Millbrook surprised with perfect start
Millbrook’s Jalen Tyson scores two of his game-high 17 points over Sherando’s Will Hall as the Warriors’ Darius Lane (0) and Keli Lawson (3) watch during the fourth quarter of the Pioneers’ 59-32 victory on Tuesday.
Millbrook’s Jordan Jackson pushes the ball upcourt as Sherando’s Darius Lane (0) defends during the Pioneers’ 59-32 victory at Casey Gymnasium on Tuesday. Jackson had 15 points and five assists in the triumph.
Sherando's George Gibson passes the ball as Millbrook's Noah Thomas (3) defends in the first half of the Pioneers' 59-32 victory over the Warriors on Tuesday at Casey Gymnasium. Gibson had 10 points to lead Sherando, while Thomas had seven points and six rebounds for the Pioneers.
The Millbrook boys’ basketball team is off to tremendous 9-0 start and no one may be more surprised than the Pioneers themselves.
“With the amount of seniors that we lost last year and the amount of talent, I thought this year would be kind of a get-back-on-track year,” said senior center Jalen Tyson, following Millbrook’s 59-32 romp against Sherando on Tuesday at Casey Gymnasium. “We come to practice every day and work hard to get better.”
That’s certainly the mantra from Coach Rob Harris, who also is surprised his squad, which graduated two senior starters from a year ago, is perfect.
“I don’t think any coach expects to be [unbeaten] at this point right now,” said Harris, in his second season at the Pioneers helm. “We’re just trying to get better each and every game and each and every practice. For us, it’s just really about every possession taking care of the ball, doing the little things we talk about in practice and trying to convert offensively and defensively the way we schematically try to approach teams. For us it’s a continuous process in how we go about our business.”
The Pioneers’ business so far has been getting contributions from numerous sources. Starters Jordan Jackson, Noah Thomas, Julien Hagerman and Tyson have consistently been scoring in double figures.
Jackson, who shares a lot of the ball-handling chores with Thomas, said the selfless nature of the squad is why the Pioneers are doing so well.
“We play really good team ball,” said Jackson, who had 15 points and five assists on Tuesday. “Everybody shares the rock. There’s not one game where somebody is just going to go one-on-one down the court. Everybody is looking to get everybody involved. At the end of the day, everybody is getting theirs and that’s why we are dong so well.”
“Everybody is stepping up,” Tyson agreed. “It’s not just one or two guys doing all the work. We all share the ball and it helps everybody as a scorer.”
But as Tuesday’s win pointed out, shooting is only one component to the Pioneers success. Millbrook shot poorly in the first half and trailed 8-2 midway through the opening quarter against Sherando (1-4, 0-2). The Pioneers were able to weather the poor shooting thanks to a defense that produced multiple turnovers. The Warriors netted just 23 points through three periods.
“A lot of the little things help us translate,” Tyson said. “If we get stops, it translates into offense. Defense is always key. Defense wins championships.”
“Shooting always is one of of those situations in a game where if you’re hot it’s great and when you’re not defense always travels,” Harris said. “Fundamentals always travel. For us the way we play, it is really important that schematically we do the things we talk about and how we want to approach the game.”
The Pioneers also are getting contributions from others. Hagerman left in the first half and did not return after suffering an injury on Tuesday.
Harris was able to get solid extended minutes from Kaden Buza, who had eight points off the bench, and Haden Madagan, who had four points in the first half as the Warriors struggled on offense.
“We talk about the next man up and how important it is when one of us goes down,” Harris said. “We have kind of been injured a little bit during the course of the year, but that’s basketball. It happens, so the next person has to step up and do the job. [Tuesday] was a prime example. I’m really happy and pleased with the way Madagan came in and played. He has been dealing with an injury and we have been moving him in slowly. Buza has had some starts and he got a little consistent today.”
The Pioneers, with 13 first-half points from Jackson, built a 27-17 halftime lead. Thomas had five points as the Pioneers extended the lead to 41-23 entering the final quarter.
