| JAN. 20, 2014- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
|
Week 5
All-Met Watch: Basketball
SECOND TEAM
G Trevor Blondin (1)
Battlefield, 6-1, Sr.
The Bobcats' all-time leading scorer tied a season-high with 28 points in Friday's victory against Osbourn Park.
|
| NOV. 26, 2012- VIRGINIA PREPS.COM |
Preseason AAA Hoops Top 25
Matthew Hatfield
VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Analyst
23. Battlefield - - Three
starters return for the Bobcats after notching a 12-11 mark in year one under
Coach Kurt Pauly.
Six-foot-1 senior Roman Hall (12PPG) is a four-year starter and speedy
off the bounce; 6-foot-4 senior wing Terrell Walker (10PPG) is a three-year starter
that affects the game in a variety of ways; and 6-foot-3 junior guard Trevor Blondin has stellar touch from long distance. In addition, Battlefield returns junior guard
Jamison Glover and Kameron Hedgepeth,
a dynamic 6-foot-2 sophomore that contributed quite a bit as a freshman. Look for this program to be on the rise for
years to come with four members from a J.V. team that went 33-2 over the past
two seasons moving up the ladder.
|
| DEC. 30, 2012- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
Trevor Blondin delivers at charity stripe for Battlefield in Bulldog Bash championship
By Brandon Parker
Trevor Blondin isn’t one to show much expression, and with Battlefield clinging to a slim lead in the final minute of Saturday’s Bulldog Bash championship against Westfield, the Bobcats were glad to have their stone-cold shooter at the free-throw line.
But Blondin wasn’t exactly composed after missing three of his
first five attempts in the game. So with the crowd screaming for the
host Bulldogs and last year’s runner-up finish lingering in his mind,
Blondin decided to switch up his routine, taking a few extra deep
breaths before sinking his four final free throws to secure
Battlefield’s 73-70 victory. “I just had to block everything out and not think about the crowd or
those free throws I missed earlier,” said Blondin, who was named
tournament MVP after scoring 20 points in the win.
Initially, it was Jamison Glover
who deflated the home fans, scoring six of his team-high 24 points to
help Battlefield (8-4) open up an early lead. But Westfield (6-5)
rallied, converting several Battlefield turnovers into easy transition
buckets and building a 22-17 first-quarter lead.
In a game
characterized by its runs, the Bobcats struck back, riding Blondin’s
seven points during a 12-2 run to take a 38-32 lead into the half. Glover
built on that momentum in the third, draining two of the Bobcats’ four
three-pointers in the quarter to extend their advantage to 10 points. “They
were sagging off of Jamison, so I told him he had to step up for us and
take advantage of that space by making some plays,” Battlefield Coach
Kurt Pauly said. “He really caught fire there in the third.”
The lead wouldn’t last, though, thanks to cold shooting from the Bobcats and inspired play by Westfield’s Travon Walton.
During a seven-minute field goal drought for Battlefield, Walton scored
eight of his game-high 25 points, sparking a 17-1 Bulldogs’ run that
gave Westfield a four-point lead midway through the fourth.
But
Blondin refused to let Battlefield settle for another second-place
finish. The junior swingman punctuated a 10-0 Bobcat run with the
go-ahead three-pointer. After he knocked down his clutch free throws, Christian Gray’s
last-gasp three-pointer just missed the mark, and the Bobcats could
celebrate their fourth straight win and the tournament title. “We
knew Westfield was a quality team and I told our guys they could go on a
run,” Pauly said, “but we kept our composure in a way that we probably
wouldn’t have in years past.”
|
| JAN. 3, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Wednesday's prep basketball roundup: Battlefield boys win fifth straight
From staff reports
Behind 18 points from sophomore guard Kameron Hedgepeth and 17 points
apiece from senior guard Roman Hall and junior wing Trevor Blondin, the
Battlefield High School boys basketball team won its fifth straight game
Wednesday with an 85-65 over Broad Run.
|
| JAN. 5, 2013- VIRGINIA PREPS.COM |
|
5th Annual VaPreps Classic Preview
Matthew Hatfield
VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Analyst
Welcome to a special edition of Basketball Weekly where we turn our attention to the Fifth Annual
VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Classic Presented by Cox 11 Sports, set for
Saturday, January 5, 2013 at Virginia Wesleyan College. It figures to be a memorable day of
basketball, featuring many of the best teams and players from the Tidewater
area as well as all over the state. Here
we'll be breaking down the matchups in the event to fill you in on these squads
Since I'm technically the Event Organizer (at least that's what they said my title was), I won't make picks on the games. but we bring out the Magic 8 Ball again to attempt to
forecast the outcomes. So far, the Magic
8 Ball is 27-10 in four years of projecting winners.
PREVIEWS:
1:30 PM - - Kellam (9-2; 2-0) vs. Battlefield (10-4;
3-1)
The Bobcats from Battlefield are fresh off beating defending Northern
Region Champion Westfield in the Bulldog Bash tournament up in Northern Virginia, and they've won nine of ten following a 0-3 start. Four players are averaging in double-figures for Battlefield, led by Trevor Blondin's 19PPG and Roman Hall's
17PPG. Six-foot-4 senior Terrell Walker can turn heads, and
6-foot-2 sophomore guard Kameron Hedgepeth is a name from the Class of 2015 people are
starting to find out about. They're very balanced and putting up
70-plus seven times over the past ten.
Kellam brings in one of the top scorers and players in the Eastern Region in Ramone Snowden (22.4 PPG, 20 RRP), who'll play his college basketball at Old Dominion. Snowden, who went off for 36 points against Landstown earlier this season, has already raised his play this season to where he's in the Player of the Year discussion in both the Beach District and the region, recording a double-double in each of the Knights' first ten games. He makes his teammates around him better, too, and Kellam will need contributions from sophomore point guard Janair Raynor-Powell, shooter Tyler Vinsand, and forwards Chris Smith and Kobe Copeland, a couple of board crashers.
