CAVE SPRING BEATS NEW KENT,  ADVANCE TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

March, 9, 2010

-Staff Report

Josh Henderson scored 31 points and pulled down 22 rebounds and teammate Clay Lacy had 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Cave Spring Knights beat New Kent Trojans 71-59 Tuesday afternoon in the Virginia High School League Group AA Division 3 basketball semifinal's in Richmond.

Mark Overstreet and Adam Hager also scored nine points each for Cave Spring.

The Knights now stand at 24-4 and will next play Brunswick for their second straight state title on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.

 
VIKINGS FALL SHORT AGAINST BRUNSWICK

March 9, 2010

-Staff Report

Casey Walker scored a career high 37 points including 16 free throws and had 10 rebounds, to lead the Brunswick Bulldogs to a 67-58 win over the Northside Vikings Tuesday evening in the Group AA Division 3 seim-finals in Richmond.

Brunswick (24-3) will next play Cave Spring for the state championship on Saturday at the Seigel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Trey Smith led the Vikings with 22 points. And Stevan Ritchie had 13 points and eight rebounds.

But Northside only shot 33% from the floor. The Vikings were also outrebounded 45-35.

Northside finished the season at 24-3.

March 6, 2010

AP

DURHAM, N.C. - Kyle Singler scored 19 of his 25 points in the decisive first half and No. 4 Duke routed North Carolina 82-50 on Saturday night.

Jon Scheyer had 20 points in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the Blue Devils (26-5, 13-3), who earned their most lopsided home win over their fiercest rival.

They shot nearly 46 percent - 51 percent in a dominant first half - and made eight 3-pointers in beating North Carolina at home for the first time since 2005. Duke clinched a share of its 12th Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and wrapped up the No. 1 seed in next week's league tournament.

Freshman John Henson matched a season high with 14 points for the Tar Heels (16-15, 5-11). They endured their worst loss in seven years and had their lowest point total under coach Roy Williams.

Nolan Smith scored 20 points and Brian Zoubek added 13 rebounds for the Blue Devils. They took command with an early 31-8 run, led by 30 in the first half and showed no mercy in polishing off their first sweep of North Carolina since 2004.

Thompson finished with 11 points for the Tar Heels, who were serenaded by chants of "NIT" throughout and played without freshman guard Leslie McDonald after team officials said he strained his right hamstring during Friday's practice.

Guilford Holds Off John Carroll

March 6, 2010

Courtesy-Guilford Athletics

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Clay Henson scored a game-high 27 points to lead Guilford College past John Carroll University, 85-82, in the second round of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament Saturday night.

Guilford (28-2) advances to the tournament's sectional round for the third time in four years where it will face the College of Wooster. Wooster defeated the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 87-78, Saturday in a second-round game. The sectional site will be announced online Sunday, March 7.

The Blue Streaks (21-7) fell behind by 17 points with 14:59 left in the second half, before rallying to take a 77-74 lead with 4:11 remaining in the game on a Corey Shontz three-pointer. Shontz' basket capped a 9-0 John Carroll run that took less than a minute and included three-pointers by Rudy Kirbus and Joey Meyer.

The teams traded baskets before Guilford's Rhett Bonner made two free throws with 2:24 remaining that gave the Quakers the lead for good. His layup with 36 seconds left and free throw 13 seconds opened an 83-79 Guilford lead. After John Carroll missed a three-pointer, the Quakers' Tyler Sanborn made one free throw with 13.1 ticks remaining, opening an 84-79 advantage.

John Carroll refused to quit and threatened again when Kirbus made the first of a two-shot foul, but missed the second. Maurice Haynes tipped in the miss and pulled the Blue Streaks to within 84-82 with 6.7 seconds remaining.

After Guilford's Clay Henson made one of two free throws, the Quakers called timeout. Kirbus' final three-pointer rimmed out as the final horn sound, preserving Guilford's ninth straight win and its second in as many seasons against John Carroll in the NCAA playoffs.

Eastern Mennonite Starts Hot, Moves On To Third Round

March 6, 2010

Courtesy - Eastern Mennonite Athletics

Big game experience pays off in big games. And while none of the Eastern Mennonite men's basketball players had played a game in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship before this weekend, Eli Crawford used his experience from numerous high school state tournament games to help will the Runnin Royals to an 85-71 win over Wilmington Saturday night in Harrisonburg.

The Quakers gave EMU a quick jab to start the game, putting in the first four points. The Royals responded with a 26-8 run over the next 11 minutes, finally getting out and running the floor in a way they were not able to do the previous night against Centre.

Wilmington got back within six points but EMU led at halftime, 38-29.

