Sherando boys score 24 in third to pull away from James Wood

WINCHESTER — After being outscored by over 20 points in the second half of the season opener earlier this week, the Sherando High School boys’ basketball team had no interest in a repeat performance.

The Warriors executed that mission with purpose in Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium on Friday night, defeating James Wood 60-43 for their first victory of the season.

Leading 23-19 at halftime, the Warriors (1-1, 1-0 Class 4 Northwestern District) put the cinderblock on the gas pedal in the third quarter.

Sherando went on an 18-6 run midway through the third and scored 24 total points in the quarter to eventually pull away and take a 47-32 lead entering the final eight minutes of action.

With a 15-point lead in hand, the Colonels (0-4, 0-1) were unable to mount a comeback and lost their fourth straight game to start the season.

After leading Central on Wednesday before being outscored by 22 points in the second half to ultimately lose the season opener by 15, Sherando coach Garland Williams told his team at halftime to not let up against the Colonels.

“Our biggest message was, ‘Hey, we were up in the first game here just on Wednesday,’” Williams said. “We got to do a better job as far as keeping our defensive intensity because we thought we let down a little bit on Wednesday, and we want to make sure that the guys kept that intensity, and for the most part, I think they did.”

Williams’ message resonated with Jackson Ogle, who finished with a team-high 16 points and made four of eight free-throw attempts.

“We just kept attacking,” Ogle said. “They just kept fouling. Our coach told us to attack on the inside, and we did that. We just followed the game plan.”

Ogle scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.

“He was very big,” Williams said of Ogle. “I mean, for one, he's a much, much better leaper. I mean, he was a good jumper last year, but now he's bigger, a little stronger, so he can get up off the floor fairly quickly. We felt that we could do some things with him to get him in a position to be close to the rim and hopefully drop down a few, and that happened for us tonight.”

Sherando's Joshua Miller poured in 10 points. Angel Guzman added seven.

The Warriors’ run in the third came after they blitzed the Colonels to close out the first quarter and begin the second.

Wood started with a 10-6 lead following a double-clutch layup by Wood guard Brodie Sirbaugh with 3:55 left in the first. That four-point advantage didn’t last long, as the Warriors proceeded to go on a 12-0 run to end the first quarter and start the second quarter to take an 18-10 lead.

“That spurt helps to relieve some of that pressure off of you, and then you can feel a little more comfortable running your stuff when you need to run it,” Williams said.

James Wood first-year coach Ben Bates thought the 12-0 run by Sherando was a game-changer.

“I mean, a 12-0 run in any juncture of the game is huge,” Bates said. “We really want to pride ourselves on the defensive end. Our magical number is 50; we want to hold teams under 50. During that stretch, I feel like in spurts, we lacked some offensive firepower consistently.”

Wood guard Zach Woskobunik stopped Sherando’s run with 4:46 left in the second quarter, drilling a shot from beyond the arc. With the help of another 3-pointer by Ashby Copenhaver and a fast-break layup by Alex Evans, the Colonels entered halftime trailing by only four before the floodgates opened for Sherando.

Wood's starting center, Ronnie Barrett, picked up his third foul of the game on the first possession of the second half. Bates thought losing Barrett hurt the Colonels' chances of taking the lead back after halftime.

"I mean, we fought for the first 16 minutes of the game," Bates said. "Two seconds into the second half, our starting center picks up his third foul. You can just kind of feel the momentum just swinging. But, I mean, a lot of that is Sherando. They're long, they're tall, they're physical, they're well coached."

Bates added that the 0-4 start to the season ultimately falls on his shoulders.

“I need to do a better job as a coach,” Bates said. “I need to put the kids in place to be successful. I need to prepare them better practices. This all falls on me, and like I told the guys after the game, I'm going to be the change. I need them to accept it, to come in ready to work, but it's gonna start with me."

Copenhaver was the only double-digit scorer for the Colonels with 14 points. Sirbaugh added seven points.

With Sherando’s football season wrapping up last weekend, the Warriors had five players on the team record their first day of practice on Monday: Ogle, Micah Carlson, Sean Benton, Reth Puller and Treyvonne Washington.

Ogle, who played wide receiver and defensive back for football, didn’t seem to let the rust affect him on Friday.

“It was a little rough getting back into it because we had a football game Saturday, and then had to practice two days, and then going to Central, but I think we're getting back into a little bit,” Ogle said.

With a full lineup at his disposal, Williams liked what he saw from the depth of his team.

“We think we have some guys that can help us out,” Williams said. “Hopefully this is just the start of some people that really can help out. For the most part, we said, ‘Hey, it could be any given night with somebody having a big night.’”

James Wood will travel to Clarke County on Saturday. Sherando will travel to Musselman (West Virginia) on Monday.

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