Volume 7, Issue 9

13 CHS’ MCDONALD

AND RAGLAND LEAD THE WAY

scrımmageplay THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA SPORTS AUTHORITY

Gaining Momentum

VOL 7. ISSUE 9 :: JANUARY 20, 2016

Madison County is packing the gym again.

Behind the leadership of three juniors, there is a renewed interest in the Mountaineers.

PAGE 07

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13 CHs’ MCdonald

and raGland lead tHe way

scrımmageplay the central virginia sports authority

x’s and o’s

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NOT SO SIMPLE STAB’s Taylor hits 1,000 point milestone

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BUILDING A FOLLOWING The Mountaineers are back in a big way

13

THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR Charlottesville’s McDonald chimes in

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GAME TIME Monticello girls basketball edges Western

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THE NOT SO HARD FOUL Trying to fix the end of basketball games

Gaining Momentum VOL 7 . ISSUE 9 :: JANUARY 20, 2016

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vol 7. issue 9 :: January 19, 2016

Madison County is packing the gym again.

Behind the leadership of three juniors, there is a renewed interest in the Mountaineers. page 07

S TA F F Bart Isley, Creative Director Bob Isley, Infrastructure Director Ryan Yemen, Creative Editor O N T H E COV E R Madison County’s Dre Twyman M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T Local sports are the lifeblood of every community in America, and we’re here to reach beyond the basics and give compelling accounts about Central Virginia athletes to our readers.

CO N TAC T U S [ e ] info@scrimmageplay.com [ p ] 434-249-2032

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PREGAME

Hauling it in

Madison County’s Dylan Breeden goes up for a rebound in his team’s 52-32 win over William Monroe. The Mountaineers’ force in the paint, Breeden had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the victory, a first for Madison against Monroe since 2010. Breeden is part of a junior trio that has the program out to its best start at 14-1 since — you guessed it — the ‘09-’10 season. To read more about Breeden and Madison, turn over to page 07. ✖ (Photo by Brian Mellott)

03 :: @scrimmageplay

Wins have not been easy to come by for a Monticello girls team in the midst of a heavy rebuild this year — but that’s not stopping Kiana Scott from having her moments. The senior led the way for the Mustangs to give them an overtime win over Western Albemarle on January 15. It was a game that saw Monticello trailing by 10 points going into the fourth quarter. To learn more about it and the ensuing thrilling finish, flip over to page 19. ✖ (Photo by Ashley Thornton)

www.scrimmageplay.com ::

PREGAME

Following through

04

First Quarter

Not so simple

Taylor’s 4-year run with Saints starts adding up on paper

By Bart Isley

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STAB senior Ashley Taylor broke the 1,000 point marker this winter. (Ashley Thornton)

{ THE RESUME } Ashley Taylor’s per game numbers through 12 games in 2015.

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1.2

TE AL S DER KSAR A EL K AR A EL DER

2.4 BLO C KS

REBOU ND S

POINTS

4.5

t’d be easy to look at Ashley Taylor and think everything pretty much came easy for the senior. Big part of the rotation as a freshman for St. Anne’s-Belfield. Hasn’t left the lineup since then. Has a silky-smooth 3-point stroke.

As such, she has an opportunity to play Division I basketball at William and Mary next season. Simple, easy path right?

It’s never really as simple as it looks.

Sometimes, no matter how well things have gone and in Taylor’s career they’ve gone really well, your confidence can be shaken.

“Sometimes I would catch the ball and just kind of hesitate, not sure if I should be taking the shot, not really knowing what my role is on the team,” Taylor said. “As a senior I’ve kind of learned that if someone on my team drives to the basket I need to be there and need to be ready to shoot. That’s my job. It’s about not hesitating, knowing my role and just embracing it.”

Everyone has their own path, and despite being six-feet tall and a pretty athletic wing, Taylor has had to work on everything during her time as a high school player, in particular the mental side of the game.

“She had such early success that she became such a perfectionist and she became her own worst enemy,” said STAB coach Phil Stinnie. “Through these last couple of years I’ve seen her go through these different stages of up and down or trying this or that but now she’s at a happy medium. The success she’s had with this team is just incredible. She keeps getting better each and every year.”

On a team that has produced a number of standouts over the last four years, from past standout N.K. Ilang to current JMU-bound point guard Bri Tinsley, Taylor has never really been the go-to player for St. Anne’s-Belfield, if a team as deep as the Saints have been

really even has a go-to player. But since her freshman year, she’s been extremely consistent and she’s been a fixture in the lineup.

Over winter break, the longtime stalwart also reached a new benchmark of 1,000 career points, 1,000 points that have been instrumental to STAB’s success that includes last season’s run to the state final.