Playing in front of a mostly hostile crowd, the Quakers used a 7-1 run to close the gap to five early in the second, 41-36. Crawford's heady play helped steady the Royals though, and they rebuilt the lead to 51-41.

Wilmington charged back again and got within four at 51-47after senior Brandon Rogers hit a lay-up with 11:45 remaining. Todd Phillips helped reignite the men this time, finishing a 12-0 streak that effectively iced the game. Phillips nailed a fastbreak lay-up pushing EMU up 71-55 with 5:55 on the clock.

The Quakers would get no closer than 11 points down the stretch, as the Royals thrilled another packed house with the 85-71 victory.

In their first national tournament ever, Eastern Mennonite advances into the Sweet 16 with the win. The Runnin Royals next play in the sectional round on March 12and 13 at a site to be determined. EMU will play either Whitworth or Chapman, who play a game on the West Coast Saturday night. The other two teams in EMU's bracket are Guilford and Wooster. The Final Four is March 19 & 20 in Salem, Va.

Randolph-Macon Shoots Past Clark 70-60

March 6, 2010

Courtesy of Randolph Macon

READING, PA-Calvin Croskey and Danny Jones finished with 15 points each to lead Randolph-Macon Men's Basketball to a 70-60 win over Clark University in the NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round in Reading, PA Saturday. The Yellow Jackets will take on DeSales University Friday, March 12th, game time and location is still to be determined.

Adam Desgain knocked down a three with a 15:45 left in the first stanza to give Randolph-Macon an early 10-2 advantage.

Clark then used an 11-2 run, capped by a Slader Lyell three pointer to push ahead of R-MC 13-12 with 12:38 to go in the first half.

The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes before Jones sparked a 9-0 Jackets' run with a layup in the paint. Desgain finished it off when he knocked down a three to put Randolph-Macon up 31-23.

CU converted a layup just before halftime, sending the teams to the locker room with R-MC leading 31-25.

Randolph-Macon's first field goal of the second stanza came at the 13:27 mark when Jones dropped in a layup to tie the game at 37-37.

Croskey knocked down a three for the Yellow Jackets with 8:56 to play and would go on to score 10 of R-MC's next 14points, putting them up 55-45 with just over three minutes left.

Randolph-Macon would make 13-of-14 free throws down the stretch to seal the 70-60 victory and a berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16.

Croskey and Jones paced the Yellow Jackets with 15 points each to go with seven and six rebound respectively.

Jack Minister scored a game high 18 for Clark.

The 24-6 Yellow Jackets will face off against DeSales University Friday, March 12th, game time and location is still to be determined.

R-MC defeated DU 87-63 earlier this season in Ashland.

St. Mary's Knocks Out Virginia Wesleyan With 72-69 Win

March 6, 2010

Courtesy of St. Mary's (Md.)

St. Mary's City, Md. - To student chants of "I believe we will win!," senior guard Camontae Griffin raced down the court and put the finishing touches on the lay-up that thrust No. 13 St. Mary's College of Maryland back into the Sweet 16. St. Mary's edged No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan College, 72-69, as the Seahawks fed off the energy of 871 strong at the Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena Saturday night.

Griffin's layup with 35 seconds remaining in regulation resulted from his boxing out in the defensive end and grabbing the rebound of senior guard Stephen Fields' missed three-point attempt.

After the Seahawks grabbed the 70-69 lead, Virginia Wesleyan ran down the clock to 10 seconds before Fields attempted another three-point shot that was off the mark and St. Mary's was awarded the ball. On the in-bounds play, sophomore guard James Davenport was fouled by the Marlins and Davenport knocked down both free throws with eight ticks left to ice the 72-69 win.

St. Mary's (26-3) will now take on No. 18 Franklin & Marshall College (25-4), who was a 73-64 winner over U.S. Merchant Marine Academy tonight, in one of four NCAA sectionals on Friday-Saturday, March 12-13. This will be the Seahawks' second meeting with F&M this season as the Diplomats handed St. Mary's a 72-61 setback on November 30.

Joining the Seahawks and F&M in the four-team sectional are DeSales University and Randolph-Macon College. The host sites for the sectional will be announced at a later time.

This is the end of the road for Virginia Wesleyan as the Marlins, who claimed the national title in 2006, close out their 2009-10 campaign with a 23-6 overall record.

For the second consecutive night, four Seahawk starters finished in double figures with junior guard Alex Franz leading the pack this time with 17 points and eight assists while Griffin finished with 15 and seven helpers. Junior center Sam Burum contributed 11 points and five rebounds while Davenport chipped in 10 and a team-best six caroms.