SP!RIT OF JEFFERSON Farmerg ADVC)CATE - Thursday/, March lO, 2005 ' } }
no mention that
vs. HedgesxqAle
P
turned scorers.
Cougars 20
nine pomts each, it
two seniors
Jefferson hold off
second-half surge
to the Sectional
with a 63-59 win.
four three-
and a vital tip-in
the Cougars in
ifirst half, but helped
above the rush-
HedgesvJlle's
points came
three-point-
game, which was
from Jefferson's
more of a Senior
were the 21 points
5-foot-
and the 14
Deaner -- both
whol-
its defense on
perimeter
to freshman cen-
it was imper-
score from
%
arc.
Edwards mak-
shots and
three
were able to
over the
Eagles.
presence as a scor-
Seemed denied when
;~ith his second per-
With full)" 5:36 re-
first quarter.
on the floor
for only one
win
Penned m the first
outscored the
offense, 13-
four minutes of
to reverse a
lead that had
by Manspile's six
not scored in the
He had not taken a
collapsing
surrounded
him with a defender m front and
one behind.
Without Hosby scoring even
one point..Jefferson still had an
18-11 lead after a quarter.
Manspfle may have been a
scoring machine, but Deaner
was shutout.., and Hedgesville
was not going to win w-ithout
hLm.
When Brown and Tyler Hes-
ter scored early in the second
quarter Jefferson had a momen-
ta~- 25-13 lead. Momentary be-
cause Brown scored on a follow
of a Hosby miss to give the Cou-
gars a 27-13 lead.
Deaner then scored his first
five points of the night to dam-
age the Jefferson advantage ...
but then Ryland Newman scored
on a running 10-footer with only
six seconds remaining in the haft
to send ,Jefferson off the floor at
halftime with a rousing 35-20
lead.
In between halves, the large
Jefferson student section was
dismayed when their flag with a
huge "J" lettered on a gold hack-
ground was confiscated and re-
moved.
The V~WSSAC doesn't allow
balloons, banners on walls, con-
fetti, horns, cow bells, mechani-
cal noisemakers, air horns, can-
nons or muskets at Sectional
basketball games.
When Hedgesville adminis-
trator Don Dellmger protested
the use of the Jefferson flag with
the large "J", it was removed by
a Jefferson County school ad-
ministrator.
The Jefferson team didn't
know of the fuss caused by the
removal of the flag, but it began
the second haft as flit were miss-
ing one of its motivated scorers.
The third quarter was much
different from what had gone be-
fore.
Hedges~Alle got the jump on
its needed comeback by outscor-
mg the Cougars, 8-2, in the first
2:30 of the quarter.
Creamer had his third foul at
the 5:52 mark and Deaner was
far more active than he had been
m the first half.
Deaner's three-pomter sliced
the Jefferson lead to 37-31 . .
• and after a Jefferson score by
Brown, Deaner's three-point-
er made further im:oads in the
shriveling Cougars' lead.
Hedgesvflle was getting an
unhurried, open three-point shot
on ever)- possession as Jefferson
Madison
and Martins-
through four quar-
overtimes, the
more and
crowd grew pro-
was magni-
the
so loud
understanding
six inches away
both teams were
acrobatic shots,
the nets
avoiding con-
shots weren't at-
SUccessful three-
down with
going to be fin-
season. The win-
to advance to
winner Hedges-
Sights.
t 2,000
with deci-
almost threat-
by a jet
; to the air.
to join Hedges-
AAA Section-
Jefferson. With
emotion-charged,
of the often-
extra sessions to
But it was worth
snap-
win streak
six games.
but self-reliant
-~ nearly beaten in
alinu~ of regu-
then nearly fell
minute of the
first overtime, but found the
scoring resources and rebound-
ing to send the Bulldogs to the
sidelines.
Both sides had offensive wiz-
ards at work.
But despite the high score,
it was Jefferson's superiority
in categories other than points
and made field goals that al-
lowed the Cougars to win and
ultimately fight another day.
Rebounding. Jefferson was a
clear winner. Freshman Vance
Hosby had 17 of the Cougars'
43 rebounds. Many of Hosby's
rebounds came to him when he
claimed his own misses. But
he and his teammates allowed
Martinsburg only one score on
a Bulldog offensive rebound.