How Battlefield executes in the half-court against the
Knights' 1-3-1 zone defense will determine a lot that happens in this
game. Furthermore, Kellam
wants to keep the Bobcats out of transition as much as possible. This could be the tightest game of the day
potentially as the two teams seem extremely evenly matched. The Bobcats come in just a bit hotter as of
late with their only loss coming by one point against Stonewall Jackson in a
contest where a buzzer-beater was waved off, so their confidence is sky high
even as the visitor in this spot.
Magic
8 Ball Says: Battlefield (OT)
|
| JAN. 7, 2013- NORTHERN VA TIMES.COM |
Prince William News
Hall puts up 24, Glover 21 for BHS in win over OHS
By Dan Roem
© Gainesville Times
Battlefield senior Roman Hall knocked down a season-high three
3-pointers, buried another six field goals and drained three foul shots
as part of a 24-point performance Friday night in Haymarket, leading the
Bobcats' varsity boys basketball team to an 85-56 win over Cedar Run
District foe Osbourn. Meanwhile, junior teammate Jamison Glover sank 10 buckets of his own as
part of a 21 point performance that kept Battlefield (10-5 overall, 3-1
district) within striking distance of district leader Stonewall Jackson
(8-6, 4-0) leading into Tuesday night's showdown between the two arch
rivals.
"Our target's to be number one," said Hall. He credited teammates Terrell Walker (14 points) and Trevor Blondin (11
points) for helping him on fast-breaks with an up-tempo style of play
that allowed Hall and Glover to continuously burn past the Eagles'
defense after turnovers and defensive rebounds. Blondin in particular brings a "smart game" when breaking off screens, said Hall.
Despite the win, Battlefield head coach Kurt Pauly appeared frustrated with his team's defense during a post-game interview. "Our trapping wasn't where it nees to be," he said. In fact, Osbourn entered the game averaging 44 points per game, which
meant Battlefield allowed 12 more points than usual against a team that
has not won since the second game of the season.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats are now averaging 68 points per night. The team
has won 10 out of the last 12 games after starting the season 0-3. "Scoring's not the problem," said Pauly. After all, his team put up 29 points in the first quarter quite
limiting Osbourn to just nine thanks to an early barrage of baskets that
included a hoop by Glover and triple by Hall to open the game. Instead, he took issue with his team's perimeter defense, which allowed the Eagles to build up 24 points on 3-pointers alone.
"We wanted to be aggressive. We've got some good athletes. But it has
to be organized aggression," said Pauly about his team trying to force
turnovers. While starters Hall, Glover, Walker and Blondin made up most of
Battlefield's offensive output, Kam Hedgepath (9 points) and Blake Pagon
(6 points) added another 15 total points.
Seniors Tyler Tapscott (12 points) and Hugh Campbell (10 points) and
sophomore Robert Aviles (10 points) each put up double digits for
Osbourn while Justin Vargo (8 points), Connor Lane (7 points), Trevor
Powell (7 points) and Tyler Withers (2 points) also contributed baskets
of their own. Osbourn actually out-shot Battlefield by an eight-to-six margin behind
the 3-point arc, with Tapscott (three) and Aviles (two) hitting a
combined five shots themselves. Hall answered with three of his own while Walker, Blondin and Pagon all hit one for Battlefield.
The Eagles also performed considerably better than Battlefield from the
free throw line with a 10-for-13 performance compared to the Bobcats'
9-for-22 showing. Though Battlefield ended up losing 56-53 the next day on the road
against Kellam, the out-of-conference match does not affect the Bobcats'
seeding for the playoffs as the team enter the final four weeks of the
regular season. Five of Battlefield's remaining six games come against district
opponents, which means that there is still enough time left in the
season for anything to happen in the Cedar Run standings.
|
| JAN. 7, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM/ALLMETSPORTS.COM |
|
Week 3
All-Met Watch: Basketball
On the bubble
Back court:
Darian Anderson, St. John's, Jr.; Kenneth Beckham, Dunbar, Jr.; Trevor
Blondin, Battlefield, Jr.; Michael Briscoe, Thomas Stone, Sr.; Randall
Broddie, Potomac (Md.), Fr.; ...
|
| JAN. 7, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Prep roundup: Basketball
staff reports
KELLAM 56, BATTLEFIELD 53: Trevor Blondin led the Bobcats with 18 points
Saturday at the Virginia Preps Classic at Virginia Wesleyan.
|
| JAN. 8, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
Stonewall Jackson’s Diandre Stubbs plays on with one healthy hand in win over Battlefield
By Preston Williams
Early in the game Tuesday night at Battlefield, Stonewall Jackson junior forward Diandre Stubbs expended as much energy making trips to and from the restroom as he did up and down the court. The referees told him that his uniform was in violation, so
Stubbs left the floor to take off his long-sleeve undershirt. But when
he came back, the officials told him it was his tights, worn to help his
tendonitis, that were illegal, not his shirt. So Stubbs disappeared
again.
He was on the floor when it mattered most, however, scoring five
consecutive points during a late 21-second span to aid the Raiders’
76-65 victory and complete a regular season sweep of the Bobcats in the
Virginia AAA Cedar Run District. Stonewall (9-6, 5-0) had trailed by three early in the fourth quarter.
Stubbs
not only had to tend to the wardrobe malfunctions, he was playing
one-handed. He dislocated a knuckle on his left hand in a game over the
weekend and had that hand taped to the point of immobility. Even so, he
scored 11 points after not being allowed to practice Monday.
Senior guard J.R. Washington
hit 10 of 20 shots to lead Stonewall with 28 points, including a
three-pointer that gave the Raiders the lead for good with 5 minutes 34
seconds left. Senior guard Mustafa Ali added 16 points and junior guard Greg Stroman had 12 points and five steals off the bench.
The Raiders made all nine of their free-throw attempts in the final 1:35, the first three by Stubbs. The
game featured six ties and eight lead changes before Stonewall pulled
away. The first time the teams met this season, a Battlefield basket at
the buzzer was waved off and the Raiders slipped away with a 77-76 win.
