory is a microcosm of how their season has played out: a team overcoming adversity and, again, coming up just short in a game where they played equal to their opponents.
But it didn't start that way.
Stone Bridge took the opening kickoff and drove quickly, keyed by a 45 yard run by Sterling Dailey run from the always-confusing and rarely seen in high school single wing formation. Dailey scored on a 10-yard run and the Bulldogs took the lead.
Hanover did respond, moving as far as the Stone Bridge 11, but a 28-yard completion to Mason Bazala at the 11 was called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield, and the drive stalled.
Stone Bridge, in three plays and 31 seconds, found the end zone again on another Dailey run, this time of a yard. The big strike on the drive was a 51-yard pass play from Stanford commit Ryan Burns to Jimmy Higgins to set up the second score.
Just 7:36 into the game and Hanover was down 14-0. Was Hanover Head Coach Josh Just having flashbacks to last year's state semi, when the Hawks fell behind 24-0 to South County in the first half, eventually falling 38-22?
"Absolutely not," Just said. "This is a different team."
And they proved it, beginning on defense, stopping a would-be third straight touchdown drive on downs early in the second quarter, then driving down the field themselves. Sam Rogers found Donte Haynesworth on a slant route sliding in the end zone for a seven-yard score, and it was 14-7 at halftime.
Hanover couldn't ask for a better start to half #2, driving 4:38, culminating in a Rogers 3 yard TD run, and it was 14-14. But credit the Bulldogs for punching back, answering with a 6 1/2 minute drive capped by a Christian Strahin 2-yard TD run to make it 21-14.
Hanover had held Stone Bridge scoreless for 27 minutes. Now the offense had to punch back. But, this one time, they couldn't.
Stone Bridge got the ball back, drove quickly, and a D'Ante Yarborough 5-yard TD run with 6:57 to go seemingly put the game out of reach at 28-14.
But Rogers and company weren't done, as the Hawks traveled down field as quickly as their offense would allow, but after great defensive stops by the Bulldogs, Hanover faced 4th down and 24 and the Stone Bridge 27.
Rogers, in what would be his final high school pass, dropped back, rolled left, bought time, then launched a laser to Donte Haynesworth who beat two defenders in the back left corner of the end zone, retained possession, and cut the Bulldog lead to 28-21 with 4:10 to play.
The Hawks' attempt at an onside kick was recovered by Stone Bridge. The Bulldogs slowed their offensive rhythm down, and, with each passing first down conversion, killed the clock. They forced the Hawks to use one timeout, then they sat on the other two. But when Burns rushed for 12 yards for a first down at the Hanover 20 with 1:08 left, it sealed the Hanover fate.
Burns took three knees, Hanover ran out of time outs, and, ran out of time.
Coach Just and Rogers shared a long embrace in an emotional moment on the field after the final whistle, before the traditional post-game handshakes. Rogers was too emotional to speak to us as he left the field for the final time in uniform.
Rogers finished 11-of-22 for 164 yards with two touchdown passes, and with 24 carries for 129 yards and the one rushing score. A key to Stone Bridge's ability to hang on for the win was keying on Rogers' rushing, as he only gained 23 yards in the second half, compared to 106 in the first.
Another problem for Hanover was in the second quarter when, on a run that resulted in a first down, tailback L.J. Jones re-aggravated the ankle injury he suffered two weeks earlier in the Lee-Davis regional semifinal. Jones would not return. His replacement, Lamont Stubbs, rushed five times for 18 yards.
Dailey finished with 20 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Bulldogs, now 14-0.
Hanover finishes 2012 at 9-4, with the losses coming in the following fashion:
--After leading the whole game without Sam Rogers, Highland Springs defeats them 24-21 scoring a touchdown as time expired.
--A sure overtime was taken away on a roughing the kicker penalty against Varina, giving the Blue Devils a second chance at a game-winning PAT. They made it, Varina won 21-20.
--Arguably Hanover's worst game, the 10-6 loss at Lee-Davis where Rogers returned at quarterback, but a combination of lack of rhythm on offense and a stingy Lee-Davis defense spelled doom.
And now tonight, their biggest loss margin of 2012.....just seven points. Just one more defensive stop giving Rogers and company the ball back, and Hawk Nation was sure Rogers would find the magic again.
But Stone Bridge ran out the clock, the rabbit never came out of the hat, and an amazing era in Hanover County high school football comes to an end.
That is just part of the mammoth assignment that the Hanover Hawks gladly accepted Saturday afternoon, hosting their first-ever home state semifinal after playing three in five years on the road, facing the unbeaten Stone Bridge Bulldogs, favored to win the state championship.
Stone Bridge jumped on Hanover early, then the Hawks calmed down, clawed back into the game, fell behind again, fought back, then simply ran out of time as the Bulldogs escaped Mechanicsville with a 28-21 victory to advance to next Saturday's Division 5 State Final against Lake Taylor (who, too, escaped on the road with a 23-21 win at North Stafford) at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.
How close Hanover came to victory is a microcosm of how their season has played out: a team overcoming adversity and, again, coming up just short in a game where they played equal to their opponents.
