Judges surge past reeling Colonels

By Jerry Holsworth - sports@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- For the first 12 minutes, it was everything a James Wood and Handley boys basketball game should be.

But with the score tied midway through the second quarter, the Judges came up with a spurt to start an eventual 102-83 rout of the host Colonels.

The loss leaves James Wood still winless in the Northwestern District race, but by no means down.

"I told our players after the game that we had about a five-minute span at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter [that showed] what kind of team we can be can be," Colonels coach Al Smith said. "I certainly hope that they saw that. We were playing defense all over the floor, we were controlling the ball and passing it well and we got wide-open looks and knocking them down. We just need to expand on that."

The Judges jumped ahead quickly on a 3-point play by Handley center Derek Dowrey. Undeterred, James Wood scored the next four points to take the lead with six minutes still left in the first quarter.

That exchange defined play in the first period as Handley built a small lead, only to see James Wood erase it.

The scoring duel also represented each team's game plan, as the Judges went inside to Dowrey while also looking for 3-pointers from Robbie Lawler. The Colonels relied on strong perimeter shooting from Nick Foura and Michael Carter to counter the Judges.

Both teams executed their plan to near perfection. Dowrey finished the period with nine of Handley's 23 points, and Lawler provided six more from beyond the 3-point line.

Foura matched Lawler with a pair of 3-pointers, and Carter hit two jumpers and a free throw for James Wood as the Judges held a narrow two-point lead at the end of one.

Through the first four minutes of the second period the standoff continued, but with 4:17 left in the first half and the score tied 31-31, the Judges finally took control.

"This was a fast-paced, in-your-face game, and our guys got it done," Handley coach Tommy Dixon said. "We decided to pick up the pace after the first quarter. By the end of the first half, I thought our guys were beginning to feel that they knew what they needed to do. That's when they started executing and making things happen."

Over the rest of the period, the Judges exploded for a 17-6 run that put them ahead 51-37 at intermission. Handley's key weapon was reserve guard Dexter Sloane, who came off the bench and scored all 10 of his points in the second quarter.

When Sloane wasn't driving the lane for layup, reserve center Cameron Jackson dominated the Colonels in the paint. Jackson scored seven points in the period, overpowering James Wood's inside players at will.

The Colonels didn't help themselves by going just 4 of 17 from the field, and failing to get a 3-pointer after scoring three in the first quarter.

The Judges came out for the second half determined to expand on their 14-point halftime lead.

Jackson was again the key, turning missed Handley shots into baskets by tipping the ball in over the smaller Colonels. The Judges sophomore finished the night with 20 points, all but two of which came in the second and third quarters.

"I really thought the game came down to offensive rebounds," Smith said. "They had 31 offensive rebounds, and that really hurt. You can't keep letting their two big men have so many second and third chances to make layups like that. They got 33 points from their two big men. That's a lot of points, and almost all of them came on second- and third-chance baskets."

Lawler was also a key factor, finishing with 20 points as well. In all, 10 Handley players contributed points to the win.

"I really can't single anyone out," Dixon said. "I thought all of our kids played a very good game, and all of them contributed in some way. I also thought that we played much better tonight than we did against Millbrook on Tuesday. If we can play this way every game, the sky is the limit with this team."

Chad Potter led the Colonels with 19 points, and Ryland Williams added 12.