This game was closer than the final score but the victory more definitive. Junior swingman Trevor Blondin led Battlefield (10-6, 3-2) with 17 points. Senior guard Roman Hall added 16 and junior guard Jamison Glover, who fouled out with five minutes left, scored 14 points.
“We
wanted to limit them from running, that’s why we didn’t come out and
press right away,” said Lawrence, whose team outrebounded the Bobcats,
36-18, but committed 21 turnovers. “We played the first half really to
get to the second, and then we unleashed our pressure.
|
| JAN. 9, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Prep boys basketball: Stonewall remains unbeaten in the district
Ben Trittipoe
Stonewall
Jackson boys basketball head coach Marcus Lawrence knows that game-in,
game-out, he can count on seniors J.R. Washington and Mustafa Ali to
come through with 40 or more points between them.
The
key for a Raider victory is the contributions from other members of the
squad, and on various nights, junior Diandre Stubbs and senior Emmanuel
Berchie have been the players to step forward.
Junior
Greg Stroman, who got the job done on the football field as Stonewall
Jackson’s star quarterback last fall, filled the role on the hardwood
Tuesday. Stroman scored 12 points, including four straight free throws
in crunch time, to help lead the visiting Raiders to a 76-65 victory
over Battlefield in a key Cedar Run District contest in Haymarket.
Washington
led Stonewall Jackson (9-6, 5-0 Cedar Run) with 28 points, while Ali
had 16 and Stubbs added 11 to go along with a game-high seven rebounds.
Trevor
Blondin paced Battlefield (10-6, 3-2) with 17 points. Roman Hall added
16 points and Jamison Glover had 14 while Terrell Walker and Kameron
Hedgepeth each added nine.
The
game was tight throughout, with neither team holding a lead of more than
six points through the first three quarters. Despite being badly
outrebounded (Stonewall held a 39-20 advantage on the boards for the
game), Battlefield led much of the first half and took a 34-32 advantage
into intermission by virtue of shooting 52 percent from the floor.
Blondin scored all nine of his first-half points in the second quarter,
while Glover and Hall each had eight at the break.
The teams traded small runs in the third quarter until Glover scored four consecutive points to give Battlefield a 48-43 lead with 58 seconds left in the period. Washington and Blondin traded baskets before Stroman sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to pull the Raiders within 50-48 heading into the final quarter.
Stroman's shot seemed to give Stonewall new life. The Raiders began to take control, first with Washington scoring nine consecutive points, then Ali adding five in a 14-2 spurt that gave Stonewall a 63-54 lead with 2:45 left to play. Blondin hit a short jumper and Walker sank a three-pointer to bring the Bobcats within four before they began to foul the Raiders. Stonewall sank all nine of it's free throws over the final 1:35, with Stubbs hitting three (including the finish of a three-point play), Ali sank two and Stroman converted the last four to ice the game.
The victory is Stonewall's second over Battlefield this season and gives the Raiders a two-game advantage in the Cedar Run at the midway point of the district schedule.
|
| JAN. 30, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Wednesday's prep basketball roundup
staff reports
BATTLEFIELD 79, OSBOURN 54: Trevor Blondin led the Bobcats with 17
points and Jamison Glover added 16 in the Cedar Run District win.
|
| FEB. 4, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM/ALLMETSPORTS.COM |
|
Week 7
All-Met Watch: Basketball
On the bubble
Back court:
Robert Bacon, Oakton, Jr.; Kenneth Beckham, Dunbar, Jr.; Trevor
Blondin, Battlefield, Jr.; Randall Broddie, Potomac (Md.), Fr.; Will
Ferguson, Herndon, Sr.; ...
|
| FEB. 6, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Prep basketball: All-Cedar Run District Boys Teams
staff reports
Cedar Run District Boys Basketball
2013 ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS
First Team
1. J.R. Washington (Sr.) Stonewall Jackson HS
2. Mustafa Ali (Sr.) Stonewall Jackson HS
3. Roman Hall (Sr.) Battlefield HS
4. Darren Hawkins (Sr.) Freedom HS
5. E.J. Baltimore (Sr.) Patriot HS
6. Diandre Stubbs (Jr.) Stonewall Jackson HS
7. Terrell Walker (Sr.) Battlefield HS
Second Team
1. Marcus Farber (Sr.) Stonewall Jackson HS
2. Greg Stroman (Jr.) Stonewall Jackson HS
3. Khiore Stewart (Jr.) Broad Run HS
4. AJ Cowthran (Sr.) Patriot HS
5. Terry Smith (Sr.) Patriot HS
6. Trevor Blondin (Jr.) Battlefield HS
7. Jamison Glover (Jr.) Battlefield HS
Player of the Year
J.R. Washington (Sr.) Stonewall Jackson HS
Coach of the Year
Marcus Lawrence, Stonewall Jackson HS
|
| FEB. 8, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Prep boys basketball: Stonewall wins first tournament title since 2003
Ben Trittipoe
Stonewall
Jackson’s Diandre Stubbs played a total of five minutes in the first
half of Friday’s Cedar Run District Tournament championship game. Over
the first two and one-half minutes, Stubbs contributed no points or
rebounds while committing two fouls and took a seat on the bench,
figuring his half was over. But when Battlefield took a 10-point lead
midway through the second quarter, those plans changed. Stubbs
reentered the game, scored nine points over the final two and one-half
minutes of the half and helped spark Stonewall Jackson to a 70-67
victory on their home court in Manassas.
The victory, Stonewall Jackson's third (two by three or fewer points) over Battlefield this season, gave the Raiders (18-6) their first district tournament championship since 2003. Stonewall Jackson will be the top seed from the Cedar Run District in the Northwest Region Tournament and earns a first-round bye. Battlefield (16-8) will be the No. 2 seed from the district and will host the No. 3 seed from the Western Valley District (either William Fleming or Patrick Henry) in a first-round contest next weekend.
Stubbs
led the way for the Raiders with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while J.R.
