SHS Tops Lee
Blazers Clinch Valley District
Posted: February 2, 2013
PENN LAIRD – Before the game began Friday, junior point guard Tucker McCoy and the Trailblazers honored Spotswood High School’s only boys’ basketball state title team. Current players presented former ones with brand-new championship rings — filling a void of sorts.
In 1993, the champs had received jackets for winning the Group AA title, but not rings.
“Seeing the rings gave us all cold chills and made us want to work harder to get one of those ourselves,” said McCoy, who was purposely matched up with fellow 1,000-point scorer Carey Keyes, SHS’s former district, regional and state Player of the Year. “Hopefully, we won’t have to wait 20 years for one.”
They didn’t have to wait much longer for another regular-season district championship.
Hyrum Weiler led six Blazers in double figures with 19 points as Spotswood routed R.E. Lee 95-53 on Friday to emphatically clinch the Valley District regular-season title and a guaranteed Region III, Division 3 berth with two games to go.
“The automatic berth to the regional tournament is huge,” SHS coach Chad Edwards said. “Just really a special night, almost a fairy tale-type of night.”
Integrating his players into the 20th anniversary ceremony – like the rings themselves – was Edwards’ idea.
“That ring has motivated me my whole coaching career,” said Edwards, who raised the funds for the 1993 championship rings. “I think when you see it up close and personal and then you see how the guys react to it – how much people respect a silly old ring – it gave me chills and I think it helped motivate our guys.”
The Blazers (19-1 overall, 10-0 in the Valley) used several runs to put the game out of reach, including a 9-0 run that gave them a comfortable 45-24 halftime lead. Then, sophomore guard Khalil Davis went from dishing out a handful of assists in the first half to becoming a one-man fast-break machine, turning steals into layups.
“He just gives us such energy on the court,” Edwards said. “And coming into tonight, Lee was playing their fourth game in five days. They have to be tired. We wanted to run as much as we could.”
And they did. The Blazers also shot the ball well, particularly in the third quarter, going 12-for-23 from the floor (52 percent). SHS added 11 more field goals in the fourth quarter, as McCoy (18 points), Josh Lasam (15 points on five 3-pointers), Davis (12), Austin Nicely (12) and Jacob Garber (10) all finished in double figures.
“That’s the difference. We don’t shoot the ball very well,” said Lee coach Jarrett Hatcher, who was warned by a referee after questioning several first-half calls. “We struggled to score the basketball. We struggled to get rebounds. Spotswood’s got a good team. … We’re a fragile team with a lot of weaknesses and we had a lot of things happen beyond our control.”
Senior guard Shai Matthews led the Leemen (9-10, 5-5) with 13 points while dealing with early foul trouble. Sophomore guard Chance Sheffey added 11.
The Blazers – who earned their first district title since winning three consecutive Massanutten titles in 2007-2010 – have now won four games in a row by 35 or more points, averaging 89.8 points per game since SHS’s sole loss of the season at Monticello on Jan. 19.
On this night, though, the Blazers got a rare opportunity to see what they covet up close: state championship rings.
“It was a great night for Spotswood basketball,” Hatcher said. “They play basketball the way Lee used to. If they keep playing like that, they’ll be able to hand out rings sometime in April. They’re playing that well.”
R.E. LEE
Whitelow 1 1-2 4, Matthews 3 6-6 13, Sheffey 3 4-6 11, M. Crawford 2 4-8 8, Spears 3 1-2 7, C. Crawford 1 0-0 2, Brown 3 0-0 6, Porter 0 0-1 0, Anderson 1 0-1 2, Wells 0 0-2 0. Totals 17 16-28.
SPOTSWOOD
Davis 4 4-6 12, McCoy 6 2-2 18, Nicely 4 4-8 12, Garber 5 0-0 10, Weiler 8 3-4 19, Blandon 1 2-2 4, Detamore 1 0-0 2, Lasam 5 0-0 15, Hinkle 1 0-0 3. Totals 35 15-22 95.
R.E. Lee 15 9 17 12 - 53
Spotswood 21 24 24 26 - 95
3-Point Goals—Lee 3 (Whitelow, Matthews, Sheffey), SHS 10 (Lasam 5, McCoy 4, Hinkle). Fouled Out—SHS (Garber). Rebounds—Lee 34 (Spears 6), SHS 42 (Nicely 9). Total Fouls—Lee 17, SHS 21.
