Cavaliers stumble out of the gate
Posted on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 4:18 pm
By Scott Richards
The Caroline High School boys basketball team began its season with trips to Lancaster and Essex. The Cavaliers fell to both opponents last week, losing to Essex 62-57 on Thursday and then to Essex by 59-48 on Friday.
Poor execution contributed to very erratic performance by the Cavaliers, said first-year Coach Antoine Johnson.
Caroline, 0-2, played unevenly against a lackluster Lancaster team and was plagued by poor foul shooting.
Lancaster had a 25-23 edge at the half and started the third quarter with a 14-0 run to take control of the game; at the end of the quarter they held a 43-36 lead.
Caroline began with a pressing defense that was to be the hallmark of this year’s play. However, Lancaster’s speedy fast breaks led the Cavaliers to switch to a full court man-to-man defense and a ball control offense that proved effective in the first quarter as they built a 14-9 lead.
Caroline was only 4-of-14 at the foul line. Combined with its inconsistent play, the Cavaliers could not overtake Lancaster once their opponent pulled away in the second half.
“This game was definitely a learning experience,” said Johnson. “We did not execute our game in the second and third quarters and missed too many free throws.”
Reggie Johnson scored 19 points to lead Essex over the Cavaliers. His athletic team combined fast breaks with a strong inside game.
Essex went on a 10-run in the first quarter en route to taking a 15-9 lead at the end of the frame, and they led 26-19 at the half.
The teams played even in the third quarter. In the final quarter, the Cavaliers pulled within 4 points several times, but Essex out-scored them 16-12 to seal the win.
LaVonte Bundy led Essex with five steals. Caroline showed a lack of speed in running the court and had trouble controlling the ball.
Jaron Moore scored 11 points to lead Caroline; he was the only Cavalier to score in double figures.
Caroline’s inside game was stymied. The Trojan guards effectively pressed full court, allowing the other defenders time to set up under the basket.
Their domination of the inside game led Caroline to attempt to work the perimeter, but the team’s outside shooting was ineffective.
The bright spot for the Cavaliers was their free throw shooting, but a 19-23 effort from the foul line was not enough to overcome the consistent play of the Trojans.
The nondistrict games will help the team prepare for Battlefield District play, said Johnson.
This week the Cavaliers were scheduled to visit King William on Tuesday and to host Essex on Thursday.
Next week the Cavaliers host King William on Monday and then begin district play with two contests, visiting Courtland on Tuesday and hosting Spotsylvania on Friday.
