JAN. 27,
2014- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
Boys’ basketball: W.T. Woodson adjusts on the fly
By Brandon Parker
When Doug Craig returned to school Friday following a four-day break
due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and weather closures, the W.T. Woodson boys’ basketball coach was welcomed with the news that the basketball court was submerged under water due to a burst pipe.
Craig won’t know the extent of the damage and repair time until
workers arrive on Tuesday, temporarily displacing a 12-3 Woodson team
with four home games remaining and potentially more should it earn one
of the top seeds in the Conference 7 and 6A North region playoffs.
“It happened some time Thursday night or Friday morning and people
described it to me as a waterfall falling on the floor,” said Craig, who
is searching for other options at nearby schools and colleges.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we’re anticipating, but it certainly will
put us in flux for the next week or so.”
Though it came under
different circumstances, the Cavaliers also found themselves in
transition to start the season after graduating four of their starters
from last year’s Virginia AAA state semifinalist team. New faces
abounded, including two talented transfers in junior guard Trey Johnson (Middleburg Academy) and sophomore Matt Ayoub (Paul VI).
As reigning Patriot District Player of the Year Eric Bowles worked to balance his increased offensive responsibilities while remaining the team’s facilitator and former reserves Andy Stynchula and Tyler Wilson adjusted to starting roles, the Cavaliers stumbled to a 1-2 start, albeit to ranked teams Herndon and Edison.
Since
then, Woodson has found consistency and success through its defense,
holding both Green Run and T.C. Williams to just 36 points during its
current eight-game winning streak.
“Our defense is the best thing
we do, and we’ve shown that lately,” said Bowles, who is averaging a
team-high 14.2 points. “That’s helped all of us in our new roles. For
me, last year, I ran the team and scored if I had to. But this year,
I’ve had to still facilitate while looking for my shot more and playing
longer. We’re not fully there yet but we’re on track to getting where we
need to be as a team.”
A year ago, the Cavaliers hit their stride
in the second half of the season, and they appear to be following that
pattern again. Bowles stands as the facilitator and first scoring
option. Ayoub is a solid shooter and second scoring punch. Stynchula
serves as the stalwart in the post. Wilson and Johnson provide sparks
with their up-tempo play, and senior Jimmy McLaughlin has emerged as a defensive force who typically guards the other team’s best player.
The
collective approach has helped the Cavaliers surge to the top of the
Conference 7 standings entering Monday’s road game against second-place
Lake Braddock.
“Last year, the only reason we made the run we did
was because of how we played together as a unit,” Craig said. “Everybody
has gotten better and has improved from playing a tough early schedule
and we’re starting to learn each other better. Hopefully we can be a
tough out here in the postseason and recapture some of that magic from
last year.”
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JAN. 17,
2012- VIVA LOUDOUN BLOGSPOT.COM |
Boys Basketball: Future Bright for Tuscarora with Young Backcourt
While the Tuscarora High School boys basketball team has gotten off to a
slow start in its young history, especially compared to Loudoun's other
second-year school Woodgrove which made the playoffs last year behind
the play of high-scoring Brad Gilson, the Huskies are building a
foundation and are improving each week.
While Tuscarora is just 1-12 after going 0-22 last year, they are
playing teams close, falling to Park View, 93-82; Dominion, 63-58;
Patriot, 63-59; and Briar Woods, 71-59. And the Huskies are young,
young, young with sophomore guard Josh Middleton leading the team with
11.8 points per game and 14-year-old freshman shooting guard, A.J.
Robinson, scoring 11.5. Another freshman, Trey Johnson, is a point guard
and averages 9.2.
Johnson is part of a unique situation where he and his brother, senior
Myles Johnson, are BOTH starting point guards -- with Myles a senior at
Stone Bridge where he leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 12.2 points per
game. While the brothers from Lansdowne dreamed of playing together for a year
in high school, the new boundaries created when Tuscarora opened, left
them at different schools this year. Myles scored a season-high 27
points against Park View and has 29 3-pointers on the year, while Trey
put up 21 against Dominion. The two will not face each other as
Tuscarora and Stone Bridge aren't scheduled to play this year.
38.82535
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T.C. Williams High School
3330 King St, Alexandria, VA
/listings/tc-williams-high-school
1380894
/locations/2618706
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FEB. 27,
2012- NEWS 444.COM |
Boy's Basketball Looks Forward to the Future
By: Jack Minchew
LEESBURG VA- Looking back on the 2011-2012 season, a skeptical
and disillusioned fan might dismiss the Tuscarora boys basketball
season as a total failure. They might lament the 3-21 record and the
lack of a win at home after two years of play. They might worry if the
Huskies will ever have a good team.
But perhaps if that woebegone fan was a little bit less skeptical and a little bit less dismissive,
they would recognize the season for what it was: a year for building.
This season saw Tuscarora’s first win ever, first district win, and
first playoff win. “We won more games than last year but still
[weren’t] happy,” says Josh Middleton. “We’ll be good next year,
though.”
While this season may have not have answered all the
questions about the Tuscarora men’s basketball program, it has shown
that perhaps out of the ruins of a 3-21 season, a quality program could
be emerging. Under the surface of a disappointing varsity record is an
up-and coming JV team and a 17-2 freshman team. The three top scorers
for the varsity team were all underclassmen, according to statistics
from Allmetsports.com. “Everybody’s coming back,” says varsity Coach
Justin Brown about next year. “A lot of the good teams in the district
are old, and two of our best players are freshmen.
Sophomore Josh Middleton led the team with 12.9 points per game, closely followed by the two freshmen, A.J Robinson and Trey Johnson,
with 12.1 and 8.6 points per game respectively. Robinson also led the
team in 3 point shots, with 27 threes for the season. Middleton himself
complimented the freshmen duo, saying, “A.J is a good shooter, and Trey can really get to the basket.”
The team also benefits from 6’2 sophomores John Boris and Spencer Hayes, along with junior Steve Welti.
“Steve Welti is 6’8,” says Coach Brown with a chuckle. “No arguing with
that.” Coach Brown has full faith in the future of the program, saying,
“The future looks good, and we’re really excited.
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