COLONELS DIALED IN FROM DEEP IN 81-70 WIN OVER FAUQUIER

James Wood knocks down 12 3-pointers in 81-70 victory over Fauquier in home opener

December 13, 2011
By Mark Sawyer
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER-Once the nerves and excitement of the home opener wore off, the James Wood boys' basketball team got down to business.

Wood blistered the nets with 12 3-pointers from five different players and overcame a third quarter collapse en route to a 81-70 non-district victory over previously unbeaten Fauquier Monday night at Wood's Shirley Gymnasium.

"Early on I didn't think we shot the ball as well as we're capable of," James Wood coach Al Smith said. "But that's good. That's something we work on every day in practice and we're going to shoot those. That's part of our new style. If we've got an open look we're taking it, and it's nice knocking those down.

"These guys have tasted a little success and now they're excited and ready for the next game."

Junior Michael Carter hit a game-high five 3-pointers and led three Colonels in double figures with 17 points. Sophomores Ryland Williams (14 points) and Cam Butler (13 points and three 3-pointers) were the other Colonels in double figures.

The Colonels let a comfortable halftime lead evaporate and completely slip away heading into the fourth quarter. But showing signs of poise and experience, they were able to respond with an impressive fourth quarter, arguably their best quarter of the young season. After enjoying an eight-point halftime lead the Colonels found themselves heading into the fourth quarter in a 52-52 tie, a problem that last season may have cost the Colonels the game.

Fauquier (2-1) immediately regained the lead on a layup by Alan Marchese (game-high 27 points), but Carter followed that up with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Colonels the lead for good.

Carter's pair of 3's came within 20 seconds of each other and sparked a 16-2 run that gave Wood a commanding 68-56 lead with 4:35 left in the game. During the run Carter had three 3-pointers and Butler added another.

Marchese hit another layup to pull the Falcons to within 10 at 68-58, but the Colonels just went on another run.

Butler's steal and fast-break layup pushed the lead back to 12 and sparked another extended run, this time an 11-4 push, giving Wood its biggest lead of the night at 79-62 with 1:34 left in the game.

The Falcons were able to close the gap by going on an 8-2 run to end the game, thanks in part to the Colonels putting them on the free-throw line eight times in the last 1:34.

"We haven't been in that position where we had the lead at the end of the game," Smith said. "We have to learn how to close it out. We need to be better. We fouled when we didn't need to be fouling and they got back into it a little bit."

James Wood (1-2) got off to a slow start in the first quarter, missing 11 shots and turning the ball over nine times. The Falcons took advantage and scored the first six points of the game.

Wood responded with a 7-0 run to take its first lead of the game with just under four minutes remaining in the period, but it was short-lived. Another 7-0 run gave the Falcons a 13-7 lead with 1:16 left in the first.

With 27 seconds left in the period Carter buried his second 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to 13-10 at the end of one, and it was a foreshadowing of things to come.

The Colonels battled back and tied the game 17-17 on sophomore Peyton Crickman's first of two 3's with 6:53 left in the half. On the next trip down the floor Butler followed that up with his first 3-pointer of the game, setting off a 12-2 Wood run that gave it its biggest lead to that point at 26-19 with 4:02 left in the half.

Fauquier (2-1) answered and fought its way right back into the game with a 9-2 run to tie the game once again 28-28 with 1:21 left in the second quarter.

In the last minute of the first half senior Jake Lewin knocked down a 3-pointer of his own and the Colonels made 5-of-6 free throws to finish the half on an 8-0 run and headed to the locker room feeling pretty good about themselves with a 36-28 lead.

The Falcons outscored Wood 24-16 in the third behind Marchese, who scored 14 of his 27 in the period and completely erased the deficit.

"In each of the three games the third quarter hasn't been to kind to us. We've got to work on coming out after halftime," Smith said. "I thought we were a little flat when we came out and we were jogging. That's something we've got to work on."

James Wood is on the road Wednesday night against Washington (W.Va.) before returning home Friday night to face Kettle Run