Washington and Marcus Farber each added 14 points. Washington led all
players with 11 rebounds. Roman
Hall paced Battlefield with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Trevor
Blondin and Jamison Glover each had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
With Washington struggling with his outside shot much of the game, Farber got the Raiders off to a strong start by hitting four three-point goals in the first 10 minutes of the contest, scoring all of his points in that stretch. Stonewall held a 19-18 advantage at the end of the first quarter. But Battlefield hung tough as Glover, Blondin and Hall each scored 10 points in the first half. Hall scored eight consecutive points for the Bobcats as they began to pull away in the second quarter. Blake Pagon and Glover each hit three-pointers to cap a 12-5 run that gave Battlefield a 36-26 lead with 2 minutes 59 seconds left in the half. Enter Stubbs. He made his presence felt immediately as he converted a three-point play, and he scored nine points in a 12-0 Raiders run to end the half. Trailing by 10 with 3 minutes to go, Stonewall took a 38-36 lead into the locker room.
The Raiders carried the momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter with an 8-2 spurt to take a 46-38 lead. But the Bobcats again battled back, tying the game at 49-49 as Hall hit a layup. Stubbs, however, converted a pair of three-point plays spanning the quarter break and a layup by Washington gave Stonewall a 57-49 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Again, Battlefield rallied, Blondin had four points in an 8-1 spurt that pulled the Bobcats within 58-57 with 4:38 left in the game, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way. Battlefield missed five of six free throws over the final minute, and Stubbs hit a pair from the stripe with 7.6 seconds remaining to ice the victory.
[Missing free throws] kills you in games like this," Battlefield head coach Kurt Pauly said. "There's not a lot of separation between these two teams, and you have to make those to win. Our kids gave a great effort tonight, but the little things, like hitting free throws and rebounding, make a difference." Pauly is pleased the Bobcats have qualified for the regional tournament for the third straight year, but he hopes Battlefield can take that extra step. "We haven't won a game in regionals, so we have to get focused and be prepared when we take the court next weekend, "Pauly said. "We've played tooth and nail three times with a team as good as any we will see, so that is a positive we can take forward."
|
| FEB. 11, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM/ALLMETSPORTS.COM |
|
Week 8
All-Met Watch: Basketball
On the bubble
Back court:
Robert Bacon, Oakton, Jr.; Kenneth Beckham, Dunbar, Jr.; Trevor
Blondin, Battlefield, Jr.; Michael Briscoe, Thomas Stone, Sr.; Randall
Broddie, Potomac (Md.), Fr.; ...
|
| FEB. 19, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
|
Northwest Region boys
Battlefield
defeated George Washington-Danville, 95-89, behind 25 points from
junior guard Trevor Blondin. Sophomore Kam Hedgepeth added 22 points for
the Bobcats (19-8), who never trailed in the second half and held off a
late rally to secure a spot in Saturday night’s 7 p.m. region final.
They’ll meet host Mountain View, which took down Stonewall Jackson,
67-59, in the other semifinal. Stonewall Jackson, which had won 11 straight heading into Thursday’s contest, finishes 19-7.
|
| FEB. 21, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
Northwest Region Basketball: Battlefield boys on precipice of first state tournament berth
By Preston Williams
The Battlefield
boys have won the first Virginia AAA Northwest Region playoff games in
program history, beating two teams they had lost to early in the season.
With a region semifinal victory Thursday night at George
Washington-Danville, the Bobcats could qualify for the state tournament
for the first time.
“The old saying is that good is the enemy of great,”
Battlefield Coach Kurt Pauly said. “And right now, we’re trying to be
great.”
The Bobcats have been just that in the region playoffs. They beat Patrick Henry-Roanoke and Potomac (Va.)
in the first two rounds of regionals and are playing with what Pauly
calls “a quiet confidence.” That was evident at Potomac on Tuesday night
when the Bobcats shot 48 percent from the floor in a 74-60 win. “We defended well also, and you could feel the confidence building and
building,” Pauly said. “Not one or two guys were hitting, all of them
were hitting.”
Senior point guard Roman Hall scored 20 points, more than double what he managed against Potomac on Nov. 29 in a 55-41 loss in which he made only one field goal. Tuesday night marked his sixth 20-point night of the season.
“He’s played almost every single minute,” Pauly said. “He’s not big in terms of upper body, but he does everything for us.”
Five Battlefield players average double figures or close to it, led by junior Trevor Blondin and Hall, who are each around 15 points per game, followed by junior Jamison Glover (11.3), senior Terrell Walker (10.4) and sophomore Kam Hedgepath (9.6).
Each
has scored 19 points or more in a game. And each has gotten to the foul
line more than 70 times, a testament to the team’s measured
aggressiveness offensively. In the quarterfinal win at Potomac, the
Bobcats (18-8) went 24 of 38 from the line compared to 15 of 17 for the
Panthers.
“I’ve had teams that are just as talented as this one,
but for whatever reason, this one just plays well together,” said Pauly,
who coached a Minnesota team to a Class 4A championship appearance in
2006. That team included Rodney Williams, currently the second-leading
scorer for the University of Minnesota.
Traditionally, the balance
of boys’ basketball power in Prince William County has been tilted
heavily toward the eastern end, with Potomac, Gar-Field and formerly Woodbridge. In recent years, that power has shifted somewhat toward the western end, with Manassas school Osbourn reaching the past two state tournaments, Battlefield winning in regionals for the first time this season and Stonewall Jackson, after topping Gar-Field on Tuesday, reaching the region semis for the first time since 2003.
Stonewall
plays its region semi at Stafford County school Mountain View on
Thursday. Battlefield lost three times to Stonewall, including in the
Virginia AAA Cedar Run championship.
Next season, when the state
playoff structure is realigned, the Manassas-area schools will compete
in 6A North with the 21 largest Northern Region schools, while the
eastern Prince William teams will play in 6A South, with the larger
schools in the Richmond and Virginia Beach areas.
|
| FEB. 21, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Prep boys basketball: Battlefield reaches state tournament for first time in school history
staff reports
Battlefield High School's boys basketball team reached the state
tournament for the first time in the program's history Thursday after
defeating host George Washington-Danville 95-89 in the Northwest Region
Tournament semifinals. The Bobcats (19-8) will play at Mountain
View(25-2) Saturday at 7 p.m.for the regional title. The game will be a
rematch from the regular season when Battlefield dropped its opener to
the Wildcats 68-48 Nov. 28.
