Colonels roll over Cougars 97-58

The Cougars probably wish they had just canceled it altogether.

In a wild affair that saw the host Colonels hoist up nearly as many 3-pointers as Kettle Run had field-goal attempts, the James Wood boys' basketball team nearly hit the century mark in a 97-58 victory at Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium.

The 97 points were the most for the Colonels (2-3) all season - they came in averaging 76.5 points per game - and showed just how potent coach Al Smith's new offense can be when it's firing on all cylinders.

James Wood shot just 33 percent from the field (35 for 107), but forced 35 turnovers and knocked down 16 3-pointers.

Utilizing a full-court press from the opening tip, the Colonels played at a near frenetic pace for four quarters, constantly trapping on defense and seemingly unable to find a shot they didn't like on offense.

"We instituted [the offense] this year," Smith said. "It's very up-tempo, we look to shoot a lot of 3's, we look to trap and sub and have fun."

The same could not be said for Troy Washington's Kettle Run club, which was outmatched and overwhelmed almost from the start.

Down 13-2 before the first quarter was even halfway over, the Cougars finally converted on their ninth field-goal attempt of the game when sophomore Josh Leonard (13 points and 13 rebounds) scored inside.

A free throw and a 3-pointer from teammate Lucas Costa brought Kettle Run to within five at 13-8 and for a moment it seemed as though the Cougars would be able to keep up.

Unfortunately that moment was fleeting.

James Wood sophomore guard Ryland Williams (16 points, three 3-pointers) finished a 3-point play, fellow sophomore Peyton Crickman (seven points, one 3-pointer) connected from beyond the arc and back-to-back Kettle Run turnovers led to layups for seniors Jake Lewin (11 points, three 3-pointers) and Chad Potter (10 points, one 3-pointer).

The Colonels closed the quarter on an 11-2 run and never let their lead drop below single-digits the rest of the way as Kettle Run struggled to protect the ball all night.

"We had scouted them [Thursday night] and we saw that they didn't face a whole lot of pressure against the team they were playing, but the little bit that they did face they had a hard time handling it," Smith said.

"So we talked a lot about that in the locker room, about relentless pressure, about wanting to push the pace from the start to make it where they get tired and start making bad decisions. And I think we did a good job of that tonight."

Despite their turnover issues it's not as if the Cougars went cold from the field.

Kettle Run actually shot 50 percent (13 for 26) in the second half and 41 percent (20 for 49) for the game.

But the Colonels had ten different players hit at least one 3-pointer in the game, finishing 16 for 43 for 37 percent, and had 58 more field-goal attempts than Kettle Run.

"We don't worry about shooting percentages, it's more about how many shots we take," said Williams, who finished 5 for 9 in the game and was one of only three James Wood players to shoot better than 50 percent from the field.

"Our playing style is run and gun, run and gun ... keep shooting, keep shooting, keep shooting. We're not worried about the last shot, we're worried about the next one. We're always looking to take the next open shot."

That style of play had not generated much success through the first four games, with the Colonels posting just one win in an 81-70 victory over Fauquier on Monday.

But Smith pointed to the fact that everyone is still getting used to the new system and that there is a learning curve.

"I was very skeptical, I'm a traditional guy," said Smith about trying the new strategy. "But so far the guys have bought into it. Some nights, like Wednesday night [a 72-60 loss to Washington] we didn't hit our shots and consequently we lost the game.

"But as long as the pace of the game is where we want it to be, I think eventually the other team will wear down and our shots will start falling. We'll get the steals and get easy baskets, just like we did tonight."

Junior guard Nick Foura finished with 15 points and fellow junior Michael Carter had nine for the Colonels.

Kettle Run's Elias Brice totaled eight points and seven rebounds in the loss.

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