But it didn't start that way.
Stone Bridge took the opening kickoff and drove quickly, keyed by a 45 yard run by Sterling Dailey run from the always-confusing and rarely seen in high school single wing formation. Dailey scored on a 10-yard run and the Bulldogs took the lead.
Hanover did respond, moving as far as the Stone Bridge 11, but a 28-yard completion to Mason Bazala at the 11 was called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield, and the drive stalled.
Stone Bridge, in three plays and 31 seconds, found the end zone again on another Dailey run, this time of a yard. The big strike on the drive was a 51-yard pass play from Stanford commit Ryan Burns to Jimmy Higgins to set up the second score.
Just 7:36 into the game and Hanover was down 14-0. Was Hanover Head Coach Josh Just having flashbacks to last year's state semi, when the Hawks fell behind 24-0 to South County in the first half, eventually falling 38-22?
"Absolutely not," Just said. "This is a different team."
And they proved it, beginning on defense, stopping a would-be third straight touchdown drive on downs early in the second quarter, then driving down the field themselves. Sam Rogers found Donte Haynesworth on a slant route sliding in the end zone for a seven-yard score, and it was 14-7 at halftime.
Hanover couldn't ask for a better start to half #2, driving 4:38, culminating in a Rogers 3 yard TD run, and it was 14-14. But credit the Bulldogs for punching back, answering with a 6 1/2 minute drive capped by a Christian Strahin 2-yard TD run to make it 21-14.
Hanover had held Stone Bridge scoreless for 27 minutes. Now the offense had to punch back. But, this one time, they couldn't.
Stone Bridge got the ball back, drove quickly, and a D'Ante Yarborough 5-yard TD run with 6:57 to go seemingly put the game out of reach at 28-14.
But Rogers and company weren't done, as the Hawks traveled down field as quickly as their offense would allow, but after great defensive stops by the Bulldogs, Hanover faced 4th down and 24 and the Stone Bridge 27.
Rogers, in what would be his final high school pass, dropped back, rolled left, bought time, then launched a laser to Donte Haynesworth who beat two defenders in the back left corner of the end zone, retained possession, and cut the Bulldog lead to 28-21 with 4:10 to play.
The Hawks' attempt at an onside kick was recovered by Stone Bridge. The Bulldogs slowed their offensive rhythm down, and, with each passing first down conversion, killed the clock. They forced the Hawks to use one timeout, then they sat on the other two. But when Burns rushed for 12 yards for a first down at the Hanover 20 with 1:08 left, it sealed the Hanover fate.
Burns took three knees, Hanover ran out of time outs, and, ran out of time.
Coach Just and Rogers shared a long embrace in an emotional moment on the field after the final whistle, before the traditional post-game handshakes. Rogers was too emotional to speak to us as he left the field for the final time in uniform.
Rogers finished 11-of-22 for 164 yards with two touchdown passes, and with 24 carries for 129 yards and the one rushing score. A key to Stone Bridge's ability to hang on for the win was keying on Rogers' rushing, as he only gained 23 yards in the second half, compared to 106 in the first.
Another problem for Hanover was in the second quarter when, on a run that resulted in a first down, tailback L.J. Jones re-aggravated the ankle injury he suffered two weeks earlier in the Lee-Davis regional semifinal. Jones would not return. His replacement, Lamont Stubbs, rushed five times for 18 yards.
Dailey finished with 20 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Bulldogs, now 14-0.
Hanover finishes 2012 at 9-4, with the losses coming in the following fashion:
--After leading the whole game without Sam Rogers, Highland Springs defeats them 24-21 scoring a touchdown as time expired.
--A sure overtime was taken away on a roughing the kicker penalty against Varina, giving the Blue Devils a second chance at a game-winning PAT. They made it, Varina won 21-20.
--Arguably Hanover's worst game, the 10-6 loss at Lee-Davis where Rogers returned at quarterback, but a combination of lack of rhythm on offense and a stingy Lee-Davis defense spelled doom.
And now tonight, their biggest loss margin of 2012.....just seven points. Just one more defensive stop giving Rogers and company the ball back, and Hawk Nation was sure Rogers would find the magic again.
But Stone Bridge ran out the clock, the rabbit never came out of the hat, and an amazing era in Hanover County high school football comes to an end.
LISTEN LIVE TO STONE BRIDGE/HANOVER HERE!
CLICK HERE to listen live to the Stone Bridge at Hanover State Group AAA Division 5 Semifinal this afternoon, live from Hanover High School, starting with pregame at 3:30!
WHAN Radio, 102.9 FM and 1430 AM in Ashland/Richmond, provides on-air coverage with Rob Witham bringing you all the action as the Hawks host their first-ever home state semifinal game, looking to finally make it to the state championship game on their fourth-ever try!
Good luck to the Hanover Hawks!!
WHAN Radio, 102.9 FM and 1430 AM in Ashland/Richmond, provides on-air coverage with Rob Witham bringing you all the action as the Hawks host their first-ever home state semifinal game, looking to finally make it to the state championship game on their fourth-ever try!
Good luck to the Hanover Hawks!!
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