On Thursday, Jamison Glover led Battlefield with 26 points. He hit six of those down the stretch by sinking key free throws. Kam Hedgepath added 22 points and Trevor Blondin had 19 and Roman Hall for Battlefield.
The
Bobcats, the Cedar Run District runner up, led by nine at halftime and
extended their lead to 14 in the third quarter before GW-Danville got
back within one point on its 3-point shooting. The victory was
another big accomplishment for a team that has now defeated back to back
No. 1 seeds in the tournament. Playing at GW-Danville, where fans were
lined up two hours before the game, Battlefield kept its composure. "With
the crowd, our kids accomplished something they will remember for
awhile," Bobcats head coach Kurt Pauly said. "It's a special feeling.
Right now, we're riding the momentum."
|
| FEB. 23, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
Basketball: Battlefield boys lose Virginia AAA Northwest final
In reaching the Virginia AAA Northwest Region boys’ basketball final this season for the first time, Battlefield relied on team play, balanced scoring and a tight-knit feel on the floor. When the Bobcats most needed those elements in the waning
minutes of the region championship Saturday night at Mountain View, they
were not to be found. One starter was on the bench with a bad ankle
sprain and two others had fouled out, leaving senior guard Roman Hall and junior wing Trevor Blondin as the only starters on the court.
Mountain View, down 10 with four minutes left, was able to grind out a
68-64 victory, the Wildcats’ 24th win in a row, to snag the region
title and earn their second state tournament berth. Battlefield (19-9), which by reaching the region final also had locked up a state berth, lost starting sophomore swingman Kameron Hedgepath to an ankle injury late in the first quarter. Later, junior guard Jamison Glover and senior guard Terrell Walker fouled out.
The
Bobcats, who opened the season with a 20-point loss to Mountain View,
could not muster the clutch baskets in the final minute and missed five
of seven free throws in the final 3 minutes and 16 seconds for a
frustrating finish. “It killed us at the end,” Battlefield Coach
Kurt Pauly said of the free-throw shooting. The Bobcats entered the game
shooting 65.7 percent from the line.
Mountain View, behind a boisterous home crowd that has known nothing
but winning this season, scored 19 of the game’s last 24 points in the
final 3:58 to earn the win. As gritty as Mountain View was, the poor
foul shooting and strapped lineup left the Bobcats wondering what might
have been. “I definitely think if we had had our five in there,
we could have probably tied the game at least,” Walker said. “We had it,
but it came down to free throws and we didn’t knock them down.”
“It’s
definitely a big loss for those three to be on the bench,” Blondin
said, at the same time praising the team’s backups. “We’ve been in those
situations before, and we actually did find a way to pull out the
victory.”
Blondin, too, had to leave the game for two crucial
minutes in the fourth quarter when he went down with an injury. The
10-point lead was down to six when he returned.
Hedgepath is not
only one of the team’s better penetrators and top three-point shooter
(he hit one before he got hurt), he also usually draws the toughest
defensive assignment. “The injury to Kameron hit us hard,” Pauly
said. “When he got hurt we’re limited. It’s nothing against [the
reserves], it’s how well he’s playing. . . . If we have a full deck, who
knows? But that’s sport.”
Blondin led Battlefield with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Hall had 18 points and Glover 14.
Even if Battlefield had won, the Bobcats still would have played a
state quarterfinal at Robinson, against the Northern Region runner-up.
As Northwest Region runner-up, they will face Northern Region champion W.T. Woodson on Friday at Robinson.
Battlefield’s
road state quarterfinal will be a closer trip than their last three
region games, in Dumfries, Danville (the team arrived home at 2 a.m.
Friday) and Stafford. “It’s a weird thing because you want to win
it because you want to hang a banner,” Pauly said, at the time not
knowing the outcome of the Northern Region final. “But in the grand
scheme of things, does [losing the region final] mean anything in the
state?”
|
| FEB. 23, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Prep boys basketball: Battlefield loses in regional final
Hugh Rist For Prince William Today
After a marathon stretch that saw them play four games in eight days
and included an early-morning arrival to school on Friday, Battlefield
faded a bit down the stretch, allowing host Mountain View to win the
Northwest Region title, 68-64, Saturday night.
A team that some
thought might not get past their Northwest Region opener against Patrick
Henry took down consecutive No. 1 seeds in Potomac and George
Washington-Danville and very nearly handed Mountain View its third loss
of the season. But just after Mountain View coach Kevin Brown called the
Wildcats’ final timeout with just3:35 to play, Mountain View outscored
Battlefield 17-5 the rest of the way en route to the victory. Battlefield
(19-9) will face the winner of the Wakefield-W.T. Woodson game this
Friday at Robinson High School at a time to be determined.
Not
only was fatigue a likely factor in the Bobcats’ late fade, a
combination of foul trouble and injuries were a major culprit.
Battlefield’s biggest setback occurred with :53 left in the first
quarter when sophomore Kameron Hedgepeth, who led Battlefield with 21
points in its last game against Danville, sprained his ankle when landing
after attempting to block a shot. Battlefield coach Kurt Pauly said he
does not know whether or not Hedgepeth will be able to return for
Friday’s game, but “we are hopeful,” he said.
In the game’s final minute, the only two starters still on the floor
for Battlefield were Trevor Blondin, who scored a game-high 21 points,
and Roman Hall, who added 15, and has been called the team’s Most
Valuable Player by Pauly. Jamison Glover and Terrell Walker each fouled
out, leaving freshman Blake Pagon, Todd Jorgenson and Alex Pfost as the
other three on the floor for the Bobcats at the end.
