James Wood girls score 36 unanswered points in rout of Handley

WINCHESTER — With a two-point lead and with James Wood in foul trouble, Handley was sitting in pretty decent shape five minutes into Monday’s girls’ basketball game.

By the time halftime rolled around, those first five minutes already felt like a distant memory.

Propelled by a defense that forced turnovers all over the court, the Colonels scored 34 unanswered points in 10 minutes and 18 seconds, which was the bulk of a 36-0 run to take a 40-8 lead with 24 seconds left in the first half.

James Wood maintained control from there and went on to a 71-27 win in Class 4 Northwestern District action at Frederick County Middle School in the first of two meetings between the schools this week. The rematch is Saturday at Handley.

James Wood senior guard Emma Bursey said the layoff created by Friday’s snow might have led to the Colonels (8-7, 5-3 district) starting a bit slow. Once James Wood got revved up, Handley (1-17, 0-8) couldn’t find a way to steer the Colonels away from their assault on the basket.

“It took us a couple of minutes to get into the game,” said Bursey, who scored a team-high 17 points. “I think once we did that, we just got in a groove, and had a lot of fast breaks, and good passes down low.”

Handley led 8-4 at one point and led 8-6 after the clock went under three minutes left in the first quarter.

A jumper by Bursey with 2:42 left in the first quarter tied the game at 8 and started a flurry that put Handley in a hole from which it could not escape.

Brynna Nesselrodt (15 points, five steals) knocked down two free throws with 2:16 left to make it 10-8, then James Wood scored three straight baskets off Handley turnovers to make it 16-8.

The Judges’ ability to generate James Wood fouls paid off when they went to the line for a one-and-one after the Colonels’ seventh foul with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. But Handley missed that attempt as well as another one 10 seconds later, and a 3-pointer from Bursey with 8.9 seconds left in the first quarter put the Colonels up 19-8.

James Wood forced 10 turnovers in the first quarter and 12 more in the second in building that 40-8 lead (the Colonels went into halftime with a 40-12 advantage). In the first quarter, James Wood forced Handley to work hard to get the ball past half court with its pressure, and the Judges struggled to maintain possession and complete passes to their teammates.

Handley also had trouble with its efficiency in the half court as a result of forcing James Wood forcing the Judges into difficult positions and being active with its feet and hands. Handley made only 3 of 25 shots in the second and third quarters as James Wood built its lead to 63-19.

“[Our pressure] seems to be working,” Bursey said. “Our coach [also] told us to lay off and just do a half court [defense] too, and I think we got a lot of steals and fast breaks from that as well.”

Monday’s game was an example of how much James Wood has grown since the beginning of the season. The Colonels started 0-5 against a difficult schedule, but since then they’ve won eight times in 10 games. Seven of those wins have been by at least 16 points, and Monday’s win marked the fifth contest that James Wood has won by at least 32 points.

“The main thing is that the defense is picking it up,” said James Wood coach Sanford Silver, who added the Colonels are doing well with positioning and communication.

Bursey and Nesselrodt (credited by James Wood with 12 rebounds) were two of four players for the Colonels who scored in double figures, with Aleeya Silver and Jolie Jenkins scoring 13 points each.

“It was a rocky start [to the season], and I personally started off pretty rough,” said Bursey, one of four Colonels who are now averaging at least seven points per game. “But once we all started working together more, I think that helped me personally. I just appreciate my teammates, because they’ve helped me a lot.”

Silver thought Bursey made good decisions on when to drive and when to pull up and shoot on Monday, and thought his daughter Aleeya used her head to put herself in good positions to score.

“It’s all about good decision-making,” said Sanford Silver, whose team only committed six turnovers in the last three quarters after it had five in the first eight minutes. “Down the stretch we’re making better decisions that we didn’t make early in the season.”

Handley had one of its better performances in an overtime loss last week to a 10-win Fauquier team. But, Judges coach Randolph Martin still is searching for the right mix of players, noting that he’s had a different starting lineup in just about every game this season.

On Monday, Martin thought James Wood was more active than his team.

“[James Wood] was flying down the floor,” Martin said. “We got outhustled, and things went downhill very quickly.”

The Colonels also received six points and eight rebounds from Gabby Valentinetti. Aubrey Grove added seven rebounds.

Laura Hogan had eight points overall and six rebounds in the last three quarters for the Judges.

James Wood plays Jefferson (W.Va.) and Sherando at Frederick County Middle today and Thursday, respectively.

After playing Kettle Run on Tuesday, the Judges continue their season on Friday at Millbrook.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
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