JV score: 74-32, Spotswood.
In 1993, the champs had received jackets for winning the Group AA title, but not rings.
“Seeing the rings gave us all cold chills and made us want to work harder to get one of those ourselves,” said McCoy, who was purposely matched up with fellow 1,000-point scorer Carey Keyes, SHS’s former district, regional and state Player of the Year. “Hopefully, we won’t have to wait 20 years for one.”
They didn’t have to wait much longer for another regular-season district championship.
Hyrum Weiler led six Blazers in double figures with 19 points as Spotswood routed R.E. Lee 95-53 on Friday to emphatically clinch the Valley District regular-season title and a guaranteed Region III, Division 3 berth with two games to go.
“The automatic berth to the regional tournament is huge,” SHS coach Chad Edwards said. “Just really a special night, almost a fairy tale-type of night.”
Integrating his players into the 20th anniversary ceremony – like the rings themselves – was Edwards’ idea.
“That ring has motivated me my whole coaching career,” said Edwards, who raised the funds for the 1993 championship rings. “I think when you see it up close and personal and then you see how the guys react to it – how much people respect a silly old ring – it gave me chills and I think it helped motivate our guys.”
The Blazers (19-1 overall, 10-0 in the Valley) used several runs to put the game out of reach, including a 9-0 run that gave them a comfortable 45-24 halftime lead. Then, sophomore guard Khalil Davis went from dishing out a handful of assists in the first half to becoming a one-man fast-break machine, turning steals into layups.
“He just gives us such energy on the court,” Edwards said. “And coming into tonight, Lee was playing their fourth game in five days. They have to be tired. We wanted to run as much as we could.”
And they did. The Blazers also shot the ball well, particularly in the third quarter, going 12-for-23 from the floor (52 percent). SHS added 11 more field goals in the fourth quarter, as McCoy (18 points), Josh Lasam (15 points on five 3-pointers), Davis (12), Austin Nicely (12) and Jacob Garber (10) all finished in double figures.
“That’s the difference. We don’t shoot the ball very well,” said Lee coach Jarrett Hatcher, who was warned by a referee after questioning several first-half calls. “We struggled to score the basketball. We struggled to get rebounds. Spotswood’s got a good team. … We’re a fragile team with a lot of weaknesses and we had a lot of things happen beyond our control.”
Senior guard Shai Matthews led the Leemen (9-10, 5-5) with 13 points while dealing with early foul trouble. Sophomore guard Chance Sheffey added 11.
The Blazers – who earned their first district title since winning three consecutive Massanutten titles in 2007-2010 – have now won four games in a row by 35 or more points, averaging 89.8 points per game since SHS’s sole loss of the season at Monticello on Jan. 19.
On this night, though, the Blazers got a rare opportunity to see what they covet up close: state championship rings.
“It was a great night for Spotswood basketball,” Hatcher said. “They play basketball the way Lee used to. If they keep playing like that, they’ll be able to hand out rings sometime in April. They’re playing that well.”
R.E. LEE
Whitelow 1 1-2 4, Matthews 3 6-6 13, Sheffey 3 4-6 11, M. Crawford 2 4-8 8, Spears 3 1-2 7, C. Crawford 1 0-0 2, Brown 3 0-0 6, Porter 0 0-1 0, Anderson 1 0-1 2, Wells 0 0-2 0. Totals 17 16-28.
SPOTSWOOD
Davis 4 4-6 12, McCoy 6 2-2 18, Nicely 4 4-8 12, Garber 5 0-0 10, Weiler 8 3-4 19, Blandon 1 2-2 4, Detamore 1 0-0 2, Lasam 5 0-0 15, Hinkle 1 0-0 3. Totals 35 15-22 95.
R.E. Lee 15 9 17 12 - 53
Spotswood 21 24 24 26 - 95
3-Point Goals—Lee 3 (Whitelow, Matthews, Sheffey), SHS 10 (Lasam 5, McCoy 4, Hinkle). Fouled Out—SHS (Garber). Rebounds—Lee 34 (Spears 6), SHS 42 (Nicely 9). Total Fouls—Lee 17, SHS 21.
JV score: 74-32, Spotswood.