Burg Beats Giants
Kardos Nets 22 In 51-47 Victory
Posted: January 16, 2013
WAYNESBORO – Feasting on a sudden run of turnovers in the fourth quarter, the Blue Streaks turned an eight-point deficit into a wild comeback win.
Senior guard Seth Kardos scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore guard Damien Sampson knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:33 remaining Tuesday to lift Harrisonburg High School to a 51-47 boys’ basketball victory over Waynesboro in a battle for fourth place in the Valley District.
Sampson scored eight of the Streaks’ final 10 points during a defining 11-0 run to close the game. He finished with 11 points on three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.
“We were just getting our shots in the right place at the right time,” said Kardos, favoring his long-injured ankle at times. “We really couldn’t have executed any better there at the end, which is good because I can’t remember the last time we won a close game.”
It was the first win against Waynesboro for the Blue Streaks (5-8 overall, 3-3 in the Valley) since January 2010.
“This could be a huge building block for us,” HHS coach Scott Joyner said.
For the second straight game, it appeared there was no answer inside for junior forward Chevez Harvey, who scored 17 of Waynesboro’s last 20 points. He had all 13 of the team’s points in the third quarter, giving the Giants (8-8, 2-4) a 40-37 lead at the end of the period.
“We executed like crazy,” WHS coach C. Jay DeWitt said. “… We just kicked it around [in the fourth quarter]. Give Harrisonburg credit. They picked up their defensive energy and they did a good job on their half-court trap.”
After not committing a single turnover in the second half through midway in the fourth quarter, Waynesboro coughed up the ball five times in six possessions, leading to Sampson’s open-look 3-pointer on the wing that put Harrisonburg ahead 49-47 with 1:33 left.
Thirty-six seconds later, Waynesboro had its top scorer forced out of the game.
As Brian Rodriguez dribbled forward near midcourt, Harvey was whistled for a foul and got the worst end of a skull clash with the Harrisonburg guard, pouring blood out onto the court with a large cut over his eye. Harvey came back briefly with his head heavily wrapped in gauze,
noticeably upset by the situation before being taken to the hospital for stitches.
“He had a big gash over top of his eye,” DeWitt said. “… He had a heck of a game. I mean, he’s a good kid and he’s really probably been our most consistent player this year. He’s just going to keep getting better and better.”
Waynesboro’s Zach Brown played most of the game, coming off the bench to score all nine of his points in the second quarter. His potential game-winning 3-pointer from the corner missed and went out of bounds off Waynesboro with 2.9 seconds to go.
Two final free throws by Sampson sealed the game, but the steady play of Kardos – who also led HHS with eight rebounds – certainly got the Streaks there, even though it wasn’t always flashy.
“Doesn’t he have the quietest points ever?” Joyner said. “Even my wife says, ‘He had [20-plus] again?’ I wouldn’t have known he had it. And he’s a key rebounder for us. He’s buying into what we’re doing, and his leadership is unbelievable.”
Senior guard Seth Kardos scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore guard Damien Sampson knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:33 remaining Tuesday to lift Harrisonburg High School to a 51-47 boys’ basketball victory over Waynesboro in a battle for fourth place in the Valley District.
Sampson scored eight of the Streaks’ final 10 points during a defining 11-0 run to close the game. He finished with 11 points on three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.
“We were just getting our shots in the right place at the right time,” said Kardos, favoring his long-injured ankle at times. “We really couldn’t have executed any better there at the end, which is good because I can’t remember the last time we won a close game.”
It was the first win against Waynesboro for the Blue Streaks (5-8 overall, 3-3 in the Valley) since January 2010.
“This could be a huge building block for us,” HHS coach Scott Joyner said.
For the second straight game, it appeared there was no answer inside for junior forward Chevez Harvey, who scored 17 of Waynesboro’s last 20 points. He had all 13 of the team’s points in the third quarter, giving the Giants (8-8, 2-4) a 40-37 lead at the end of the period.
“We executed like crazy,” WHS coach C. Jay DeWitt said. “… We just kicked it around [in the fourth quarter]. Give Harrisonburg credit. They picked up their defensive energy and they did a good job on their half-court trap.”
After not committing a single turnover in the second half through midway in the fourth quarter, Waynesboro coughed up the ball five times in six possessions, leading to Sampson’s open-look 3-pointer on the wing that put Harrisonburg ahead 49-47 with 1:33 left.
Thirty-six seconds later, Waynesboro had its top scorer forced out of the game.
As Brian Rodriguez dribbled forward near midcourt, Harvey was whistled for a foul and got the worst end of a skull clash with the Harrisonburg guard, pouring blood out onto the court with a large cut over his eye. Harvey came back briefly with his head heavily wrapped in gauze,
noticeably upset by the situation before being taken to the hospital for stitches.
“He had a big gash over top of his eye,” DeWitt said. “… He had a heck of a game. I mean, he’s a good kid and he’s really probably been our most consistent player this year. He’s just going to keep getting better and better.”
Waynesboro’s Zach Brown played most of the game, coming off the bench to score all nine of his points in the second quarter. His potential game-winning 3-pointer from the corner missed and went out of bounds off Waynesboro with 2.9 seconds to go.
Two final free throws by Sampson sealed the game, but the steady play of Kardos – who also led HHS with eight rebounds – certainly got the Streaks there, even though it wasn’t always flashy.
“Doesn’t he have the quietest points ever?” Joyner said. “Even my wife says, ‘He had [20-plus] again?’ I wouldn’t have known he had it. And he’s a key rebounder for us. He’s buying into what we’re doing, and his leadership is unbelievable.”