“Thomas and Jackson, they don’t make many mistakes with the ball handling,” Sherando coach Garland Williams said. “They break you down, get in the lane and dish off.”
While Sherando’s collapsing zone was able to slow Tyson in the first half, the 6-foot-6 senior dominated when the Warriors were forced out of it. Tyson scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the final period.
“With our zone, we held their big man in check,” Williams said. “In the fourth quarter when you’re down 18, you can’t stay on the zone and you have to pressure. He’s tough one-on-one and once they get inside he has good footwork.”
Tyson entered the contest having scored 30 and 27 points in his previous two games.
“Jalen has been working hard in the post and it’s really important that we play inside-out,” Harris said. “When teams try to take that away, then that’s when it’s really important that those other guys make perimeter shots.”
One of the guys who has been nailing those outside shots is Hagerman, a junior who has been a bit of surprise this season. Playing behind more experienced perimeter players Jordan Funk and Ben Curtin last season, Hagerman didn’t see much action. But according to Harris, Hagerman received important time on the floor against his teammates.
“These are the things that when we are trying to develop young talent, sometimes those practices against the varsity with pace, precision and execution, those things matter,” Harris said. “Julien has stepped up his game and brought a lot of energy to our team. He didn’t play a lot last year, but because he was in practice every single day, the way we develop in practice and the way we play at a high rate of speed, he was ready to step in and do some good things for us this year.”
Last season, the Class 4 Northwestern District crown came down to matchups between Millbrook and Handley. The Judges, who went on to finish second in the state in Class 4, won two regular-season matchups and a tournament clash. They handed the Pioneers half of their losses in an outstanding 20-6 season.
The two could be on a collision course again. The Judges (5-0) and Millbrook are 2-0 in district play. Kettle Run is the only other team without a district loss.
They two squads will square off for the first time on Jan. 8 at Handley.
“I’’m ready to see what it is like,” Tyson said of facing Handley. “I feel like we have the same type of talent and athleticism. I’m ready to see how it turns out.”
Jackson said the Pioneers are excited to see where the season leads.
“I just hope that we play well,” Jackson said. “As we get farther into the season, we start to click more, make more shots and hopefully we can make a run in playoffs.”
Wild ride so far
While many teams had been practicing for nearly a month, Williams’ Sherando squad had just four players until Sherando’s successful football season ended the Friday after Thanksgiving.
With seven football players on the roster, the Warriors have been playing catch-up and it’s shown during the early part of the basketball season.
“It’s been like a roller coaster,” Williams said after Tuesday’s loss. “We started off rough, got better the second game. I thought we did a little better with Central, cut down the turnovers and got a win against Fauquier. Then [against Millbrook], we knew that pressure would be a little greater and we went back throwing the ball away and stressing to try to do things that right now we aren’t able to do.”
The Warriors actually led 8-2 against the Pioneers and had several inside shots that could have extended the margin. Instead, the misses and turnovers helped Millbrook steadily to pull away. George Gibson (10 points) was the only Warrior to score in double figures against the Pioneers.
“When we get inside, those little shots we have got to hit,” Williams said. “My guys battled well with their big guys. We’ve got to convert and we didn’t.”
The hard part for the Warriors is that they don’t have much practice time right now. Following Tuesday’s game, Sherando had games slated for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
“It’s learning on the fly,” Williams said. “Right now, you play one night, think about it and let it go. You get up the next day and get ready for the next team.”
Still, Williams remains optimistic in a district that takes no mercy on the weak teams.
“This is a pretty tough league,” he said. “… We feel like we can put a good, sound game plan together. If we execute, we can be right there with any of them.”
On the road again
One year after traveling 220 miles to play in the Norfolk Scope Holiday Classic, Handley has taken a trip that’s twice as far to play in another late December tournament. The Judges will play 450 miles from Winchester today in the first day of the Panther Classic at Carolina Forest High School in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The three-day tournament runs through Saturday.
