James Wood girls capture own tournament

WINCHESTER — Throughout Saturday’s first half, James Wood girls’ basketball coach Krista Crites exhorted her group to defend Musselman’s sharpshooters. In the second half, the Colonels complied.

The James Wood Holiday Basketball Tournament was revived this year after a two-decade absence, and the Colonels made it a special one by rallying from a halftime deficit for a 54-48 victory over the Applemen from West Virginia.

Saturday’s win was their fourth straight this season for the Colonels (6-3), who were led by Makayla Firebaugh’s game-high 22 points.

“Yeah, could you tell?” Crites said of her verbal encouragement. “That’s what we were trying to do the whole first half. Go find the shooters, they kind of live and die with the 3 (-point shot). When they’re going in, they’re pretty good. That’s what they do.”

When the Applemen’s long 3’s failed to connect, the home-standing Colonels took advantage.

“Defense and free throws. That’s what we hang our game on. Those are the two things that helped us win tonight,” Crites said.

“To tell you the truth, we just look for an open shot,” said Musselman coach Adrian Elliott. “When they’re open, we want them to shoot it. If they’re not, we’d prefer they’d drive it.”

Musselman deposited three 3-point shots in the first quarter when the Applemen earned a 16-13 lead. They made another trio of long-distance shots in the second quarter for the 29-26 intermission advantage.

After halftime, Crites played strictly zone defense with three Colonels on the perimeter and two underneath. It seemed to work.

After dropping in a half-dozen shots beyond the 3-point line in the first half, the Applemen (6-2) connected on two triples in the third period. In quarter No. 4, their total was just one.

In fact, the Applemen converted just three field goals in quarter No. 3 and six for the half.

“I think it was a combination of things. I thought we were getting looks, the shots just were not falling,” said Elliott. “That and James Wood was playing good defense.”

Crites and James Wood opened the half in the 3-2 zone, and, having trumped Musselman’s sharpshooters the Colonels began hitting free throws.

Firebaugh made all 13 of her attempts in the game. She was closely followed by fellow Blue and Gold guard Brenna Prunty, who was 7 of 9.

Firebaugh converted all six of her free shots in the key fourth quarter.

“What we do with Makayla is try to give her the ball in those close situations, because we think she’ll either make her free throws or get a good shot. It’s crazy to think about, but, as long as we can hold the possession, it works out for us,” said Prunty.

Crites referred to Firebaugh, a junior who surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season as “my girl.” But she added, “There were others who played well too.

“We’re still trying to find our identity and bring along some of the girls to help Makayla out.”

Prunty finished with 13 points, the only other double-figure scorer for James Wood besides Firebaugh.

The Colonels, who defeated Jefferson (W.Va.) 41-32 in Friday’s semifinal game, trailed by as many as nine points in the second quarter when they started putting things together at the free throw line.

Behind 29-20, Prunty delivered on a 3-point play. Then Firebaugh added a pair of free throws and teammate Emma Van Horn made 1 of 2 to pull the Colonels within 29-26 as the halftime horn sounded.

James Wood’s Sue Carter’s putback made it a one-point game, but Jordan Kerr (team-high 15 points, 12 from beyond the 3-point arc) and Allison Burdette wrapped triples around a single Colonel free throw for a 35-29 Musselman lead.

That 3 by Burdette happened to be the last triple for Musselman until Hayley Jenkins knocked one home near the end of the game.

In between, the Colonels rallied and built a lead.

After Burdette’s long shot, James Wood’s Berkeley Frank scored to make it 35-31.

Then Firebaugh hit two free throws and Carter followed in an errant shot to make it 35-35 with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter.

Musselman’s Elliott called time, but the break failed to deter the hosts.

Prunty tipped an outlet pass to Jenny Kerns. The latter made one of two shots and with 1:19 showing, Wood had its first lead. Firebaugh’s ensuing steal-and-layup made it 38-35 to end the third quarter.

Nai Fargo (12 points) opened the fourth with the first of just three Applemen field goals for the frame and the visitors pulled within a point, but Prunty mastered a pair of foul shots and then Firebaugh scored off a steal and Wood held a 42-37 lead.

Thanks to six Firebaugh free throws, James Wood opened a 48-39 cushion with 3:13 left in the game.

Jenkins 3-ball cut the final margin to six, the closest the Applemen would come in the final period.

Riverside beat Jefferson 43-42 in the consolation game earlier on Saturday.

James Wood will host Sherando in a Class 4 Northwestern District game on Friday at 6 p.m.