Pioneers hold of Colonels, advance

By Jeremy Stafford -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER -- It didn't matter to Dustin Pierce that his ankle was wrapped in powder blue athletic tape, or that the bruise on his right foot stretched up to his lower shin.

In celebrating Millbrook's 62-51 Northwestern District tournament win over James Wood on Friday night, Pierce leapt high enough to reach the outstretched hands of the screaming Millbrook fans who hung over the guardrails of the bleachers.

The Millbrook fans had plenty to cheer about.

The Pioneers' win represents not only their advancement into the semifinals of the district tournament, but also shows they can win a playoff game without the offensive potencies of Jordan Sugars and Erick Green, though the scores may now be lower than they once were.

"We're not the team that's going to come out this year and outscore everybody," Millbrook coach Scott Mankins said. "We've got to play possession basketball -- we've got to look for that transition opportunity."

Running primarily from a halfcourt offense, Millbrook saw most of its offensive production come from brothers Calvin and Clayton Rodney, who scored 20 and 19 points respectively, and took advantage of a James Wood team that is abundant in height, but lacking in burliness.

Indeed, the quick and agile Colonel guards, namely Trae Tinsman (14 points) and Matt Johnson (13 points), found it difficult to drive through the paint against the Pioneers' defense, which is much improved since the onset of the regular season.

"Last year we had Erick Green and Jordan Sugars, and basically our tempo was higher because we had a lot of transition points," Calvin Rodney said. "We could beat people, but we weren't really playing defense.

"This year we have a set [defensive] play, we have to run the play, and we have to master the play."

Still, the Colonels trailed the Pioneers 28-25 at halftime, and as senior guard Ben Boxwell scored in the opening seconds of the third quarter, James Wood seemed primed to take control of the game.

But Millbrook went on an 11-2 scoring spree, capped by a Clayton Rodney layup with 2:22 remaining in the quarter, to bring the Pioneers' lead to 39-29.

"All season long we've chased a lot of situations where we might have one bad quarter," Colonels coach Al Smith said. "But they never put their head down, they always stayed positive. They know they have the ability to come back."

And Johnson, who Smith said had spent three quarters letting "the game come to him," scored eight fourth-quarter points, helping to cut the Pioneers' lead to 55-49 with 1:35 left in the game.

But the Colonels couldn't overcome the deficit from the third quarter, and four consecutive free throws by Pierce (13 points) in the game's final 20 seconds secured the win for Millbrook.

Following Johnson's fourth-quarter outburst, Mankins had only positive words concerning the Colonels senior.

"I want to tip my hat to Matt Johnson," Mankins said. "He plays the game the right way.

"He's class on the court; he's class off the court."

* Contact Jeremy Stafford at jstafford@nvdaily.com