Nelson rips Page
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Laura Clark / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: March 1, 2008
The win marks the first time a Nelson County boys' basketball team has won the regional
championship and qualified for the state tournament.
Three Govs scored in the double digits, and surprisingly playmaker Thomas Brown wasn't one of them. The Panthers limited Brown to nine points, far below his postseason average of 24. But Brown made up for the lack of scoring by setting up his teammates. He would drive the lane, drawing two or three Panthers to him, then kick out to a teammate for a 3-point shot. Brown routinely found T.J. Martin or Chris Jones with crisp bounce passes for open baseline layups.
"He got to the hole pretty much at will," Gov coach Brandon Garrett said of Brown, who had 14 assists. "We spread the ball around really well, especially starting the game out."
Page coach Mike Purdham said his defensive plan was to clog the lane and rotate out as needed on shooters. But his team didn't get the rebounds they needed, he said. The Panthers, with several players 6-foot-3 or taller, had as many rebounds (22) as the Govs by the end of the game.
The Panthers took a brief lead in the second quarter when forward Tylor Parsel grabbed a defensive rebound, then popped out for an uncontested 3-pointer at the other end. The Govs regained the lead after Trevor Martin knocked down a three, and Steve Washington blocked a shot to T.J. Martin, who scored on the fast break.
Nelson led 32-28 at the half, and Garrett blamed the slim margin on too many fouls. The Panthers hit all 11 free throws in the first half after the Govs had intentionally slowed the pace, trying to draw out Page's defense.
"We tried to work the clock, settle down and just go for the throw off at the end," said Gov Mike Jones, who scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
Establishing an inside game was "very, very, very important" for the win, Jones said.
"They were much bigger, stronger than us, but we came out and did what we had to do. We always play aggressive," he said.
When Jones and his brother, Chris, left the game with three fouls each in the third quarter, the Panthers tied the game at 39.
Washington hit a turn-around jumper and the subsequent foul shot to retake the lead. Page's Dakota Wolf's putback on an offensive rebound pulled the Panthers to within one point, but Nelson scored off back-to-back turnovers to go up by five heading into the final quarter.
The Jones brothers returned in the fourth, and the Govs quickly stretched out their lead. Brown was getting double-teamed outside, but each time he would create a play, dishing over and behind defenders to a teammate streaking through the lane. Parcel was still scoring - underneath and from three-point range - but Page couldn't chip away at the lead.
"We stood and watched too much," Purdham said. "We didn't screen and move, the things we'd done all year as a team."
Parcel led the Panthers with 18 points. T.J. Martin scored a game-high 19 for Nelson.
Both teams advance to the Group A, Division 1, state tournament. The quarterfinal games will be held March 8, at a neutral location near the higher seed.
Nelson (27-1) will play the loser from Region A, either Chesterfield Community or Surry County.
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