“Everyone thinks of her as a shooter but she rebounds, she blocks shots, she does a little bit of everything,” Stinnie said. “She’s always in the right place at the right time.”

Taylor reached the milestone at the Boo Williams tournament, a highly competitive atmosphere that pushed the Saints to the brink early in what has the potential to be a special season. Appropriately too for a player that has consistently put the team first, Taylor reached her 1,000th point on a 3-pointer in a huge 61-49 team win over a talented, tough Henrico County squad.

To score 1,000 points in the role that Taylor plays is no easy task. It requires a lot of consistent, high-percentage shooting from beyond the arc. She’s a career 37 percent shooter from outside, and has hit 176 3-pointers in her time with the Saints. This season she’s hitting 40 percent from downtown and averaging a career high 13.7 points per game.

She’s cut down on her turnovers and has emerged as a solid presence in the post on the defensive end, totaling a career-high 25 blocks already this year.

See the path isn’t ever easy. But with the proper mindset and a lot of hard work, the rewards can be pretty sweet. ✖

go online »

For more basketball coverage head to our website at: www.scrimmageplay.com.

College Update

We’ve gone digital But you can have it in print too!

WFS’ Pickett getting it done on the Ivy League mat

By Bart Isley Duke Pickett is clearly not afraid of a challenge. Either wrestling at the Division I level or going to an Ivy League school is a pretty big mountain for someone to climb on their own. Doing both, however, and trying to do it in a program that is regularly ranked among the nation’s best? That’s probably the highest degree of difficulty that one could find in a collegiate athletic experience.

Pickett was a standout in both football and wrestling at Woodberry Forest, but it was clear that wrestling was where his athletic future at the college level lay, as he was a state champion in 2010 at 140 pounds for the Tigers.

At Cornell, Pickett has consistently improved, building on an 18-15 record as a freshman in 2012-2013 to an honorable mention All-Ivy League campaign as a sophomore where he went 17-7 on the year.

Things really picked up in his junior season when he went unbeaten against Ivy League foes at 174 pounds while running up a record of 29-11 overall to earn first team All-Ivy honors. He finished third at the Eastern championships at 174,

highlighted by a hard-fought win over Army’s Brian Harvey in the third tiebreaker that allowed him to claim third. Throughout that season he was regularly ranked among the top 20 wrestlers in the nation in his weight class. Those efforts allowed him to advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time. He lost a pair of matches narrowly in the tournament, with one coming in the first tiebreaker against the nation’s No. 9 wrestler Cody Walters from Ohio and the other a 6-5 decision against Oklahoma’s Matt Reed.

That set the stage for a potential monster of a senior campaign. So far so good there as Pickett took sixth at the prestigious Southern Scuffle tournament in Chattanooga, with Cornell taking fourth as a team in the tournament. Before the Southern Scuffle, Pickett took fifth in the Last Vegas Invitational after advancing to the semifinals.

Pickett is a testament to what happens when you test yourself against the best, when you accept the highest challenge — often that’s what allows you to reach your full potential. To reach the highest highs. ✖

BELOW » Woodberry Forest alumnus Duke Pickett has continued his wrestling career in college at Cornell University with similar results to his time as a Tiger. (Frank Crocker)

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BUILDING A FOLLOWING

Story by Ryan Yemen Photos by Brian mellott and John Berry 7 :: @scrimmageplay

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EW COMMUNITIES RALLY THE WAY MADISON COUNTY DOES, particularly during hoops season. It’s a double-edged sword though, because when times are tough, the gym might not be so packed.

Athletes take note of things like that. Right now there’s a junior trio for the Mountaineers that are seeing something important happening right in front them. This group, along with the help

of some freshmen, are building a following. It’s the kind of following this program developed in the late 1970’s when current assistant coach Tim Taylor was a player. It happened again in the late 1990’s when current head coach Ben Breeden was a player. In 2009, the class of 2010 built its rabid following. Ever since, Madison has been waiting for another prized horse to come along. It would certainly appear that the Mountaineer faithful have something special brewing in front of them.

It’s not fair yet to compare this squad to those teams. This team is still working out its identity, getting better and building to that moment. What’s clear for Madison right now is that there’s something up. There’s something in the air, and the locals are definitely taking notice.

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WE KNEW ISIAH WAS GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL YEAR, AND WE WANTED TO BUILD AROUND HIS ABILITIES. -- BEN BREEDEN

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It’s just the second week of January, but it’s a pivotal point for the Mountaineers. On the docket are George Mason at home and then William Monroe on the road.

