Frenzied Colonels rattle Bulldogs in Classic

By Jerry Holsworth - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

STRASBURG -- The final of this year's Ram Hardwood Classic at Strasburg High School looked like a forgone conclusion.

James Wood, which was sporting a losing record, was facing Luray, a semifinalist in last year's Group A state championship tournament and the Region B champs. The Bulldogs were also undefeated heading into the game.

Looks, however, can be deceiving.

James Wood (4-5) employed a fast-paced, full-court defense that completely unnerved Luray (10-1), handing the Bulldogs their first defeat of the season, 81-68, to take the tournament crown.

"This was a really good game," Colonels coach Al Smith said. "They came in undefeated and we knew that they were never going to quit out there. They made it close a couple of times, but our guys were able to get the momentum back every time."

James Wood's tactics began with the opening whistle, and the Colonels kept up the frenzied pace until the last second of the game. In the process, James Wood demonstrated that it is a team that is loaded with depth. One of the five all-tournament selections was Colonels reserve Chad Potter.

"We really don't have a set starting lineup," Smith said. "We try to change things around. We play all 14 of our players and we expect each of them to make a contribution."

The effect of James Wood's blistering pace was immediate. Luray, which committed 40 turnovers for the night, didn't get a basket until the 4:40 mark in the opening quarter. Over the same time span, the Bulldogs committed seven turnovers and finished the period with 14.

"They saw us play on Wednesday night," Smith said. "But our style of defense is something that you can't really simulate in practice."

The result was a 10-2 run by the Colonels over the first half of the quarter that spelled doom for the Bulldogs.

Luray shot well, hitting six of its nine field goal attempts when the Bulldogs were able to get the ball across midcourt, but it wasn't nearly enough to counter James Wood's relentless pursuit of the ball, and the Colonels led 21-16 at the end of the period.

Very little changed in the second quarter, although the Bulldogs reduced their turnovers to six and managed to outscore James Wood 21-19 in the period.

The only bright spot in the quarter for the Bulldogs was the shooting of Jacob Griffith, who helped Luray narrow the Colonels' lead with a pair of 3-pointers late in the period.

That, however, still left them behind 40-37 at halftime in a game where the Luray never had the lead.

Whatever halftime adjustments the Bulldogs made didn't work, as James Wood came out even more aggressive on defense.

James Wood forced 13 Bulldogs turnovers in the third period, allowing the Colonels to push their lead back up to double figures, 49-39, with 6:33 still left in the quarter.

By the end of the period, James Wood had outscored the rattled Bulldogs 23-14 and went into the final quarter with a commanding 63-51 lead.

Desperately trying to get back into the game, Luray turned to fouls in the fourth quarter. The Colonels responded by hitting 16 of their 24 attempts to fight off any chance of a late comeback by the Bulldogs.

Potter was the hero for James Wood at the line in the final quarter, hitting 8 of 10 free-throw attempts. His consistency at the line was a key factor in his team-high 19 points for the game. Michael Carter, who scored five points at the line in the fourth quarter, was the only other Colonel to finish the night in double figures with 10 points.

"We pulled the ball back in the fourth quarter and forced them to foul us to get the ball back." Smith said. "Fortunately, we made the free throws."

James Wood, however, got points from 12 different players, with four nearly scoring in double figures. T.J. Bruce and Cam Butler both had nine points, and Brent Lewin and Ryland Williams had eight each.

Bulldogs point guard Monty Dickson was the top scorer for Luray with 22 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Griffith also had a good night for the Bulldogs, scoring 16 points. Andrew Ponn had 15 for Luray, including a perfect 5 of 5 from the line.

"We just committed too many turnovers," Luray coach Jim Sanders said. "We just weren't coming to the ball, and you have to come to the ball and help out your teammates when you're playing an aggressive team like Wood. We just let them control the tempo of the game. Too many turnovers, though, that was the story of the game."