Pagon had
twice given Battlefield a 10-point fourth quarter lead, once on a
three-pointer with 4:33 to play, then again on two free throws about 20
seconds later. But following the timeout, Mountain View picked up the
tempo, used a series of pressuring double-team moves on defense, and
corralled several offensive rebounds during its late surge. Battlefield
also committed three turnovers, including one on a charge by Pfost, in
that span.
“Alex [Pfost] came in and took a late charge, but
obviously the injury to Kameron hit us hard,” Pauly said. “He’s been one
of our better players. We could all sit there and say what could have
been. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out [that] when he
got hurt, we’re limited. It’s nothing against the [other] guys. He’s
just a special player.”
Another bugaboo for Battlefield was its
free throw shooting. Overall, the Bobcats shot 68 percent (17-25) from
the line, and missed six of its last 10 free throws, allowing Mountain
View to come back.
“It [our free throw shooting] killed us at the end,” Pauly said.
“It’s something you work on all the time. But that’s basketball some
times. You see major college players [where] the same thing happens.
This was a noisy environment, but it wasn’t the noisiest crowd we have
seen lately. Danville was louder. For whatever reason, it wasn’t meant to
be tonight. If we have a full deck, who knows? But that’s sport. I’m
really proud of the effort the kids put forth. They could have come out
and played really flat, but they didn’t.”
The late surge by
Mountain View took a bit of the luster off a strong start for
Battlefield, who shot 63 percent (7 for 11) from the field in the first
quarter en route to taking an 18-14 lead. The Bobcats’ defense blocked
at least eight shots during the game, including three in the second
quarter, helping Battlefield to a 27-25 halftime edge.
The Bobcats
held Mountain View to 31 percent shooting (4 for 13) in the second
quarter and 29 percent (5 for 17) in the third quarter. But the Wildcats
shot 63 percent (7 for 11) in the fourth quarter to earn the victory.
Although
Battlefield was dealt an early blow with the injury to Hedgepeth, the
Bobcats were nearly able to overcome it, thanks to continued solid play
from Hall, Blondin, and Glover (14 points). Blondin, in particular paid
dividends, blocking shots, and making clutch shots.
Blondin sank a
three-pointer with 1:06 to play to pull Battlefield within 64-63, but
the Bobcats could not prevent Mountain View from making layups and
getting key offensive rebounds in the final seconds.
Blondin, who
had suffered a stomach bug that limited his production for much of the
past week, said he finally “felt really good” Saturday.
“With Terrell [Walker] and Jamison [Glover] I tried to contain the
floor late, but wasn’t able to do it,” Blondin said. “They [Mountain
View] sped up the tempo late and we might have been tired at the end.
But I hit a lot of big shots in the game and gave us a lift. There are a
lot of players on the team that played well. I’m not going to say this
game didn’t mean anything, but we [knew we] have one more game and we
are going to play better next Friday than we did tonight.”
Hall, who missed 4 of 6 free throws in the fourth quarter, said losing Hedgepeth was a big blow.
“He’s
a big part of our team,” Hall said. “He always guards the other team’s
best player. It kind of set us back, but the other thing was the free
throws, especially at the end of the game. It was a real aggressive game
on both sides. We work on [making] free throws every day at practice,
but sometimes they just don’t go in. We can’t worry about it. We’ve got
one more game to play next Friday and we are going to play much better.”
|
| FEB. 24, 2013- FREE LANCE STAR.COM |
NORTHWEST REGION BOYS FINAL: ’Cats claim a crown
BY STEVE FRANZELLO / THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Heading into Saturday’s Northwest Region title game against
Battlefield, the Mountain View boys basketball team had won 23 straight
contests. The last time the Wildcats tasted defeat was on Dec. 8 at Stonewall Jackson, when they fell 74–71. With
four minutes remaining last night against a scrappy Bobcats squad,
though, it appeared that their impressive run was about to come to an
end. But as they have proven throughout their remarkable season, you can never count this team out. Led
by the inspired play of “go-to” guard Joe Wilson for the second
straight playoff game, Mountain View turned up the defensive pressure in
the closing minutes and pulled out a wild 68–64 victory.
The
comeback win earned the Wildcats (26–2) the first regional championship
in the school’s history and gave them a shot of confidence heading into
the upcoming Group AAA state tournament. On Friday, the Wildcats
will travel to Richmond for a state quarterfinal game against either
Wakefield or W.T. Wilson at VCU’s Siegal Center. Battlefield (19–9) will
also play a quarterfinal contest at Robinson High School.
Brown
praised the play of Wilson and the entire Mountain View team, which
refused to lose to the battle-tested Bobcats, who had won three straight
regional games to advance to last night’s contest. “These kids
showed a lot of heart tonight,” said Brown. “I can’t say enough about
them and the way they played. They never gave up. They exhibit the word
team.”
Wilson scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth
quarter, when the Wildcats turned up their defense and roared back with a
19–5 scoring run to close out the game. Fellow guards Lucas
Brown (11 points) and Ben Keller (14) were big keys in the decisive
ending, as well. Forward Tyrell Mason (14 points) was another factor.
It
was evident from the opening tip that Battlefield was a much improved
team from the one that Mountain View had defeated by 20 points in its
season opener. Riding the relentless inside play of junior Trevor
Blondin, who scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, the Bobcats
built a 18–14 lead at the end of a physical first quarter by connecting
on seven of their first 12 shots.
The physical play continued
throughout the first half, which ended with Battlefield clinging to a
27–25 advantage. The score was tied six times and there were five lead
changes in the first two quarters.
“We knew it was going to be a
war out there,” said Kevin Brown. “Battlefield had beaten three really
good teams to get here. And that No. 12 [Blondin] was phenomenal for
them. He made some really big shots.”
The momentum that Battlefield had built carried over into the third quarter. With
Blondin and guards Roman Hall and Jamison Glover picking up the pace,
the Bobcats took charge early and raced to a nine-point lead in the
first four minutes of the period. Hall netted six of his 17 points
during the quarter and Glover added six of his 14 to keep the Bobcats
in front, 48–43, at the end of the quarter. A big 18–12 advantage on the
backboards was another factor in their success. They got their
first double-digit lead (59–49) midway into the fourth quarter, when
Blake Pagin made both ends of a technical foul that was called on coach
Brown.