The Mustangs, like Madison when they meet up, are unbeaten and both ranked in the top five in Group 2A. The Mountaineers lead a close game up until an offensive drought at the beginning of the fourth quarter proves costly. While Madison comes close to catching up, it isn’t quite able to foul its way back into the contest, and the senior-leaden Mason hands the Mountaineers their first loss, 71-61. With standing room only in the gym, this is this team’s introduction to what they should expect, both from a competitive and atmospheric angle.

Madison might have fallen to Mason, but it’s earned the respect of Chris Capannola, the coach of the unbeaten Bull Run rival.

“Once we get started we’re hard to stop, but I thought they did a good job of slowing us down for quite a while there,” Capannola said. “It’s awesome here. Madison always brings the fans. The players are great to us, the fans are great to us. We never get to play in front of crowds like this. It’s just a great high school atmosphere. It’s like a college game.”

For Madison, the loss stings a bit, but the Mountaineers have just one practice to prepare for a road game at William Monroe, a team it hasn’t beat since the 2010 season.

In yet another essentially “sold out” game, this time in Stanardsville, the Mountaineers come out and throttle the Dragons. The 52-32 victory is never really in question after a 15-6 start to the first quarter. It’s a signature win for this team. The finish to the week shows that Madison is for real. It’s a big week for this group, especially for juniors Isiah Smith, Dre Twyman and Dylan Breeden.

Just over two years ago, Smith, Twyman and Breeden were freshmen role players. Last season as sophomores, they each contributed a bit more. With the graduation of James Graves, Bobby Ford and Matt Temple, the keys were officially handed over to the Class of 2017 starting in camp this fall. It was their car now.

“We knew Isiah was going to have a special year, and we wanted to build around his abilities,” Breeden said. “That’s where we are right now.

In Smith, the Mountaineers might have the shiftiest guard in the area. Comparable to Malik Johnson at Blue Ridge and Caleb Gage at Charlottesville in terms of his style and electric nature, Smith is the Mountaineer’s spark plug. This season he’s averaging 14.3 points, 6.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game. He gets up the court as quick as anyone you’ll see and he’s got a nose for the basket.

“He’s so quick and changes directions and surprises people,” Breeden said. “I don’t think people realize just how hard it is to keep him in front of them. He’s probably one of the most determined players I’ve ever coached in terms of just attacking the basket.”

Of course, at 5-foot-8, Smith has to be particularly creative and agile at times to get his shot off underneath, but between last year and this year there’s been a lot of growth in terms of taking advantage of his abilities to penetrate the key.

Sometimes it’s not always about finishing at the basket.

“I joke with him that he can’t always go into Superman

See a photograph you like?

Defensive stand Warriors goalie has more than one trick | By Ryan Yemen

At Scrimmage Play we pride ourselves on offering the best possible graphics Two years ago the Western Albemarle boys to Shin, who doubles as a Junior National Judo soccer team get was fueled its underclassmen medalist, we can our byhands on, in both our but has developed into one of the with sophomores and freshman bearing the area’s most versatile goalkeepers. magazine as well as at our website at brunt of the work load.

The netminder has shown he’s capable of Now two years later, forwards Aaron Myers making big saves, particularly in the team’s www.scrimmageplay.com and Alex Nolet, as well as senior defender two ties. In the first game of the season, Tom Rogers are all in their senior seasons and looking to earn a Region II bid, something that Orange County snatched away from them in the Jefferson District semifinals last season.

After the first month of play, the Warriors seem to have the defensive side of the equation figured out and junior goalkeeper Kai Shin is a big part of that.

Before Western went on its spring break, none of its four opponents were able to score more than once, a testament to the team’s play in the middle of the field, but also a nod

Shin endured wave after wave of Albemarle attack, but stood tall and showed no rust in the 1-1- tie.

But while Shin’s on the field because he can make stops, his strong leg has also been of great use as he’s able to easily clear the zone but also spark fast breaks all by himself.

The Warriors averaged a little over two goals per contest before the break, but if that average starts to increase, don’t be surprised if it’s because of Shin’s ability to contribute to the transition game. ✖

We want to make sure that our readers have the same opportunity to have these photos. If something catches your eye in either the magazine or on the web, you can order the photograph for yourself.

Whether it’s a 4x6 glossy print or a 13x11 mounted photo, we’ve got a full range of possibilities for you to choose from.