And the turnover ratio was
another area where Jefferson
was much the best. .
The Bulldogs had 19 turn-
overs, while Cougars wasted
away just 10 floor errors.
Ryland Newman and Josh
Brown (the Cougars' ballhan-
dlers and distributors about
75 percent of their time of pos-
- session) were dramatically
more effective than Martins-
burg's Jamaal Robinson, Scotti
Smith, Q'Monte Matheny, and
Nick Benavides.
Newman hdd eight assists
and four turnovers. Brown had
four assists and one turnover.
Robinson had two assists and
six turnovers. Matheny had no
assists and three turnovers
and Benavides played only four
minutes.
Jefferson still appeared to
be falling short as the game
wound into the last two min-
utes of regulation.
Missed free throws seem-
players often completely lost
sight of the Hedgesville player
they were assigned to guard.
Unhurried and open.
Hedges~fille chopped off the
points from the lead Jefferson
had so carefully constructed in
the first haft.
But Creamer had a three-
pointer and Brown converted his
steal into a layup and Jefferson's
lead was back to eight points.
The lead could have been more,
but Brown missed two more free
throws right near the close of
the third quarter. And Manspile
drove for a layup as Jefferson
clung to a 50-42 advantage with
a quarter left.
,Jefferson's inability to shoot free
throws was already causing prob-
lems. But worse tJ~gs were wait-
ing the Cougars at the foul line.
The fourth quarter began with
Deaner driving in for a layup
that was countered by Edwards'
tip-in.
Manspile darted inside, but
Creamer pitched in a three-
pointer to propel the Cougars to
a 55-46 lead.
The open Hedgesville shots
were still there for them to try.
Manspile dumped in a three-
pointer. It was only 57-52 with
4:50 showing.
Jefferson's defense, combmed
with its dismal free throw shoot-
mg, were responsible for the fad-
ing lead the Cougars still held
to.
Jefferson led by five with
2:29 showing . . . and had an
m-bounds possession near mid-
court.
Miscommunication cost
the Cougars a turnover that
Manspile stole and sallied in for
a layup as the lead was down to
three.
Back came Edwards. He made
the most important points of the
entire game by scoring on a 21-
footer that hauled the Jefferson
advantage back to 62-56. There
was just 2:01 left on the clock.
After Lopez connected on an
alarmingly open three-pointer
with 1:42 to play, the game be-
came more catch-as-catch-can
for beth teams.
Hester missed two free throws
• . . but Manspile stumbled and
had an unforced turnover, re-
turning the ball to Jefferson
with 1:02 showing.
Jefferson needed a timeout
when it couldn't make an m-
bounds pass.
ingly were going to ruin every-
thing for the Cougars.
Misses and the unconscious
scoring of Andre Homes.
Homes, who posted two
games with 20 or more points
against the Cougars in beth
regular season meetings, didn't
figure heavily in Martinsburg's
offense in the first half.
And the Bulldogs trailed, 40-
33, at the haft because of the
absence of Homes' scoring.
With Robinson, who just be-
came eligible at the beginning
of the second semester, direct-
ing the sometimes jumbled flow
of ~the Martinsburg offense,
Homes was not a primary fig-
ure.
Instead, it was Robinson, Ma-
theny, Nate Sowers, and Smith
who mostly handled the hap-
penings in the Bulldogs' half-
court offense.
But that all changed in the
third quarter. And changed so
quickly and so thoroughly that
Jefferson couldn't stop what it
couldn't find.
Homes was able to score
20 points in the third quarter
alone, almost single-handedly
erasing Jefferson's seven-point
halftime lead.
The Bulldogs had 26 points
in the third quarter . . . and
Homes outscored the whole of
Jefferson's 19-point effort in
the period.
The crowd was still elec-
tric with energy, but it had a
second- and third-wind itself,
cheering and erupting in uni-
son when its favorites found
another crease in the defeuses.
Jefferson had missed five
straight free throws in the
third quarter to significantly
When the Cougars did make a
successful in-bounds pass, Hos-
by was fouled. Hosby missed the
front end of a one-and-one free
throw situation.
Hedgesville had possession. It
trailed, 62-59, with just under a
minute to play.
Finally, Jefferson wouldn't
permit an open three-pointer.
