WINCHESTER — In a game that featured two otherworldly individual scoring performances that accounted for 55.9 percent of the points, Millbrook’s Rylee Baker was just a bit more brilliant.
Led by Baker’s career-high 40 points, Millbrook defeated James Wood and Ashby Copenhaver’s career-high 31 points 68-59 on Friday night at the Colonels’ Shirley Gymnasium.
The senior guard duo put on a thrilling show for the fans, with Copenhaver’s nine 3-pointers leading James Wood’s 14-of-22 shooting performance from beyond the arc.
It took a collective push from the Pioneers (8-4) to emerge victorious in a game in which they trailed at the end of the first (20-17), second (35-32) and third quarters (49-48).
Millbrook outscored the Colonels (2-7) 20-10 in the fourth quarter, including 13-4 in the last four minutes. Baker — who also led the Pioneers in rebounds (12) and steals (six) — and Keon Lewis (11 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks) combined to make 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter and led Millbrook’s plus-10 rebounding edge in the second half.
Baker scored 11 points in the game-ending 13-4 run, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:00 left that made it 58-55 after he curled toward the right wing from the corner. Braylon Fauver dribbled right and handed the ball off to Baker, who continued toward the middle of the floor, dribbled once, fired away, and fired up the Pioneer fans.
“We moved the ball well and played as a team,” Baker said.
Baker made 3 of his 6 3-pointers. Baker said it’s his shooting that’s improved the most from last year, but Friday showed he certainly hasn’t been slacking off on his penetrating dribbling ability. Baker got himself into the paint often and made 15 of 27 shots overall to score more than twice his average (19.8 points per game) coming into Friday.
“Rylee’s always been a scorer,” Millbrook coach Erick Green Sr. said. “This year, he’s playing team ball. He’s not forcing it. He’s letting things come to him. That’s what makes it fun for everybody else to play with him. He’s not forcing shots. He’s taking what the defense gives him. He’s having an excellent season, and I hope that he continues on shooting that way and playing that way.
“He’s matured a lot. I’m very proud of him. He’s buckled down and really come a long way. After football season, he was struggling shooting the ball, but now he’s kind of got it together. He’s going to be tough to stop the rest of the way through.”
Baker’s defense played a big role in his scoring output, and two plays in particular went a long way toward Millbrook’s victory.
On the possession after Baker made it 58-55, Keagan Dennis tapped the ball away from a dribbling James Wood player to the left a couple of feet behind the arc while the Colonels were in the frontcourt. Baker pounced on the loose ball and took it to the other end for a layup to make it 60-55 with 3:45 left.
Later, Baker would hit two free throws with 58 seconds left to bring the Pioneers’ lead to 63-58, the game’s first points since Copenhaver drilled the last of his nine 3-pointers with 2:02 left from the left corner.
With a chance to make it a one-possession game again, a James Wood player attempted a long pass from the right side toward Aidric Yurish underneath the basket. Baker was a few steps away from Yurish before the ball was thrown, but stepped in front and caught the ball before it could get to him. James Wood eventually fouled Baker with 44.9 seconds left.
“I was looking at [the James Wood player], and I saw his eyes looking [at Yurish],” Baker said. “I knew he was going to throw the ball, and I just made that read and picked it off.”
Baker hit both free throws to give Millbrook a 65-58 lead.
With the score 65-59 with 29.5 seconds left, Baker made the first free throw but missed the second — his only miss all game in a 7 for 8 performance. That wound up being a good miss. Lewis grabbed the rebound and was fouled, and he hit both free throws to put the Pioneers up 68-59.
Millbrook came into the game shooting 61.7 percent from the line, but went 17 of 21 (80.9 percent) on free throws Friday. Lewis made 8 of 10.
“Last couple of days, we’ve switched up our free-throw shooting routine at practice, made it a more game-like situation, so I think that helped us a lot,” Green said.
