TUESDAY MORNING SHOOTAROUND: Mavericks learned their lesson in December loss

The Miller School’s VIS Division 2 championship on Saturday was especially sweet for the Mavericks, as they avenged an earlier loss to top-seeded Atlantic Shores Christian en route to their first state title.

Miller dropped a 56-54 decision to the Seahawks in the Atlantic Shores tip-off tournament in December. Therefore, Fred Wawner and his coaching staff knew what to expect, and adjusted their game plan accordingly.

“We played a similar game against them in early December. They’re almost opposite of us,” Wawner

explained. “They shoot really well — they play by 3s, almost, and we play by 2s, so we have to have the gameplan going our way. And we were able to do that for the most part. We were never able to get comfortable because they can close the gap pretty quick. But our kids moved the ball and finished plays and defended well.”

The Mavericks never trailed from the second quarter on despite the Seahawks’ best attempts to cut into the lead. Atlantic Shores was aided by eight 3-pointers in the game — one of which came in the third quarter after Miller opened the half with a 7-0 run.

The Seahawks got a quick basket from Duke-bound Andre Dawkins, and the junior guard immediately knocked down a 3-pointer on the team’s following
possession to cut a 10-point lead in half.

However, Mychal Parker answered with a trey of his own to start another run.

In the fourth quarter Atlantic Shores again cut the lead to five with a 3-pointer from Steven Pledger before Miller took control for good behind strong free-throw shooting.

Parker time

One of the main reasons Miller was able to come away with the title was because of a stellar performance from Parker.

The 6-foot-6 junior poured in a game-high 26 points, 10 of which came from the free-throw line. Parker made timely baskets throughout and also helped key a pivotal third-quarter run for the Mavericks.

When he wasn’t doing the scoring, he often found open teammates Brice Kofane, Marshawn Powell and Hippolyte Tsafack underneath. Parker also grabbed nine rebounds and snagged a pair of steals in the win.

“He’s so capable it’s almost unfair sometimes what you expect out of him,” Wawner said. “He was aggressive offensively, which is what we need. He’s a little bit passive sometimes, but he drove the basketball well, he took some shots that we needed him to take and he was a big factor.”

Defense does it

While Parker was the offensive spark Miller needed on Saturday, Powell’s efforts on the defensive end didn’t go unnoticed either.

Powell, who is headed to Arkansas, was matched up against Pledger, an Oklahoma commit.

And the senior did an admirable job against the sharpshooting guard. While Pledger led Atlantic Shores with 20 points, he was never able to get into much of a groove with Powell by his side. Powell grabbed seven rebounds and had a blocked shot to go along with his 16 points.

“He’s a 6-foot-7 power forward guarding the best guard in the gym,” said Wawner of Powell. “He battled all game long and he deserves a lot of credit for that because that allowed us to have some favorable matchups in other places.”

Mountaineers draw familiar foe in semifinals

Madison County will continue its quest to perfection on Thursday night when the Mountaineers take on Dan River in the Group A, Division 2 semifinals.

Madison defeated the Wildcats in the Region B final, 56-48.

Taking on a familiar opponent like Dan River will be a dramatic difference from what Madison endured against Northampton in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets were a complete unknown to Tim Taylor’s squad and there wasn’t much of a scouting report for the Mountaineers to work with.

“It was crazy,” said Madison coach Tim Taylor. “We couldn’t even find a roster of them. We had to make adjustments on the fly. We had sit there and figure out what it was they were doing. People said they play man-to-man and here they are playing a 2-3 zone.”

Dan River showed some depth against the Mountaineers in their tightly contested game just over a week ago.

Four players put up at least eight points, but only Kevin Eldridge was able to break into double digits with 10 points.

Quote of the week

“I’m always rooting for the team that put me out, so I hope Charlottesville goes all the way.” — Grafton girls basketball coach Chris Harper, whose team lost to the Black Knights on Friday.