Hedgesville probed the perim-
eter'with Manspi~e, Deaner, and
I~pez searching in vain for the
sort of shot that had been avail-
able for all of the second haft.
When nothing came of the ef-
fort, Hedgesyille Coach Kelly
Church called another timeout
with 8.6 seconds left.
The Eagles had to make an in-
bounds pass.. • and then find a
player who could make a three-
pointer to.get themselves even.
Nobody got to attempt a game-
evening three-pointer because
Brown stole a lengthy and lofted
pass to mid-court.
Brown sailed in for a layup
and was fouled with 3.6 seconds
in the game.
He made the first of two free
throws for a four-pomt (and final
margin) Jefferson lead.
Brown missed the second free
throw.., but the Eagles had run
out of time. And Jefferson had
made enough offensive noise
earlier in the first haft to set ofta
student-led celebration (reunited
with the large "J" flag and paint-
ed bodies) on the floor.
The all-tournament team was
announced as the Jefferson stu-
dents kept to their celebrating.
Jefferson had Edwards,
Brown, and Ryland Newman
named to the all-tournament
team.
Andre Homes and Jamaal
Robinson from Martinsburg and
Manspile and Deaner from Hedg-
es~le completed that team.
With its first Sectional cham-
pionship in many years, Jeffer-
son moved to the one-game Re-
gional Tournament and met
Hampshire, a team the Cougars
owned two regular-season wins
against.
Hampshire was. 7-16 after
it won its one-game Sectional
Tournament over Musselman.
Should the Cougars have dis-
patched Co~ch Larry Sea's Tro-
jans a third time on Tuesday,
they would have qualified for
next week's state tournament in
Charleston.
In an unprecedented move, the
ease Martinsburg's defensive
burden.
And that burden was always
troublesome for Coach Dave
Rogers and his "let's-get-to-the-
offensive end-right-now,' group
of players.
Martinsburg had little or no
pressure on any Jefferson ball-
handler.
With Matheny, Robinson,
Homes, and any reserves as li-
abilities, the Cougars accept-
ed or labored their way to the
best of shots and the fistful of
offensive rebounds that came
to Hosby, Brown, Tyler Hester,
and Jeremy Penwell.
Brown wasn't as "scoring ac-
tive" as Homes, but he and
Newman were a combination
that Martinsburg wished were
somewhere else (anywhere
else!) but at the Butcher Cen-
ter chopping up its halfcourt
defense.
After three quarters, Mar-
tinsburg had finally loosed
Homes to shred the Cougars.
And Jefferson's first-half prog-
ress had been dimmed by its
free throw misses.
It was 59-59. One quar-
ter left. Or was there just one
quarter remaining?
Brown, Newman, and Hosby
received scoring help from spe-
cialist Reggie Creamer in the
fourth quarter.
Creamer is a starter because
he is considered Jefferson's
best and most active defender.
Assigned mostly to Matheny,
Creamer still initiated enough
offense to score 10 points and
take away several rebounds.
But Creamer's airball on a
contorted layup try left Mar-
tinsburg in possession in a
Sports
WVSSAC seeded all 16 Sectional
winners and will align the quar-
terfinal round pairings after all
eight Regional Tournaments are
completed.
There will be eight Class
AAA teams in the state tourna-
ment. And the highest seeds will
be matched against the lowest
seeds remaining.
Jefferson could qualify with
a win over Hampshire at the
Butcher Center on the cam-
pus of Shepherd University. It
wouldn't know which team it
would be playing.
And it probably wouldn't care,
so long has it been since a Jeffer-
son team visited Charleston in
late March.
The seniors -- Edwards and
Creamer -- would'there.., hop-
ing to celebrate a third Senior
Night of an on-going season.
Shown above are Desmond Newman (left) and Aaron Edwards
(right). Edwards scored 20 points as the Cougars defeated Hedges-
ville, 63-59, for the Class AAA Sectional championship la@Friday
at Shepherd. Should Jefferson have defeated Hampshire a third
time on Tuesday night in the Region Tournament, the Cougars
would then qualify for the state tournament in Chadeston. The state
tournament will be played from Wednesday, March 15, through
Saturday, March 18. Pairings for the quarterfinal round of the state
tournament will not be announced until all eight Regional Tour-
naments have been completed. The surviving eight teams will be
seeded for the first time in state toumament history. The No. 1 seed
will face the No.8 seed; the No.2 seed will play the No.7 seed; the
No.3 seed will be matched against the No.6 seed; and the No.4
seed takes an the No.5 seed.