Down by 10 points and the regional championship on the
line, the Wildcats turned things around with some tough defense and
clutch free-throw shooting. A wave of energy from their large home crowd didn’t hurt either.
Wilson
started the big comeback with a basket on a hard drive along the
baseline. After Keller made a steal and scored, Wilson put the Wildcats
in front (61–60) with a free-throw and another steal and score.
Blondin,
who had limped off the court at the five-minute mark of the fourth
quarter, buried a 3-pointer from the right side to bring the Bobcats to
within 64–63 with a minute left. But in the closing seconds, the Wildcats refused to fold. After
a timeout, they sealed their victory when Mason rebounded a missed shot
and assisted a streaking Keller for a 67–63 lead. Lucas Brown was then
fouled intentionally and iced the win with a free-throw.
|
| FEB. 27, 2013- FAIRFAX TIMES.COM |
Cavaliers brace for state basketball tournament
Battlefield awaits Woodson in Friday’s state quarterfinal
by Nick Eilerson
Staff writer
W.T. Woodson returns to Robinson Secondary School on Friday night
for an 8:30 p.m. tipoff against Northwest Region runner-up Battlefield
in the quarterfinal round of the Virginia AAA state tournament. The game
will mark Battlefield’s first appearance in the state tournament, and
Woodson’s first since 1966.
Woodson (24-4, 13-1 Patriot) got to
this point by relying on the kind of balance that prevents opponents
from placing extra emphasis on any one player. Different players have
led the Cavaliers in scoring each of the past five games, and according
to coach Doug Craig, six players have scored at least 20 points in a
game this season.
Yet the Northern Region champions might be
running into a squad with even more balance on Friday. Four of
Battlefield’s starters average in double figures, while sophomore
swingman Kameron Hedgepeth averages 9.9 points per game.
After
dropping its first three games of the season, Battlefield (19-9, 7-3
Cedar Run) developed a sense of confidence that came from relying on
each other rather than on any one player. “The biggest thing the past few weeks is we’ve been sharing the ball and getting very good balanced scoring,” Battlefield coach Kurt Pauly said. “That’s really been the key. We’ve been
sharing the ball really well. Everyone’s been scoring and playing well,
kind of like the team we’re going to play.”
The Bobcats don’t have
a lot of size (their tallest player, Terrell Walker, is six-foot-four).
They run an aggressive-style offense in which all of their starters
thrive on attacking the basket off the dribble. Woodson needs to be
particularly wary of junior guard Trevor Blondin and senior point guard
Roman Hall, two players that like to go to the rim and draw contact.
“We’re
a team that likes to get out and go,” Pauly said. “We like to attack
the basket. We’re an up-tempo team. But we’ve been preaching all season
that we need to score in the halfcourt too. I think all five of our guys
can take you off the dribble.”
Hedgepath’s ankle injury in the
first quarter was one of the reasons Battlefield surrendered a 10-point
lead to lose, 68-64, in the Northwest Region championship on Saturday
against Mountain View. Pauly said he was hopeful but uncertain about his
return to the lineup Friday.
Pauly, in his second year at the
helm after coaching a Minneapolis team to a Class 4A championship
appearance in 2006, leads a program making unprecedented strides this
season. Battlefield, a Haymarket-based school founded in 2004, had never
won a boys regional basketball game until this month.
Friday’s
winner moves on to Monday’s semifinal round at the Siegel Center in
Richmond, where they will meet the winner of the quarterfinal matchup
between Central Region champion Henrico and Eastern Region runner-up
Kecoughtan.
|
| MAR. 1, 2013- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
Boys’ basketball: W.T. Woodson downs Battlefield, heads to Virginia AAA semifinal
W.T. Woodson Coach Doug Craig admits his team lacks a superstar. But as Friday’s Virginia AAA state quarterfinal matchup against Battlefield proved, that’s not such a bad thing.
Led by Peter Murray’s
15 points, four W.T. Woodson players scored in double figures to lead
the Cavaliers past the Bobcats, 65-52, at Robinson. Woodson (25-4) moves
on to Monday’s semifinals, where it will face Henrico at 3:15 p.m. at
VCU’s Siegel Center in Richmond.
Woodson’s collective approach initially surfaced through its team
defense. After the teams traded baskets in the first minute, the
Cavaliers held Battlefield without a point for nearly nine minutes, an
effort anchored by strong defensive rebounding. Tommy Stepka
nailed a three-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer to spark a
14-0 Woodson run and build a 17-5 lead midway through the second period.
The second half brought much stronger play from the Bobcats (19-10). After scoring 10 of Battlefield’s 14 first-half points, Jamison Glover received some offensive help from Trevor Blondin and Roman Hall. The trio attacked the basket to open up a 12-4 run that cut Woodson’s lead to 35-30 after three quarters.
But
the Cavaliers answered, building an 11-point lead by opening the floor
with inside-outside play. On consecutive possessions, Bowles penetrated
to draw in the defense before kicking out to Murray, who hit three
three-pointers during a 13-5 run.
Blondin fought to keep
Battlefield in contention, scoring nine of his 18 points in the fourth
quarter on a series of mid-range jumpers and drives to the basket. But
Stepka and Alex Boock
(13 points) combined to hit Woodson’s six final free throw attempts,
keeping the Bobcats at bay and sealing the Cavaliers’ first trip to the
state semifinals.
|
| MAR. 1, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Prep boys basketball: Battlefield loses in state quarterfinals
Ben Trittipoe For Prince William Today
For one half Friday, the Battlefield boys basketball team showed why
it had earned its place among the top eight teams in Group AAA in
Virginia. Unfortunately, the game consists of two halves and
Battlefield’s first-half struggles proved too much to overcome as the
Bobcats fell to W.T. Woodson, 65-52, before a near-capacity crowd in the
Group AAA state quarterfinals at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax.