Simply visit our smugmug website at

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Western Albemarle’s Kai Shin hauls in a shot during his team’s 1-1 tie with Albemarle that kicked off the soccer season for both squads. (Frank Crocker)

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DRE’S A SPECIAL ATHLETE TOO AND HE’S REALLY STARTING TO COME INTO HIS OWN THIS YEAR. -- BEN BREEDEN

11 :: @scrimmageplay

mode and attack with three guys on him,” Breeden said. “What we’re seeing now is his maturation as a player to see that and then pull up and knock down jumpers, or pull up and find his teammates. But if there’s only one or two guys on him, he’s going to attack and he’s going to finish. He’s done a great job, it’s just amazing to watching him play. I know I’d pay to see it.”

In Twyman, the Mountaineers have their most versatile athlete. After playing mostly as a guard in previous seasons, Twyman’s role has expanded more into a forward role. At 6-foot1, he’s the second-tallest player on the roster and with the transition, he’s become a leading rebounder and shot blocker.

“Dre’s a special athlete too and he’s really starting to come into his own this year, starting to get the max of his potential as a rebounder, a finisher and a defender,” Breeden said. “Most nights he’s guarding the other team’s best player. He’s doing that and also giving us double-double numbers and that’s just really impressive.”

Through 14 games, Twyman has contributed 12.7 points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. His efforts playing more in the front court have given the Mountaineers much needed depth in that area, and perhaps nobody is happier about it than Dylan Breeden.

Perhaps no player has put in more technical effort to get better than Breeden, who at 6-foot-5, is now officially the team’s post presence. It’s not something that happened overnight.

Breeden contributed minutes in each of the previous two seasons, but is having a breakout campaign this year as a starter.

“Dylan really had to work getting his footwork down so he didn’t quite have the early success that Isaiah and Dre did, but he’s stuck with it and worked so hard that now he’s really seeing that pay off,” Ben Breeden said.

The Mountaineers’ big man leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He leads the team in field goal percentage at 68 percent as nearly half of his rebounding totals come on the offensive glass. He’s also tied with Twyman as the team’s leading shot blocker at 1.1 swats per contest.

When Breeden and Twyman are dominating the glass, Madison turns into a track team with Smith leading the transition game. This team has great overall team speed, but without the post presence, it doesn’t get to take full advantage.

Breeden’s ability to effectively contribute this year has a lot to do with Madison’s new-found success.

While the junior trio is the foundation of this program, another big part of the buzz around this Mountaineers team is the play of the team’s freshmen. Dalton Taylor, son of assistant coach Tim Taylor, is the team’s top 3-point threat. Taylor is averaging 14.3 points per game thanks in large part to his 33 percent 3-point shooting. He gives the Mountaineers a fourth player averaging double digits. Paired with Smith, he’s been instrumental in breaking down presses and the two have played masterfully off each other so far.

“Those two have been great at handling the press and not turning the ball over,” said Ben Breeden. “They’ve done a good job of taking care of the basketball for us.

Elijah Lewis is the other dagger delivery man and the freshman’s 35 percent 3-point shooting has been an added

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THEY WERE FOCUSED, SHARP AND ONCE AGAIN PLAYING IN FRONT OF A LARGE CROWD. WE HANDLED THAT WITH COMPOSURE. -- BEN BREEDEN

bonus, but a necessary one given Madison’s position.

“We’re one of the smallest schools (student body wise) in 2A so we have to try and develop our younger kids,” Breeden said. “We feel like have to get them better faster just so we can compete and have them ready to play at state-level when they’re juniors or seniors.

That’s where this team is with its juniors and now the freshmen have come in a done a great job of contributing as varsity players. They’ve done a great job staying mentally prepared. They’re going to have ups and downs, but they’ve been pretty steady so far.”

And so just like that, the Mountaineers have a starting five, none of them seniors, but a group that’s started the season 14-1 and just wrapped up one very important part of their schedule before they move on to another challenge.

“It was a really good week for us,” Breeden said. “The Mason game was a great test for us, something to tell us where we are. I think we’re right there with them, just a few plays away. We were just as curious as coaches as everyone else — how would our kids bounce

back? We wanted to see what the energy level was going to be, the intensity was going to be (against Monroe). I think we saw that these guys did a great job of bouncing back. They were focused, sharp and once again playing in front of a large crowd. We handled that with composure.”

When his team ends the streak with Monroe, Breeden watches as his players celebrate mildly, as though it were just another game.

And in the grand scheme it is. With Clarke County and Rappahannock County on the slate at that time, the Mountaineers had a pair of home games, another opportunity to progress and please their ever growing following. Breeden has been through this process a couple of times, both as a player and coach. He knows what’s building up for this crop of players, what kind of expectations are looming just around the corner. That can wait though. And so can the comparisons to the other legendary Madison teams.