Last year, Handley played in the Norfolk Scope Holiday Classic from Dec. 27-29. The Judges advanced to the championship game of the eight-team tournament — beating Class 6 Granby in the quarterfinals — and they nearly beat Class 5 Maury in the championship game without Kevin Curry. Handley coach Jason Toton said the tournament showed his team that it could “play with anybody” and cited the experience as one of the contributing factors in a season in which the Judges advanced to the Class 4 state title game and nearly won it all before falling in double overtime.
For multiple reasons, Toton wanted to organize another trip away from home, and this year his Judges will participate in an area of the country that’s intrigued him the last few years.
“A lot of these tournaments are invitation-only,” said Toton on Saturday after coaching in his own event, the Handley Basketball Showcase. “I’ve applied the last three years to a couple different ones down [in South Carolina], and they’ve never accepted us. With the success that we’ve had the last couple of years, I think they said, ‘Maybe now’s the time.’ The competition is going to be pretty good.”
Thirteen teams will compete in the tournament. Most of them are from South Carolina, which divides its public schools into five classifications. The field includes Class AA state finalist Carvers Bay, semifinalist Keenan and quarterfinalist Andrews as well as Class AAAAA state quarterfinalist Conway.
The Judges will play in the third of six games today at 5 p.m. against North Myrtle Beach, which advanced to the Class AAAA state first round last year. It Handley wins, it will play Carvers Bay at 5 p.m. on Friday. A loss to North Myrtle Beach means they will play the loser between 2018 Class AA state tournament participants Calhoun County and Cheraw at 2 p.m. on Friday. Wins in their first two games will put the Judges in the semifinals. Handley is guaranteed at least one game on Saturday regardless of how it fares Friday.
Toton said a large portion of the funds raised for the trip came from his summer basketball camp and the introduction of Handley season tickets this year, which features chairback seating for those that purchased them.
In addition to the basketball, Toton and the Judges say the trip will provide a good opportunity for the players to get to know each other better. On Wednesday, Handley stopped in Richmond to watch the Spiders take on Old Dominion as part of its journey.
“It’s great team bonding,” Curry said. “It will give us a better bond with the sophomores. And we’re looking forward to seeing some teams we haven’t seen before. Get better, get more experienced.”
Millbrook’s Jalen Tyson scores two of his game-high 17 points over Sherando’s Will Hall as the Warriors’ Darius Lane (0) and Keli Lawson (3) watch during the fourth quarter of the Pioneers’ 59-32 victory on Tuesday.
Millbrook’s Jordan Jackson pushes the ball upcourt as Sherando’s Darius Lane (0) defends during the Pioneers’ 59-32 victory at Casey Gymnasium on Tuesday. Jackson had 15 points and five assists in the triumph.
Sherando's George Gibson passes the ball as Millbrook's Noah Thomas (3) defends in the first half of the Pioneers' 59-32 victory over the Warriors on Tuesday at Casey Gymnasium. Gibson had 10 points to lead Sherando, while Thomas had seven points and six rebounds for the Pioneers.
The Millbrook boys’ basketball team is off to tremendous 9-0 start and no one may be more surprised than the Pioneers themselves.
“With the amount of seniors that we lost last year and the amount of talent, I thought this year would be kind of a get-back-on-track year,” said senior center Jalen Tyson, following Millbrook’s 59-32 romp against Sherando on Tuesday at Casey Gymnasium. “We come to practice every day and work hard to get better.”
That’s certainly the mantra from Coach Rob Harris, who also is surprised his squad, which graduated two senior starters from a year ago, is perfect.
“I don’t think any coach expects to be [unbeaten] at this point right now,” said Harris, in his second season at the Pioneers helm. “We’re just trying to get better each and every game and each and every practice. For us, it’s just really about every possession taking care of the ball, doing the little things we talk about in practice and trying to convert offensively and defensively the way we schematically try to approach teams. For us it’s a continuous process in how we go about our business.”
The Pioneers’ business so far has been getting contributions from numerous sources. Starters Jordan Jackson, Noah Thomas, Julien Hagerman and Tyson have consistently been scoring in double figures.
Jackson, who shares a lot of the ball-handling chores with Thomas, said the selfless nature of the squad is why the Pioneers are doing so well.
