Homestanding Colonels conquer Battlefield

By Ben Brooks - sports@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER - After struggling in two lopsided losses to start the boys basketball season, James Wood High School needed a spark.

The Colonels got just that from their defense Friday night in a 69-65 come-from-behind non-district home victory over Group AAA Battlefield.

Trailing by five points with just under three minutes left, the Colonels went on a 14-5 run the rest of the way to pull out their first victory of the season.

Senior Trae Tinsman's three-point play with 1:12 remaining put James Wood (1-2) up for good at 63-61.

With Battlefield struggling against the Colonels' trapping 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone defenses, especially late, Wood senior Brock Lockhart intercepted a cross-court pass near the sideline and found Tinsman streaking downcourt for a layup and a foul.

"I saw Brock tip it and I just sprinted down the court," said Tinsman, who led all scorers with 27 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. "It was a great play on his part, great hustle."

Later, in the game's final seconds, Tinsman tipped the ball away from Evan Payton driving through the lane for the potential game-tying basket to preserve Wood's lead.

"This was a complete turnaround from last week's Broad Run game," Colonels coach Al Smith said. "We had a lot of energy and enthusiasm. We played hard and best of all showed mental toughness, especially late in the game."

The Bobcats (0-4), who are still missing several starters from their state-tournament football team, had five-point leads on three different occasions in the fourth quarter, the last of which came when Roman Hall converted a 3-on-1 break with 3:12 left to play.

However, James Wood chipped away. Mason Smith hit a foul shot following a Chris Skinner steal. Skinner added two more free throws before Garrett Cunningham hit an off-balance driving layup in the lane to trim Battlefield's lead to 61-60.

That set the stage for Lockhart's steal. The Bobcats never recovered. Smith got a steal on the baseline and Tinsman knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Colonels a 65-61 advantage.

Wood's shaky foul shooting (21-of-37) as a team kept Battlefield in it late, but Jay Payton's missed 3-pointer with 12 seconds, Tinsman's steal and two Skinner free throws sealed the victory.

"I think Trae [Tinsman] really stepped up to another level tonight," Smith said. "He played smart. He showed tremendous growth by not just staying out there and settling for the perimeter jump shot. He took it to the rim and either made it or got fouled. He was a leader on the court tonight."

In addition to Tinsman's big game, Skinner added 18 points and five of Wood's 16 steals. And on the few times Skinner left the court, the Colonels felt his absence both offensively and defensively.

"He gives us a lot of energy," Smith said of his sophomore point guard. "He's got quick hands."

Cunningham added 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Payton led the Bobcats with 18 points, followed by Kevin Bonsu's 15, and Troy Allaire's 10.

Battlefield coach Al Ford said the difference in the game was experience.

"They did a good job of putting their bigger guys up front in the zone and it made our smaller guys have to make some difficult decisions," Ford said. "But our young guys are learning. This was a great learning experience for them."

James Wood jumped out to a 23-14 first-quarter lead on the strength of a 15-2 run over the final 2 minutes of the period. Battlefield returned the favor with a 19-4 run to start the second period. The Bobcats eventually settled for a 33-31 halftime lead. They didn't relinquish the lead until late in the game.