Right now, this team’s story, its place in the lore of Mountaineer basketball history, is just in the opening chapter. ✖ www.scrimmageplay.com ::

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THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR

STORY BY BART ISLEY PHOTOS BY ASHLEY THORNTON 13 :: @scrimmageplay

T

here’s no reason to pretend that it isn’t going happen.

If you’re on a team, no matter what your role, no matter how good of friends you are with a teammate, eventually, in the heat of competition, you’re going to say something that is either going to hurt your teammate’s feelings or that they’re going to take the wrong way. Eventually you’re going to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

When most coaches talk about how critical communication is to a squad, they aren’t just referring to the chatter on defense, making sure you call out a pick or a cutter. They aren’t talking about the rah-rah speech. They’re talking about creating an environment where players can be honest and hold each other accountable.

An environment where people can say what they need to say, process it and then the team, as a unit, can move on to the next challenge.

Teams spend so much time together that somebody or a group of somebodies has to help manage the internal workings of the team. Someone has to help clear the air and keep the team moving forward.

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“SHE’S FIERY, AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES HER GREAT EVERYDAY IN PRACTICE” — J. DALY 15 :: @scrimmageplay

For the Charlottesville girls basketball team, Destinee McDonald has emerged as that somebody.

“Last year we had our seniors being leaders and I knew I had to step up to the plate,” McDonald said. “As a point guard, since I run everything on the court, interpret everything and make every play, I have to be the one to tell everyone we have to get back on defense, we have to pick it up.”

Last season McDonald was more of a shooting guard, with seniors like Kendall Ballard and Bri Jordan also in the lineup to help handle some of the ball-handling load. But since that tandem’s graduation, it’s been up to McDonald to start running the show from the point, which is exactly how the junior likes it.

“I like to run point guard, so me changing roles and positions it kind of made me step up,” McDonald said. “You’re supposed to be telling people what they’re supposed to be doing — not nipping at them, but being a positive role model and leader on the team for them.”

That distinction lies at the heart of McDonald’s own maturing process. A naturally excitable leader, she’s started to grasp to manage and control how she helps shape the team’s atmosphere along with the other three juniors — star scorer Alajiah Ragland and Alexis Henderson and Daeja Wade — that are co-captains. It’s easy for a high school team to pick at each other, to seek power in beating each other up over mistakes. But McDonald has leaned on an elevated social intelligence to make sure that how a teammate feels doesn’t have a negative impact on the Black Knights.

“She’s fiery, and that’s what makes her great every day in practice, she’s not shy about backing down from anybody about anything,” said CHS coach James Daly. “But she’s learned how that affects the team and when that affects the team. She’s really matured. You can see it’s a conscious decision.”

McDonald’s emergence as the leader in the particular realm of team communication worked in large part because nobody has tried to force it to happen. Often coaches will pull one player aside and try and pull leadership out of that player, and it works in a lot of cases, particular when coaches ask point guards to step up. But Daly didn’t have to do that with his squad. Each of his four juniors have found their own way to lead, with Henderson and Wade leading through their dependability and commitment both on and off the court while Ragland puts the Black Knights on her back in key situations.

“The whole junior class really, it’s been the absolute joy of this job is watching them change and grow up, it really has been awesome,” Daly said.

They’re all involved in steering the ship. It’s just that on a team that needs a strong verbal communicator, McDonald has come to the forefront.

“It hasn’t been like Destinee you’re in charge now, lead them,” Daly said. “It really has been much more natural. She’s got a good feel of when to push and when to lay off different kids.”

ACADEMIC EDGE

S P O N S O R E D

B Y

H A R G R AV E

M I L I TA R Y

A C A D E M Y

WESTERN ALBEMARLE’S CARRINGTON MURPHY

There’s no such thing as too much depth in the paint, and at 6-foot-4, senior Carrington Murphy isn’t just physically fit for the job, he’s one of the smartest athletes that the Warriors have.

For Murphy, part of the joy of sports is the learning process that comes with it, particularly in practice. An exceptional student, Murphy has a healthy craving for the x’s and o’s and the design of the games he plays, a little trouble juggling it all.

“I’ve always enjoyed learning so much that it’s actually kind of been an easy balance switching from academics to playing two different sports,” Murphy said. “I think that because I enjoy the learning part so much, it makes a big difference time management wise.”

In the winter, Murphy plays basketball. In the spring he transitions over to soccer. In the classroom, there’s no arguing with his efforts — he sports a weighted 4.56 GPA. A member of the National Honors Soceity, Murphy challenged himself with four Advanced Placement course last year and has enrolled in five AP classes as a senior.

ABOUT HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY Hargrave believes individual achievement is a gamechanger for all students, both on and off the field. With a college acceptance rate of 100% and a heavy emphasis on academics, your son will have competitive advantages ahead of his peers including leadership and character development.

