Warriors take out Colonels

View larger image Brady Cook

By Jerry Holsworth - sports@nvdaily.com

STEPHENS CITY -- Local Northwestern District fans who enjoy watching old-fashioned, defensive-oriented basketball might want to consider saving their money and staying home this season.

Friday night's district opener between Sherando and James Wood was a thriller from the opening tip, but there wasn't a lot of defense by either team.

Offense, on the other hand, was on display in ways that are rarely seen around these parts. The two teams combined for 200 points and scored on 78 field goal attempts over 32 minutes. The Warriors prevailed 107-93, but with the lack of defense and the Colonels ability to score on 3-pointers no lead was safe until the final whistle.

"I really thought that our kids did a very good job confronting their press," Warriors coach Garland Williams said. "With the way they play, you expect some mistakes. But as a whole we did a really good job of keeping pace with their style of play."

That was demonstrated early in the contest as the Warriors jumped out to a 28-18 lead at the end of the opening period. Sherando easily beat the James Wood press, and forced nine Colonel turnovers in the first quarter.

James Wood's offense just couldn't keep pace with the Warriors, and it looked like the game was going to be a Sherando blowout.

But as quickly as the Warriors grabbed the lead, things turned against them.

Nick Foura, Ryland Williams, and Michael Carter nailed three consecutive 3-pointers off three Warrior turnovers over a space of 26 seconds and Sherando's lead was cut to 31-27.

A minute later, another two Sherando turnovers resulted in another two 3-pointers by the Colonels and suddenly James Wood was sporting a 37-35 lead with four minutes left in the first half.

Although James Wood's shooting in the second quarter got them back into the game, it was also the quarter that exposed the weakness that would eventually cost the Colonels the game.

James Wood's fast-paced full-court press defense resulted in 15 Colonel personal fouls in the first half, and Sherando was already in the bonus with 2:41 still left in the first quarter.

The Warriors used the free-throw line to cool down the James Wood pressure and score 12 points from the line in the first half to James Wood's two.

The fouls also put several key Colonels in foul trouble. Carter, who was a key player in James Wood's second-quarter comeback, headed into the locker room at halftime with three fouls. So did James Wood center Brett Lewin, who had held Sherando center Terry Wood scoreless in the first half.

Lewin's absence was particularly important since Wood was able to dominate play in the paint in the third quarter, scoring 12 points, and adding another four in the final period.

Despite the Colonels' disadvantage inside, the third quarter proved to be the closest of the game as both teams scored 29 points each. While Sherando was scoring inside, Colonels Cam Butler and Carter were more than a match for the Warrior big man. The James Wood pair combined for 14 third-quarter points.

But with Sherando holding a 79-73 lead heading into the final period, Sherando guard Brady Cook delivered the knockout blow by giving the Colonels a taste of their own medicine from beyond the 3-point line.

Cook, who had been a consistent scorer all night for Sherando, hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter to put his Warriors up 85-76. The Sherando senior stood out, on a night when 10 players scored in double figures, with 32 points, including three 3-pointers and a perfect 5 of 5 from the line.

While Cook was hot, the Colonels turned cold from beyond the 3-point line. After hitting 11 3-pointers over the first three quarters, they managed only one with the game on the line in the final period.

"Normally the fast pace favors us, but Sherando was able to turn the tables on us and they used it to their benefit," Colonels coach Al Smith said.