Quiet Decision, But Not A Quiet Night

Broadway’s Heather Cantrell receives a pass Friday. (Photo by Michael Reilly)

BROADWAY — When Broadway High School senior Heather Cantrell said in an interview Friday that she had committed to play basketball for Bridgewater College two weeks ago, it was news to BHS coach Bobby Mongold.

Heck, she didn’t even tell her mother. Becky Cantrell didn’t find out until BC coach Jean Willi mentioned it last week.

“That’s typical Heather,” Mongold said.

Cantrell’s performance Friday was even better than typical.

Broadway’s only senior poured in a career-high 29 points on senior night, nearly outscoring all of Harrisonburg in the Gobblers’ 46-32 win.

As for the quiet commitment to BC?

“I didn’t really think it was a big deal,” she said.

It’s only the next four years of her life.

But Cantrell did say that scoring her most points in a high-school game on a day that celebrated her career was a big deal – more meaningful, she said, than when she was honored for scoring her 1,000th career point Tuesday at Spotswood.

It was Mongold’s plan all along to get Cantrell the ball often Friday – but not because of senior night. Rather, the Gobblers (14-4 overall, 8-2 in the Valley District) simply had an advantage in the post with the left-handed forward, who added nine rebounds.

“Obviously, she played fantastic tonight, but I also told the team in the locker room, you’ve got to give credit to the rest of the players, because they sacrificed a little bit knowing we had a mismatch and that they didn’t really have any answer for Heather,” Mongold said. “That’s one of the reasons why I love my team so much. We had guards that could have been chucking up a bunch of 3s tonight, but we knew that we had a huge advantage inside.”

BHS never trailed after a high-low pass from junior forward Brianna Zook to Cantrell made it 4-3 in the first quarter. Harrisonburg junior guard Sydney Knupp scored 19 points to keep the game from getting too lopsided, but senior guard Keyana Whitley-Duncan, the Streaks’ leading scorer, had just three points, and freshman guard Kendyl Brooks was scoreless. HHS (8-8, 3-7) shot 11-of-38 (29 percent) from the floor and 7-of-16 (44 percent) from the foul line.

“We normally shoot about 40 percent from the floor,” HHS coach Bill Bayer said. “So you just throw that in, and half those free throws, and we’re right in the game.”

Freshman point guard Kiersten Roadcap added eight points for BHS, which went 20-of-23 (87 percent) from the foul line. That included 11-of-12 shooting from Cantrell, whose personality is simultaneously enigmatic and infectious. When asked if there were any extra well-wishers for senior night, she responded, “My mom actually wore a skirt, so that really worried me.”

“It’s just not her,” Cantrell said, explaining her answer.

Mongold has embraced Cantrell’s personality – mostly – for four years.

“It’s not much in life that’s a big deal to Heather, and that’s a gift and a curse,” he said smiling.