71-71 game with 1:22 on the
clock.
The Butcher Center was
nothing but noise and pressure
and two seasons on the line.
Homes made one-of-two free
throws to set in motion enough
mood swings over the last rain-
ute-plus to satisfy Freud, Jung,
and Adler.
Robinson made two free
throws that were counteracted
by Brown's drive all the way to
the basket•
Two more Robinson free
throws were balanced by New-
man's clutch eight-footer in the
lane.
A long, "baseball" pass to
Homes led to his being inad-
vertently tripped near the foul
line. Homes made just one of
two free throws, leaving the
Cougars behind, 77-75, with 15
seconds left.
Brown drove into the lane
for about the 10th time and
was able to drop through a run-
hang ll-footer with six seconds
showing.
All Martinsburg got from
its hurried run into its front-
court was a near-impossible 30-
foot throw from Robinson that
wasn't close.., and meant a
four-minute overtime.
Jefferson bad overcome a
three-point lead in the last
minute to cause the first over-
time.
Things looked bleak (again)
for the Cougars when it mis-
fired on four rat-a-tat shots
within five feet.
And Martinsburg found
Homes in a scattered court for
an emphatic dunk.
But Newman's drive, and
Penwell's layup made it 81-
81 because Robinson had also
scored on a drive against the
set-up Jefferson defense.
Penwell missed in close and
Brown to couldn't convert on a
follow-shot try, so Smith's only
points of the last half and over-
time brought the Bulldogs an
83.81 lead.
Another Jefferson layup
carved another tie.
And Sowers missed an open
12-footer with four seconds
on the clock to bring a second
overtime.
The crowd still had its origi-
nal energy.., if not its now-
hoarse voices.
The players responded in
kind. And the second overtime
began the same as the first
one had with Homes taking an
over-the-defender pass in the
low post for a go-ahead layup.
Penwell twisted in a layup
for the Cougars. Newman's ath-
letic-to-the-nth-degree baseline
jumper finally produced an 8%
85 Jefferson advantage.
Penwell made a free throw
~nd missed one to give the Cou-
gars a slimmer.than-hoped-for
88-85 margin.
Brown plucked Robinson's
missed 22-footer from the air,
but he was suspended in mid-
air over the end line and about
to lose possession.
Brown called a timeout be-
fore he landed.
There was 1:44 showing on
the second.overtime clock.
Brown had only his second
turnover with 1:26 remaining,
giving Homes' successful drive
a chance to get Martinsburg
back within one point at 88-87.
Hosby's tip-in~ of Brown's
missed follow-shot boosted the
Cougars' lead to 90-87, but Ma-
theny brought another tie with'
his 19-footer on the baseline.
Brown took the basketball
to the same area he had been
able to penetrate for the entire
game -- within six-feet of the
rim -- and he scored his 24th
point.
Jefferson had a 92-90 lead
with 15 seconds on the over-
head scoreboard clock.
The Bulldogs called a time-
out. Needing a three-pointer to
win or a Homes/Robinson/Ma-
theny two-pointer to tie, the
Bulldogs fumbled away (Robin-
son) their 19th turnover in the
lane.
Brown recovered the loose
ball and drove unimpeded to
the game's last points (and last
easy basket scored on the Bull-
dog defense in their 14.9 sea-
son).
The Jefferson student crowd
flowed from its end zone seats
and the court was filled with
smiles and backslaps from the
eager-to-celebrate teens.., and
the sweat-soaked faces, bodies,
and uniforms of the players.
Jefferson coach Bob Starkey
had beaten his one-tLme play-
er for the second time in three
2004-2005 games . . . and the
Cougars were ~ady to prepare
for Friday's championship game
with a 17-5 overall record.
Two overtimes. Poor free
throw shooting. A 39-point per-
formance from an opponent.
But rebounding, far fewer
turnovers, and so much scor-
ing within six-feet of the basket
were just enough to keep the
season in motion . . . and give
the Cougars another visit to
the Butcher Center court for a
command performance in front
of about 2,000 more ready-to-
yell fans.