The Academic athlete of the issue is selected by Scrimmage Play’s staff with the consultation of coaches and athletic directors. To nominate an athlete email info@scrimmageplay.com

1-800-432-2480 | WWW.HARGRAVE.EDU I M P R O V E D G R A D E S / 1 0 0 % C O L L E G E A C C E P TA N C E F I N D U S O N FA C E B O O K

www.scrimmageplay.com :: 16

“IF WE MISS A SHOT, SOMEONE MISSES A WIDE OPEN LAYUP, JUST SHAKE IT OFF” — D. MCDONALD 17 :: @scrimmageplay

It of course doesn’t hurt that she’s emerged as another electric scoring option alongside Ragland, who was one of the Jefferson District’s few proven entities going into this season.

McDonald is averaging more than 10 points per game and poured in 34 points in a huge win over Orange County back in December.

McDonald has a controlled, thoughtful method to her drives, looking to make an extra pass or take an easy bucket if it presents itself. She’s also tenacious defensively, creating a number of steals throughout the season.

But perhaps more than anything, her ability to keep Charlottesville’s girls basketball team talking and communicating has helped the Black Knights vault themselves into the Jefferson District title race. A year after winning a Conference 23 title, the core of the team is back, and they’ve made huge strides, and sometimes making those strides can be as simple as saying you’re sorry.

“We know that we nip at each other, so we know at a timeout that we have to apologize because we know it’s not right,” McDonald said.

When you’re willing to apologize, that can have an impact on the game itself too, and McDonald has seen that in action.

She knows the power of bringing your teammates up and in particularl not letting them get lost in the mix.

“If we let a player stay down that can change their whole mindset in the game,” McDonald said. “They might slack off and not play to their best potential. If we pick them back up, they’ll play better. If we don’t apologize, they’ll keep themselves down.”

In the heat of battle that isn’t always easy to remember, but McDonald has found a way.

“We have this thing we always say — shake it off,” McDonald said. “If we miss a shot, someone misses a wide open layup, just shake it off.”

If the Black Knights can keep shaking it off, they’ll likely be headed for a strong finish to the season. ✖

THE CLUTCH PERFORMER

S

omething happens when Alajiah Ragland gets into the final four minutes of a closely contested game. When the Charlottesville junior sees time ticking down, when she knows the game is on line, something locks in. She finds a different level of focus.

“I don’t know what happens, but with four minutes left, we know we have to turn it around,” said classmate Destinee McDonald.

Ragland seems to grasp this more than anyone.

The Black Knights are asking a great deal from Ragland right now, as she plays a ton of minutes (nearly the entire game in some cases) as Charlottesville tries to navigate playing with a short bench with only eight players dressed out for varsity basketball currently. Like any intelligent player who knows she has to keep something in the tank for the final minutes, Ragland seems to manage her energy well and explodes when the game is on the line.

“She’s being asked to play a ton of minutes,” said Charlottesville coach James Daly. “She does have that next level gear. I think sometimes you can see her mentally change gears, like ‘alright, four minutes, I’ve got four minutes.’

She really has done a good job of that.”

Against Albemarle in a regular season road clash, Ragland played about 31 of the 32 minutes and was sublime down the stretch, taking a pair of rebounds coast-to-coast and drawing a foul while hitting the bucket on the other end of each of those boards. That effort helped the Black Knights, who’d dealt with foul trouble essentially from the opening jump ball, pull away from the Patriots. She’s become a much more consistent player in her time at Charlottesville, as one would expect from a player who’s played a lot of minutes since she was a freshman.

“It used to be if she didn’t hit a shot early on she let it affect other parts of her game and now she’s much more about ‘we need a big rebound right now’ and she’s letting that generate offense,” Daly said.

It doesn’t hurt that Ragland has worked hard on her game in the offseason and can now be much more authoritative when taking it to the rim. She’s had textbook shooting form since she first suited up for the Black Knights, but she’s added a new dimension to her game of late.

“Alajiah is a great finisher one-on-one, she works hard and she’s strong,” Daly said. “She’s taken the weight room and the weight training seriously and now she gets hit and freshman year there’d be 110 pounds scattered all over the floor, but now she’s a little stronger so she takes that contact and still finishes toward the rim.”

Perhaps the finest example of Ragland’s sense of the moment came in a playoff elimination game last year against Millbrook, when as a sophomore, Ragland didn’t just know she was ready to shoot. She demanded the ball.

“I even called for it,” Ragland said after hitting a 3-pointer with under three seconds to play despite struggling to shoot throughout the night a year ago. “I told her to pass me the ball.”