“We play really good team ball,” said Jackson, who had 15 points and five assists on Tuesday. “Everybody shares the rock. There’s not one game where somebody is just going to go one-on-one down the court. Everybody is looking to get everybody involved. At the end of the day, everybody is getting theirs and that’s why we are dong so well.”
“Everybody is stepping up,” Tyson agreed. “It’s not just one or two guys doing all the work. We all share the ball and it helps everybody as a scorer.”
But as Tuesday’s win pointed out, shooting is only one component to the Pioneers success. Millbrook shot poorly in the first half and trailed 8-2 midway through the opening quarter against Sherando (1-4, 0-2). The Pioneers were able to weather the poor shooting thanks to a defense that produced multiple turnovers. The Warriors netted just 23 points through three periods.
“A lot of the little things help us translate,” Tyson said. “If we get stops, it translates into offense. Defense is always key. Defense wins championships.”
“Shooting always is one of of those situations in a game where if you’re hot it’s great and when you’re not defense always travels,” Harris said. “Fundamentals always travel. For us the way we play, it is really important that schematically we do the things we talk about and how we want to approach the game.”
The Pioneers also are getting contributions from others. Hagerman left in the first half and did not return after suffering an injury on Tuesday.
Harris was able to get solid extended minutes from Kaden Buza, who had eight points off the bench, and Haden Madagan, who had four points in the first half as the Warriors struggled on offense.
“We talk about the next man up and how important it is when one of us goes down,” Harris said. “We have kind of been injured a little bit during the course of the year, but that’s basketball. It happens, so the next person has to step up and do the job. [Tuesday] was a prime example. I’m really happy and pleased with the way Madagan came in and played. He has been dealing with an injury and we have been moving him in slowly. Buza has had some starts and he got a little consistent today.”
The Pioneers, with 13 first-half points from Jackson, built a 27-17 halftime lead. Thomas had five points as the Pioneers extended the lead to 41-23 entering the final quarter.
“Thomas and Jackson, they don’t make many mistakes with the ball handling,” Sherando coach Garland Williams said. “They break you down, get in the lane and dish off.”
While Sherando’s collapsing zone was able to slow Tyson in the first half, the 6-foot-6 senior dominated when the Warriors were forced out of it. Tyson scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the final period.
“With our zone, we held their big man in check,” Williams said. “In the fourth quarter when you’re down 18, you can’t stay on the zone and you have to pressure. He’s tough one-on-one and once they get inside he has good footwork.”
Tyson entered the contest having scored 30 and 27 points in his previous two games.
“Jalen has been working hard in the post and it’s really important that we play inside-out,” Harris said. “When teams try to take that away, then that’s when it’s really important that those other guys make perimeter shots.”
One of the guys who has been nailing those outside shots is Hagerman, a junior who has been a bit of surprise this season. Playing behind more experienced perimeter players Jordan Funk and Ben Curtin last season, Hagerman didn’t see much action. But according to Harris, Hagerman received important time on the floor against his teammates.
“These are the things that when we are trying to develop young talent, sometimes those practices against the varsity with pace, precision and execution, those things matter,” Harris said. “Julien has stepped up his game and brought a lot of energy to our team. He didn’t play a lot last year, but because he was in practice every single day, the way we develop in practice and the way we play at a high rate of speed, he was ready to step in and do some good things for us this year.”
Last season, the Class 4 Northwestern District crown came down to matchups between Millbrook and Handley. The Judges, who went on to finish second in the state in Class 4, won two regular-season matchups and a tournament clash. They handed the Pioneers half of their losses in an outstanding 20-6 season.
The two could be on a collision course again. The Judges (5-0) and Millbrook are 2-0 in district play. Kettle Run is the only other team without a district loss.
They two squads will square off for the first time on Jan. 8 at Handley.
“I’’m ready to see what it is like,” Tyson said of facing Handley. “I feel like we have the same type of talent and athleticism. I’m ready to see how it turns out.”
Jackson said the Pioneers are excited to see where the season leads.