Lewis’ rebound was the exclamation point for the Pioneers’ much-improved performance on the boards in the last 16 minutes. After being outrebounded 23-15 in the first half, Millbrook had a 23-13 edge in the second half. Lewis had eight of his nine rebounds in the second half.
“At halftime, I kind of had an intense conversation with Keon, because he needed to rebound,” Green said. “He only had one rebound, and I know he’s better than that, and he knows he’s better than that. [The second half] just showed that when he puts his mind to it, he can do it.”
Green said he liked what he saw from freshman forward Keegan Hepner, who had five blocks and three rebounds but sat out the second half with an injury. Hepner started in place of Daniel Clater, who has been dealing with an injury all season and aggravated it 10 seconds into Tuesday’s game against Skyline. Clater sat out Friday’s game.
“Keegan did an excellent job,” Green said. “We need him for next Friday [against Sherando at home], and I didn’t want to risk anything. He did a great job for us, being a freshman in a big game like this.”
Green praised James Wood and its excellent long-range marksmanship. In addition to Copenhaver, Jake Woskobunik connected on three 3-pointers (all in the second quarter to account for his nine total points) and Yurish and Brodie Sirbaugh (11 points, eight rebounds) had one each.
“We had our hands up on shots, and they made the extra pass to find the open man, and the open man knocked down shots,” Green said. “Personally, I think we just wore them down. We caught them at the end. They got a little slower, the passes weren’t as strong, and they weren’t knocking down as many shots. We buckled down in the fourth period and really pulled out the win.”
After taking 48 shots in the first three quarters, James Wood only managed nine attempts in the fourth quarter, making three.
Those three makes in the fourth were all 3-point shots from Copenhaver. He was at his best in the first quarter, connecting on five shots from long range and scoring all 17 of his first-half points to give James Wood a 20-17. He scored the last points of the first quarter, breaking a tie with a shot from distance with five seconds left.
Copenhaver came into the game having made 16 of 48 3-pointers. He works hard at his outside shooting in practice, and that effort was on display better than ever on Friday.
“I’m confident in my shot,” Copenhaver said. “I shoot hundreds of shots a day at practice. I appreciate all my teammates having confidence in me, swinging that rock when I’m open.”
Though Copenhaver headlined James Wood’s performance, it truly was a team effort for the Colonels. Just three days prior, they lost 89-39 to Handley, and they wasted no time showing they were not only capable of playing better than they did against the Judges, but they had the potential to win.
James Wood led by as much as eight in the second quarter (33-25 on a Woskobunik 3-pointer) and by five in the third quarter (49-44) on a Sirbaugh three. Copenhaver’s 3-pointer 21 seconds in that made it 52-48 was the high point for Wood in the fourth. James Wood was hurt by foul trouble to Michael Bell, who missed six minutes before returning with 4:14 left in the game. He fouled out with 3:03 left and the Colonels down 60-55.
“Millbrook’s a good team, and we were right there with them,” Copenhaver said. “We fought, and we played hard as a team. I think we’re moving forward as a team in a positive way.”
James Wood interim head coach Paul Hvozdovic liked what he saw from the Colonels on many levels, especially since they had such a tough game against Handley on Tuesday.
“From an attitude, effort, discipline [standpoint], I’m incredibly proud of the fight the Colonels produced in front of a home crowd,” Hvozdovic said. “Historic evening for [Copenhaver] in Donald Shirley Gymnasium. What ends with a three starts with the extra pass, and I’m incredibly proud of all 10 of our student-athletes out there. They played very unselfish, disciplined basketball, especially on the offensive side of things, to make sure everybody found that open look when the time was right.”
The Colonels will host Fauquier in their next game on Wednesday.
“There’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to come ready for war on Monday and Tuesday in practice after school,” Hvozdovic said.
Millbrook was also led by Rome Johnson (seven points), Dennis (four assists, two steals) and Fauver (two assists, two blocks).
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com
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