BDPHusker

Seems to me we would stay in third regardless. Beating Sycamore would give us the same record as them, but Macon beat them once and us twice. I believe our loss to Greenbrier would complicate things too.

I think you're partly right. Late in the game, the Cougars played harder as a team than they had all night up to that point (IMO). They certainly didn't give up. But, having said that, after making wholesale substitutions, the Devils frittered away almost an entire 19-pt lead in about 4-5 minutes. During that stretch, our guards committed several really bad turnovers that they really hadn't committed up to then, and the subs didn't play very well on defense at all. When the lead got down to around 6 points, Coach Spencer had to put all the starters back in. By that time, though, they were all cooled down and had to pick it up again. If he had waited any longer, I fear the outcome could have been different. It was good to get the subs in, because they certainly need the minutes, but you can't sub the whole team with that much time left. We had the game well in hand - or so it seemed - but we should have been rotating the subs, not playing them all at once. Congrats to the Devils on the nice win, but this should have been a statement game of sorts. WH hasn't had an opportunity for a blowout win in a long time. A 20+ point win would've looked nice on the resume. (And I agree with you about Goodpasture's injured players. Didn't know anybody else got hurt, but Rhoten looked like he messed up that ankle pretty badly. He kinda just crumpled to the floor.) So, now we have Greenbrier on Friday. When we played them at GB, we laid back and took our time instead of playing our game. We allowed GB to stick around and they made us pay for it, handing us the first of four straight losses. We need to go at them hard, get on them fast, and not let them breathe. Make it clear that their win was a fluke. We seem to utilize our inside game only in spurts, but it's pretty obvious that we can run it against any of the district teams. Move the ball around and make the pass when it's there - instead of looking somewhere else real quick first - and we can score all night. But, that's why they play the games, right?

Well, the streak is over. After losing 4 in a row, Westmoreland came to visit on Senior Night. Apparently they thought they were going to punch WH in the mouth and leave with a win. They ran into a bunch of frustrated Devils, and were seen picking themselves up off the floor all night. It was a rough, physical game, but our guys stood toe-to-toe with them. There were bodies flying all over the place all night. Three technical fouls, and a meeting at half court with all three refs and every player on the floor at the time. It was great to see the Devils step up, play hard, and fight back. They really showed physical and mental toughness for the first time in a while. Still left a lot of points on the floor, and gave up some easy scores, though. Gotta clean that up. Hopefully we can build on this win by carrying the same mentality into the remaining district games. None will be easy (well, one of them should be, but that's why they play the game), but, regardless of what anybody says, there's no reason we can't get on a run and win 'em all. Just gotta want to win them, put in the work, then do the right things on the floor. The talent is clearly there.

I don't think it's a question of whether we have any offense or not. We have plenty of quality players that can score. The problem is that they don't. What many people see is a team that appears to be so afraid to make a mistake, they wait around looking to make the perfect play instead of making the play that's available. There are many occasions during each game when our big men are open for a high percentage shot. You can see the perimeter players look them dead in the eyes and not give them the ball. When they finally decide to, the passing lane is already jammed and the ball doesn't get there. We leave anywhere from 15-30 points in missed layups out there on the floor every game, shots missed by post and perimeter players alike. We don't have the number of consistent shooters that we had the last two years. When we get down, we get sloppy trying to force things and turn the ball over at critical points in the game. When we get a lead, the opponent turns it up a notch to fight back, we get sloppy and turn the ball over - along with our momentum. Most of our losses this year have occurred not because a team beat us, but because we've allowed one or two players to beat us. We seem to always leave a 3-point shooter open somewhere, and he seems to always get the ball. We miss layups, they make 3's. That's how we lose. What I've noticed is that almost every time we lose, it's because our opponent is quicker athletically, and/or more decisive with their ball movement. Most other times it's because we appear to be uncomfortable with whatever the scheme is for that night. I think we've proven over the last couple of years that a quicker opponent doesn't necessarily equate to a loss, but when the guys are tentative they make mistakes. I think we're always tentative to one degree or another. Why, I don't know - but I have my theories. Four consecutive losses - 2 should have been easy wins, 1 should have been a tough win, 1 could have been a tough win - was unexpected, but it hasn't shown me that we aren't capable of beating the best teams in the district. We have plenty of talent to match up with them all. The problem is we don't seem to be as well-organized or decisive on the floor as they are, which leaves us unable to match intensity levels and focus when we need to. A lot of it goes back to their apparent fear of making a mistake. Take that however you want. I've seen the same thing for years and that's my opinion. Full disclosure, I'm not a basketball guy. I don't necessarily understand or notice all the intricacies or subtleties of the game, but I can tell when what they're trying to do isn't working. What they're doing right now doesn't appear to be working.

Wrong on both counts. There's no academic suspension being discussed for anybody, and nobody took off their jersey over being subbed. Don't know where you got your intel, but your mole sold you out. I gather from your handle that you probably went to, and graduated from, WHHS. You at least have some kind of legitimate interest in the program. I'd think you'd have a little more respect for the kids than to spread rumors about them on a message board just to make yourself appear to have some kind of inside information. I know we're not talking national secrets, Coke's secret formula, or grandma's greenbean casserole recipe, but there's no reason for anybody on the board to discuss, or even speculate on, the personal lives of the players or coaches. It's about the teams' performances on the floor and people's opinions of the performances. Let's keep it that way, please.

