Pioneer Boys Pull Out 50-47 Win Over Wood

Posted: February 7, 2014
By GREG BRILL
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — A switch of defenses paid off well for the Millbrook boys’ basketball team.

Not happy with how James Wood was constantly getting to the rim, Millbrook coach Derek Butler decided it was time to throw a box-and-one on Colonels’ senior guard Ryland Williams and scrap the matchup zone the Pioneers used for much of the first half.

And just like that, Millbrook started having more stops on the defensive end in the second half and also had the extended runs it had been looking for for most the game on the offensive end.

A 23-8 run bridging the third and fourth quarters lifted the Pioneers out to an eight-point lead with under three minutes to play on Thursday night, and Millbrook held off a last-ditch rally by James Wood to post a 50-47 Northwestern District win in Casey Gymnasium.

Junior guards Chris Oates and Zach Harrell each scored 12 points to lead Millbrook, which won for the second time in its last three district games. Freshman Anthony Simonelli also came up big with 11 points off the Pioneers’ bench.

The Colonels, who lost their fourth straight, got 13 points from senior Peyton Crickman and 12 from Williams.

By using Alex Amos and Taylor James on Williams out of a box-and-one in the second half, the Pioneers were able to hold the dangerous guard to four points over the last two periods and the Colonels to 19 second-half points.

“We played a matchup zone against them in the first half because we figured they were preparing for the box since it gave them a little bit of trouble last time,” Butler said. “We switched back to it at halftime and that kind of turned the tide for us. They were penetrating whenever they wanted in the first half and I thought we could limit it with our matchup but we were over-committing with our help and they were dumping it down. And that’s how they were getting their buckets.

“In the second half, their penetration was limited and they didn’t knock down as many shots. We turned the tide on them there.”

James Wood would finish shooting just 28 percent overall (17 of 60) from the field, 2 of 17 on 3-pointers, and 11 of 18 (61 percent) from the foul line.

“I think we rebounded the ball very well,” James Wood coach Tim Wygant said. “We were 10-plus each half with offensive rebounds. When you rebound the ball well offensively that means you’re getting the shots you’re supposed to be getting.

“ ... we shot a lot from the inside tonight. We just need to focus on finishing the basketball.”

Neither team shot particularly well for most of the game, and with the Colonels missing chances to take control of the game in a first half they led by just five at the break, the door was open for the Pioneers (4-14, 2-3 district) to come back.

James Wood got plenty of shots in close over the first two periods, but led just 28-23 at the half.

While Millbrook hit on just 6 of 26 shots from the field in the first half, James Wood didn’t do much better, making 9 of 29 attempts.

The Colonels even went up by seven in the early minutes of the third period, taking a 32-25 lead on Cam Butler’s off-balance shot in the lane with 5:00 left in the quarter.

From there, Millbrook got on a roll and was able to take its first lead since the first period.

Held to five first-half points, Harrell hit a 3-pointer off the left baseline to begin a 14-4 Millbrook run to finish out the third.

The next two baskets came from Simonelli, who seemed to come up with crucial points most of the game.

After hitting a jumper off the left wing on the possession following Harrell’s 3-pointer, Simonelli drove to the lane and sank a high-arching shot off the glass and was fouled.

Simonelli completed his three-point play for a 33-32 lead with 2:31 left, the Pioneers’ first since Simonelli’s four-point play with 1:37 left in the first period had provided Millbrook with a 12-10 lead.

The lead changed three more times until Millbrook got four points in the final seconds of the third to take a three-point lead to the fourth.

After Harrell made a layup with 14 seconds left to put the Pioneers back on top, Cam Butler missed a jumper for the Colonels. The Pioneers rebounded and got a quick outlet to Donte Weaver, who beat the buzzer with his layup for a 39-36 lead.

“We started moving the ball, getting some easy looks, and that kind of got our confidence back in the second half,” coach Butler said. “That was important that we stayed close [in the first half].”

Millbrook outscored James Wood 16-8 in the third period, making 6 of 12 shots and getting five points apiece from Simonelli and Harrell.

“What I saw was their guards started putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim,” Wygant said. “We did not do a good job of stopping dribble penetration tonight. When our help [defense] came up, they dumped it inside.”

The Pioneers continued to excel in the fourth.

Two Crickman free throws with 6:52 left sent James Wood (10-9, 3-3) back up 40-39, but Millbrook scored the next nine points to move out to a 48-40 lead.

Oates came through with seven points during the spurt, and his layup with 2:42 left capped the run.

James Wood cut the lead to 48-47 off a Williams’ basket with 36 seconds left, but Simonelli made two clutch free throws out of the bonus with 18.5 seconds left for a three-point lead.

“[Simonelli’s] an intelligent player,” coach Butler said. “Those free throws [he made] at the end — we were 4 for 10 at the half, but we went 5 for 5 in the second half. That was huge. The 1-and-1, we were confident with him, so that’s why we kept him on the court.”

The Colonels got three shots in the end to tie, but each 3-point attempt fell away and the Pioneers were able to hold on.

Wygant went on to say that his team plays well for large parts of the game but must get over the hump when it hits four- or five-minute lulls that allow opponents to either catch up or extend leads.

“We just ran out of time [Thursday],” Wygant said. “It’s just the kind of thing where we get away from the things that led to our success [during games].”