That’s exactly the mentality you’ve got to have down the stretch. That’s the sense of the moment and the confidence that moment requires all rolled into one.

When the game is on line, most every opponent knows that Charlottesville wants the ball in Ragland’s hands.

But perhaps just as important is that she does too. ✖ www.scrimmageplay.com :: 18

Game Time Monticello 61, Western 59 (F/OT)

By Ryan Yemen

Monticello’s Kiana Scott had 17 points in her team’s overtime victory against Western.

(Ashley Thornton)

19 :: @scrimmageplay

When it comes to peculiarities, you could take your pick — Western Albemarle finding itself down by five in the last minute of the game after being up by 10 to start the fourth, or Monticello suddenly finding itself in overtime thanks to a last moment 3-pointer from the Warriors’ Natalie Marbury after leading by five with less than a minute left in the same quarter. Either way you chop it up, the meeting between these two was about a game of runs in those first four quarters. And in the additional overtime frame, the Mustangs came up with just one more bucket and a few big defensive stops in the final seconds of the contest to pick up a 61-59 win.

“We’ve learned this year that you just have to fight through the lulls and eventually the tide can turn and come back to you,” said Monticello coach Erica Terrell.

“After the 3-pointer all the time on the bench was about how that was over.”

As far as lead changes go, this one had it all. Western went from being up 4-0 in the first to suddenly down 13-6. The Warriors fought back and traded leads throughout the second quarter, but went into the third trailing by two. And with Monticello’s post presence in Mariah Brown and senior leader Kiana Scott both in substantial foul trouble, it seemed as though Western was in pretty good position.

That position only got better when Brown and Scott picked up their fourth fouls in the third quarter and the Warriors, with Elen Hayden, Marbury both going off for eight points each, suddenly were up 43-33 after outscoring the Mustangs 18-6 in an 8-minute span.

“You’re up 10, you’ve only given up 33 points and then you give up 31 points in the next 12 minutes between the fourth and in OT – you’re not going to win games doing that, not getting stops down the stretch,” said Western coach Kris Wright.

The fourth, up until late, belonged to Monticello as it took a big swing back with Scott getting hot from outside to fuel a 13-0 run to tie the game. The senior knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and saw Rachel Mathews and Hannah Shifflett also get rolling offensively after that to where Monticello was soon up by five with a minute to go.

“When I was taken out in the third (because of foul trouble) I tried to get myself right mentally to come back out in the fourth,” Scott said. “But it wasn’t just about me, all of us got back and did the mental evaluation, got back to all the things we talk about in practice. We got the fire back in us.”

Thanks to Hayden underneath, the Warriors cut the lead to three points and with Monticello unable to put the game away because of forced turnovers and missed free throws, Marbury got a chance to tie the game up with just a few ticks on the clock. She knocked down the shot and after a last ditch 3-quarter court heave from the Mustangs, the Warriors forced overtime.

“Natalie, she just hit a huge three at the top of the key — which obviously with the boys crowd in the gym screaming — there’s even more pressure on that shot,” Wright said. “But it was catch and shoot, and obviously an exciting moment.”

She had one more big shot in her too.

Marbury hit a three out of the gate in overtime to put her team up, but that would be the lone field goal for the Warriors from there. Monticello answered immediately with a layup from Scott and then Shifflett put her team up 61-59 inside of a minute to go. Western got its fair share of looks at the basket but was unable to convert with Kirstena Lilley coming up with a block and Scott a rebound after another shot with just a few seconds left to wrap up the win for Monticello. ✖

TEAM SPOTLIGHT FORK UNION MILITARY ACADEMY The Blue Devils came out in full force to the Special Olympics Tennis Tournament held at the Boar’s Head. Volunteering as both ball boys and banner carriers, the cadets did a great job of helping provide the athletes with an outstanding experience. Well done, Blue Devils! Your dedication to this community and this great cause does not go unnoticed.

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Overtime

The not so hard fouls If player safety is the goal, simple things can be done

F

or anyone that played little league baseball, they can all remember those few kids, the older ones that simply did not belong. The moose, the beasts that were somehow in the lower division. I grew up playing Dixie Little League and there were two divisions, both 12 and under. I was barely eight and playing in what we called the minors.

Before I got the coveted call up to the Majors as a nine year old, I remember this one kid, this one beast and back then up unto this day, I can’t understand how this kind of stuff was allowed to happen.

This kid was 12 years old playing for Allied Concrete. We were Meadowbrook Hardware.

