Perfect partners: Pioneers' Harris, Culbreath seamless pair on court

View larger image Rze Culbreath View larger image Donte Harris View larger image Millbrook’s Rze Culbreath, left, and Donte Harris double team Skyline’s Dayvon Haight during last week’s game in Front Royal. Culbreath and Harris, both three-year varsity players, form the area’s top scoring duo this season. Dennis Grundman/Daily file

By Tommy Keeler Jr. - tkeeler@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Rze Culbreath and Donte Harris made the most of a tough situation.

The Millbrook duo first played together two years ago. The two guards paired up in the backcourt of a very young team, which struggled to a 6-14 record. Culbreath was a freshman, just finding his way in a new school, while Harris, then a sophomore, was also playing at the varsity level for the first time.

While that season was tough for the pair, a friendship grew from it. Two years later, they form the top scoring duo in the area.

"They kind of grew up fast," Millbrook coach Scott Mankins said. "They were both part of the six- or seven-man rotation two years ago, when we only won a couple ballgames. And they both questioned me at the beginning of that year whether or not they deserved to be up on the varsity team, whether they were ready. But we needed them up there then.

"And I think because of what they went through that year, they have an even deeper understanding of what it's all about. I think they appreciate things because of that."

Harris said the team learned a lot that season, and that helped them to become even better last year. Millbrook won the Northwestern District title last season, and just missed qualifying for the state tournament.

During the year, Harris said he and Culbreath became even closer. Now the two are practically inseparable. Harris said Culbreath comes over to his house all the time, and their bond on and off the court has really grown over the last two years.

Their bond shows on the court, as they are able to instinctively know where each other is going to be. Mankins said their chemistry on the court has come from playing together so much over the last three years.

"They enjoy playing together," Mankins said. "You get kids a lot of times who may play together well, but don't enjoy it. They enjoy playing together. Their chemistry -- they feed off of each other. They make each other better."

This season they are both at the top of their games. Culbreath is second in the area averaging 19.0 points per game, while Harris fourth at 17.4.

Harris leads the team with 36 3-pointers, followed closely by Culbreath's 29. Culbreath leads the area with 4.4 steals per game. He is also shooting 47.8 percent (130-for-272) from the field.

However, where Culbreath really stands out is his ability as the point guard. He is able to put his teammates in the right position to score, and makes his teammates better.

"He has an extremely high basketball IQ," Mankins said. "If we talk about something one time, he sees it. He understands why. He gets the big picture of things."

One of the most noticeable things about Culbreath is his passing ability.

"He has pretty good handles," Harris said. "He gets to the rim anytime he wants. He passes the ball well. Sometimes you aren't expecting the ball and it's like, 'Whoa.'"

Culbreath is second in the area, averaging 5.1 assists per game. Culbreath said he enjoys making assists even more than scoring.

"I like getting assists because it gets my confidence up and my teammates' confidence up," Culbreath said.

The Pioneers lost five players from last year's squad, which had a lot of success. Culbreath and Harris were two of the top players from last year's team and have tried to take on more of a leadership role this season.

Millbrook is 15-5 as it heads into the Northwestern District tournament as the third seed. The tournament kicks off tonight with No. 4 seed Skyline and No. 5 James Wood meeting in the play-in game at 7 p.m. at Sherando. The Pioneers will play Tuesday at Sherando at 8 p.m. in the semifinals.

"We want to do better in the tournament than we've done in the last two years," Mankins said. "The last two years we've gotten knocked out early. As many nights as the tournament's going on, we want to be playing. We've got to value every possession on both ends of the floor to be able to do that."

Last season ended in a cruel way for the Pioneers, a heartbreaking 88-83 double-overtime loss to Charlottesville in the Region II semifinals. That loss still remains in the back of Harris' mind, and motivates him as the Pioneers begin this postseason.

"The way we went out last year, seeing the seniors -- they were pretty upset," Harris said. "I don't want to go out like they did. I just want to play hard and play as a team."