I certainly understand your point. It clearly is not the visitors' responsibility to plan the logistics of getting the crowd back to the lobby to pay their admission. But I would offer that, as a visiting fan, it's one's responsibility to follow the "rules" of the host school. If that means exiting the gym when asked and going back to pay, one should honor the request first and ask questions later. Coach Spencer asked a number of times and people refused to move. If there was some confusion, that's one thing; but when people started giving the "shut up, I'm not moving" wave, what else can he do? I'm sure there were several groups that sent one representative to the table to pay for all, but he has no way of knowing which groups those are. All he can do is ask everybody to leave. If some chose not to pay anyway, they're just guilty of stealing. I'm sure someone at GHS would throw a fit if visitors from another school tried to get in without paying. But that's all old news...

There were other things going on on both sides of the jersey issue you mentioned. The issue shouldn't have been handled the way it was by any involved parties, but it needed to be addressed. Sometimes everybody is at fault and they all need to be reminded of their position and the expectations that come with that position. And as for the coach being rude, although I sometimes wonder about his methods myself, the only time I can even remember him acknowledging fans from either side was when WH still played JV games in the main gym. There was no admission to JV games, but, upon completion of the JV games, all fans were always asked to leave the gym and pay the admission to come back in and watch the varsity teams play. The issue was that several GHS fans wouldn't leave as requested. He asked 2 or 3 times and they still sat, refusing to go pay their admission like everybody else. He had to ask the deputies to get involved. Maybe you're referring to something else?

I get your point, and I would tend to agree with you. But I think the kids believed in the game plan and understood what they were trying to do. I'm guessing nobody anticipated that East would eventually counter by literally standing there, not moving, and burn up 16 minutes of clock. WH was at least moving the ball and working an offensive plan, looking for and trying to create open, easy layups. The guys were just determined not to break from the game plan and let East get away from them. They may have been able to push the ball once in a while to try and catch East napping, I suppose, but they really had East right where they wanted them by then. It should've gone 2OT if not for a questionable call as time ran out. (The video confirms it was questionable at best. The made free throw won the game for East.) Sink another shot or two and WH wins. Then figure out how to surprise the next opponent.

Troy, if you weren't at the game then of course you think it was just standing around, based on the score. WH didn't just stand there. They kept the ball on the outside and ran cutters over and over, waiting for a good shot. They passed up a few I thought they should've taken. Meanwhile, EL was chasing them around and around for what appeared to be no reason. Then, on defense, the Devils didn't defend outside the free throw line. The strategy was not to allow East any kind of transition opportunities, or to drive the lane. The defense was superb. East couldn't make anything happen, and it appeared they refused to attempt any threes - very few, anyway. They were basically taken completely out of their game and, by not attempting to drive to the hoop, played right into WH's hands. They were getting tired and frustrated. To start the second half, their coach must have decided not to chase us around anymore, because that's when they started holding the ball on offense. Their #20 literally stood with the ball on his hip for 4+ mins at a time on three different occasions, maybe more. We refused to give them a lane, so they stood there. As an example, WH never even got possession of the ball in the OT, and East only had one shot and a follow. Forcing them to play half-court was brilliant when you realized the effect it had on them. It might seem like it was an incredibly boring game to watch, and we were frustrated, at first, when WH passed on what some of us thought were easy layup chances. But it was actually pretty exciting. It became a game of strategy by neutralizing East's athleticism and quickness. Everybody probably could've attempted more shots but, when you only have to win by one point, playing smart ball and not allowing your opponent to score seems like a pretty good strategy if that's what's required.

OK, so SHS "easily handled" WH and beat them by 15. But when WH beat SHS by 13, we only "scraped by"? And I believe in one game that Macon was only 3 points away from beating you. That's one that could've gone either way. SHS will be the fave, and deservedly so, but you are beatable. Everybody is. Might take a better game to beat SHS than it would to beat somebody else, but it can be done.

Well, when you play defense by crawling into the other guy's jock, the refs are liable to see it. Seems to me the tables were turned in the second half and SHS got an awful lot of charity whistles. Doesn't mean WH would've won the game, just pointing out that what you apparently considered to be over-officiating worked in your favor later.

When the Devils won at Sycamore, Kiwi's logic was that we only won in the 3-point department. Whatever that meant. I guess by that same logic, we only lost in the 3-point department last night. If Sycamore had made 5 fewer 3's it would've been a tie game. Whaa? They beat us by 15, we beat them by 13. Clearly it's about whose shots are falling. SHS caught fire in the second half. Up until then it was a pretty even matchup.

Whatever, Heisman. This is a message board, so obviously there will be those whose level of reading comprehension isn't very high. Let the list of names begin with yours. Bottom line, the clock and the score were in the Devils' favor. We handed MCHS all the chances they needed to take the game from us in the end, and they did. Good for them, and shame on us.

I don't believe any excuses were made, Hokie. Read the post slowly, next time. I clearly said MCHS played good defense, chipped away at our lead, then capitalized on three bad WH turnovers very late in the game. No officials were involved in calling the turnovers; they were our fault. I simply pointed out that it seems some officials swallow their whistles more than others, and only decide to blow them at critical junctures in a game where they have the biggest effect. You see it from the same officials at seemingly every game they call. I also said everybody probably feels the same way as it concerns their favorite team, and that the game film doesn't lie. Now, explain which of these statements isn't true.

The Tigers just seemed to have our number this year. They played sound defense last night once we got up on them, and they didn't panic. After chipping away at our lead all night, they capitalized on 3 bad turnovers in the last 11 seconds of the game to come from 4 down and won 50-47. Without sounding like sour grapes, I have to say that one of those officials - wherever we happen to be playing - seems to swallow his whistle. WH never gets a call from him, and some others, even when everybody in the gym can see it. Did it to us at Westmoreland, too. I suppose everybody feels the same way, but the game film doesn't lie. Some of these officials seem to think people paid to watch them call the game.