Peter Murray scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures
for W.T. Woodson (25-4), the Northern Region champion, which advanced to
face Henrico in the state semifinals Monday at the Siegel Center in
Richmond. Alex Boock and Eric Bowles each had 13 points for the
Cavaliers, while Tommy Stepka had 12 points and a game-high nine
rebounds.
Junior Trevor Blondin scored 18 points and classmate
Jamison Glover had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead Battlefield
(19-10), the Northwest Region runner-up, as its historic season came to a
close. Glover was nearly the only offense the Bobcats could
muster in the first half as he scored their first 10 points. After he
hit a three-pointer on Battlefield’s first shot of the game, the Bobcats
missed their next 14 attempts and finished the opening 16 minutes
hitting just 14 percent (4 of 28) from the field. Blondin became the
first Bobcat to score other than Glover when he converted two free
throws with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left in the second quarter, and the
half ended with Woodson holding a 26-14 lead.
“We did a good job of executing our game plan,” Cavaliers
head coach Doug Craig said. “They like to run and we wanted to control
the tempo. We wanted to contest shots, make them make shots, and I felt
we did a good job of that.”
Battlefield struggled with the
shooting background in the spacious Robinson gymnasium, which seats
5,000 and has a deep baseline area with seating behind both baskets. The
stands behind the basket the Bobcats shot at in the first half was
inhabited by approximately 500 screaming Woodson students, clad in white
“Woodson Cavalry” t-shirts, which certainly didn’t help Battlefield’s
accuracy.
“It’s not an excuse, but the shooting background was
definitely a factor for us in the first half,” Battlefield head coach
Kurt Pauly said. “We struggled with making the adjustment and our shots
just wouldn’t fall. Falling behind so much early was certainly a key to
the game.
“Jamison kept us in it in the first half. If it wasn’t
for him, we may have been blown out. His effort allowed the others to
adjust and get us back in the game.”
At halftime, Pauly said he
encouraged the Bobcats to get back to playing their up-tempo style and
work their way back into the game. It worked as Battlefield converted
seven of its first eight field goal attempts in the third quarter, with
Blondin’s three-pointer with 4:18 remaining cutting the margin to six,
and the Bobcats, who shot 53 percent in the second half (16 of 30),
closed within 40-35 by the end of the period.
“We told them at
halftime to stay with it, play our game,” Pauly said. “To their credit,
they battled back. It’s what good teams do.”
Junior Alex Pfost
converted a layup to open the fourth quarter to get the Bobcats within
three points, but it was as close as they would get. Murray hit a pair
of three-pointers for Woodson to push the lead back to nine and
Battlefield would only get as close as 57-52 on Blondin’s layup with
1:08 left in the game before the Cavaliers converted six free throws in
the final minute to ice the victory.
“When we got it to three early in the fourth, I thought we had them
on the ropes,” Pauly said. “But they’re a good team, they executed and
hit a couple of threes to pull away again.”
“[Battlefield] is a
good basketball team, and we knew they would make a run at us,” Craig
said. “Fortunately, we were able to hold them off.”
Despite the
loss, Pauly is pleased with the season Battlefield had. The Bobcats set a
school record for victories, won a game in the Northwest Region
Tournament for the first time and advanced to their first-ever state
tournament.
“It’s tough right now, as any competitor is never
satisfied after a loss,” Pauly said. “But I told the guys after the game
that they have built a foundation for Battlefield basketball with this
season. Hopefully the younger guys will take it from here and continue
to build.
“When I moved here from Minnesota, I didn’t think I
would coach again. But these guys have given our coaches a nice ride,
and it was a pleasure to coach them.”
|
| MAR. 12, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Hoops Fest 18 participants
staff reports
Prince William County's top boys and girls basketball players will
see who the best 3-point shooters, two-ball team and slam-dunkers are
March 12 when Hoops Fest 18 takes the court at Freedom High School in
Woodbridge.
Proceeds from the event, which will now be sponsored
by Prince William Today, will go to the family of Chris Yung, the
35-year-old Prince William police officer who died in a New Year’s Eve
crash on Va. 28 in Bristow.
Here's the list of this year's participants:
BATTLEFIELD
Boys 3-point: Trevor Blondin
Girls 3-point: Teresa Wagner
Two-ball: Misha Jones and Roman Hall
Slam dunk: Terrell Walker
|
| MAR. 13, 2013- NORTHERN VA SPORTS.COM |
Manassas Park's Douglas Leonard honors late brother at Hoops Fest 18
Hugh Rist For Prince William Times
Whether it was fueled by the emotions he experienced after his
brother’s recent unexpected passing or by the estimated hundred three
pointers per day he shoots three times a week, the unquestioned
storyline of Hoops Fest 18 at Freedom High School was the spectacular
performance of Manassas Park’s Douglas Leonard.
Leonard, who
finished third in the area with an average of 2.4 3-pointers per game,
led all competitors, including two-time defending champion Stephen Brown
of Christ Chapel, with 19 points in the preliminaries.
Battlefield’s Trevor Blondin and Brentsville’s Andrew Reighard tied
with 16 points and then 11 points in the preliminaries, forcing two
shoot offs. In the second shoot off, Blondin made four consecutive treys
at one point while scoring 15 points to advance to the final.
Meanwhile,
Leonard, who sank a school record nine three-pointers in a game earlier
this year, shook off a bit of a slow start by getting hot at the end,
scoring 16 points to win the title. Brown did not advance after scoring
15 in the preliminaries.
Leonard said he was “very inspired” to do well after his brother, Josh Long, a student at Osbourn High, died March 4 after what Leonard said was a bout with the flu.
“I
wanted to do well for my brother,” Leonard said. “I wanted to win it
for him. I knew there was going to be a lot of pressure [because of
Stephen Brown’s status as a two-time winner], that he would come in here
and do it really big. But I just wanted to win.”
Leonard may have
benefitted from the two shoot offs because Blondin appeared to be
laboring in the finals. Blondin missed five straight attempts at one
point, while finishing with 13 points.
|
XX">
|