“I just hope that we play well,” Jackson said. “As we get farther into the season, we start to click more, make more shots and hopefully we can make a run in playoffs.”
Wild ride so far
While many teams had been practicing for nearly a month, Williams’ Sherando squad had just four players until Sherando’s successful football season ended the Friday after Thanksgiving.
With seven football players on the roster, the Warriors have been playing catch-up and it’s shown during the early part of the basketball season.
“It’s been like a roller coaster,” Williams said after Tuesday’s loss. “We started off rough, got better the second game. I thought we did a little better with Central, cut down the turnovers and got a win against Fauquier. Then [against Millbrook], we knew that pressure would be a little greater and we went back throwing the ball away and stressing to try to do things that right now we aren’t able to do.”
The Warriors actually led 8-2 against the Pioneers and had several inside shots that could have extended the margin. Instead, the misses and turnovers helped Millbrook steadily to pull away. George Gibson (10 points) was the only Warrior to score in double figures against the Pioneers.
“When we get inside, those little shots we have got to hit,” Williams said. “My guys battled well with their big guys. We’ve got to convert and we didn’t.”
The hard part for the Warriors is that they don’t have much practice time right now. Following Tuesday’s game, Sherando had games slated for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
“It’s learning on the fly,” Williams said. “Right now, you play one night, think about it and let it go. You get up the next day and get ready for the next team.”
Still, Williams remains optimistic in a district that takes no mercy on the weak teams.
“This is a pretty tough league,” he said. “… We feel like we can put a good, sound game plan together. If we execute, we can be right there with any of them.”
On the road again
One year after traveling 220 miles to play in the Norfolk Scope Holiday Classic, Handley has taken a trip that’s twice as far to play in another late December tournament. The Judges will play 450 miles from Winchester today in the first day of the Panther Classic at Carolina Forest High School in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The three-day tournament runs through Saturday.
Last year, Handley played in the Norfolk Scope Holiday Classic from Dec. 27-29. The Judges advanced to the championship game of the eight-team tournament — beating Class 6 Granby in the quarterfinals — and they nearly beat Class 5 Maury in the championship game without Kevin Curry. Handley coach Jason Toton said the tournament showed his team that it could “play with anybody” and cited the experience as one of the contributing factors in a season in which the Judges advanced to the Class 4 state title game and nearly won it all before falling in double overtime.
For multiple reasons, Toton wanted to organize another trip away from home, and this year his Judges will participate in an area of the country that’s intrigued him the last few years.
“A lot of these tournaments are invitation-only,” said Toton on Saturday after coaching in his own event, the Handley Basketball Showcase. “I’ve applied the last three years to a couple different ones down [in South Carolina], and they’ve never accepted us. With the success that we’ve had the last couple of years, I think they said, ‘Maybe now’s the time.’ The competition is going to be pretty good.”
Thirteen teams will compete in the tournament. Most of them are from South Carolina, which divides its public schools into five classifications. The field includes Class AA state finalist Carvers Bay, semifinalist Keenan and quarterfinalist Andrews as well as Class AAAAA state quarterfinalist Conway.
The Judges will play in the third of six games today at 5 p.m. against North Myrtle Beach, which advanced to the Class AAAA state first round last year. It Handley wins, it will play Carvers Bay at 5 p.m. on Friday. A loss to North Myrtle Beach means they will play the loser between 2018 Class AA state tournament participants Calhoun County and Cheraw at 2 p.m. on Friday. Wins in their first two games will put the Judges in the semifinals. Handley is guaranteed at least one game on Saturday regardless of how it fares Friday.
Toton said a large portion of the funds raised for the trip came from his summer basketball camp and the introduction of Handley season tickets this year, which features chairback seating for those that purchased them.
In addition to the basketball, Toton and the Judges say the trip will provide a good opportunity for the players to get to know each other better. On Wednesday, Handley stopped in Richmond to watch the Spiders take on Old Dominion as part of its journey.
“It’s great team bonding,” Curry said. “It will give us a better bond with the sophomores. And we’re looking forward to seeing some teams we haven’t seen before. Get better, get more experienced.”