This man-child comes up to the plate, and he’s tall, strong and bad news for us. I remember parents, being the same kind of parents then as they are now, whining that this kid should not be playing as he even came to the plate. He belted the probably 30-mile an hour pitch out to the parking lot of the park at Venable. Parents went nuts with concern for their kids. So the next time, our coach told our pitcher to walk the kid intentionally.

He threw a pitch outside and this phenom, somehow still stuck in the minors, saw just enough of a pitch to take a swing at it, crushed it the other way, drawing more parent ire.

He got up one more time. This time, coach told Jeremy to roll the ball to the plate. I kid you not, the first pitch was rolled like a bocce ball, caught the lip of the plate and the kid, since he was a boss, golfed it like he spent his entire life waiting for that moment. It was the hardest hit ball of the evening. Parents went further nuts.

The basic question of why this 12-year old beast was in our league was never answered. The question I had as a teenager and now as an adult is how wasn’t our coachsimply allowed to give that amazing creature of a kid first base with actually pitching the intentional walk. Now in high school, when a coach wants to walk a batter, he comes out of the dugout and points to first base. No pitches, no trouble, no argument. It’s so smart.

Which brings us to basketball, the only sport where the last two minutes of a game don’t represent anything close to the previous 32 (at least in high school). Fouling to get back into the game is the plight of the sport, especially in high school. With no shot clock, it’s logical, I can’t argue against it. But watching it makes me cringe. First of all, because it stops becoming basketball, but second, because someone is going to get seriously hurt in this process and it’s not necessary. Listen, a lot of sports are soft enough now as often way too much gets made over very little, but this is one of the few exceptions.

Officials in basketball need to help. When a team is not in the bonus trying to foul its way back into the contest, basketball stops being played and a rugby match starts.

And for whatever reason, it’s worse on the girls end of things than the boys. Maybe it’s because officials see the sheer physics problem of the speed of the boys game and how dangerous a hard foul is, but that doesn’t mean that the girls are at any less risk.

When it’s 46-38 with a minute left, just like in baseball, a coach should be able to tell an officiating crew that the minute a player so much as looks to make contact they want a foul. It’s a win-win, time is preserved, someone’s knees live to see another day. Tell a teenager that’s more than likely to lose a game to go out and foul and you’re going to get

22 :: @scrimmageplay

“A team not in the bonus shouldn’t get to commit assualt against its opponent.” the hardest foul they can offer. Trust me, I was the same way, and expect nothing less from anyone else. But there is such a thing as maintaining sanity. The fouls late in the fourth against a team trying to foul, we can be reasonable and presume what’s up, avoid potential injuries and the vitriol that comes afterwards.

And since it’s pretty clear that the officials recognize the issue in the boys game, they need to go ahead and clean it up on the girls end of things. While I know we can’t make a VHSL rule about this, we can still use common sense to make matters better.

A team not in the bonus shouldn’t get to commit assault against its opponent, much in the way that the man-child I played in little league should simply be allowed to walk without throwing a pitch. If walking a batter without a pitch is okay in both the VISAA and VHSL, then common sense in both leagues when it comes to fouling late in hoops seems quite reasonable too. ✖

Ryan Yemen

CRE ATIVE EDITOR

back talk »

What rules would you change in basketball? Contact Ryan at: ryan@scrimmageplay.com

Success stories begin here.

Success Story: Morgan Moses Morgan Moses was a two-time All-State standout at Meadowbrook High in Chesterfield, Virginia. He wanted to play for the University of Virginia and he had the talent to do so. To connect the dots, he reached out to Fork Union.

In 2009 Moses enrolled at Fork Union where he was able to help better prepare himself for not just the challenges of being a collegiate student, but the even larger task of being a student athlete at a premiere academic institution. With strides in the classroom and more on the gridiron while playing for John Shuman’s celebrated post graduate team, Moses became one of the most sought after talents in the country as he earned a four-star Rivals rating and clocked in at number 49 overall on their national list. In the end, he got the deal he wanted as he signed a NLI to play for Virginia.

In 2010 Moses appeared in 11 of 12 games to earn the first of his four letters during his collegiate career. When he started at tackle at UNC, he became just the seventh true freshman to do so in the country. In his final year for the Cavaliers, Moses moved to left tackle and earned all 12 starts.

He was instrumental in giving the Cavaliers their first 1,000 yard runner since 2004.

After college he was a second round draft pick by the Washington Redskins, and this season, in his second year in the league, emerged as the starting right tackle and played well for he NFC East champions, including a gritty performance on a bad ankle against Philadelphia that clinched the division title.

From Chesterfield to Fork Union to Charlottesville to Washington D.C. There aren’t a lot of miles between those four, but the journey has taken Morgan Moses an awful long way.

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