Cavs take two district wins
Posted on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Jaron Moore goes for a layup against visiting Spotsylvania; he led Caroline in scoring in all three games last week.
By Scott Richards
After two weeks of playing poor to mediocre basketball and compiling a 1-3 record, the Caroline High School boys basketball team came together to post three impressive wins, including their first two Battlefield District games of the season.
Senior Jaron Moore led the team in scoring in all three contests last week as they improved to 2-0 in district play and 4-3 overall.
He scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as host Caroline defeated King William King 65-47 in their second meeting of the season on Monday.
Moore’s 19 points paced the Cavaliers to a 78-57 triumph at district foe Courtland on Tuesday, and he had 13 points – and every Cavalier scored except two players – as host Caroline defeated an undermanned Spotsylvania team 77-46 on Friday.
“This is what the games against teams like Essex are all about, preparing our players for Battlefield District games,” said coach Antoine Johnson “There is nothing easy about what this team has done. They have worked hard. Their confidence on this team is running high.”
The Spotsylvania Knights dressed only eight players, and Johnson took advantage of their lack of reserves by constantly substituting fresh Caroline players.
Starting the second half, sophomore Will Howard put on a quick 3-point shooting clinic, scoring three treys in less than a minute, and Caroline put together a 29-7 run in the third quarter to take a commanding lead. With a 55-30 advantage mid-way through the third quarter, the Cavalier starters were given the rest of the night off, and the reserve players finished the game with a strong performance. Chris Thomas scored 12 points for the Cavaliers, and Joe Bouldin and Howard each added 11.
“They played the game they are capable of playing,” said Johnson. “Giving the second and third string players a chance to play has built their confidence a great deal. Will Howard is probably one of the best players at Caroline; he just needed the playing time to give himself confidence.”
At Courtland the Cavaliers used a man-to-man defense that kept the Cougars off balance and trying to play catch up the entire game. The Cavaliers began the game with a 25-9 run and took a 43-16 lead at intermission. Moore’s 19 points included three 3-pointers, and he had eight rebounds. Bouldin added 10 points for the Cavaliers.
Caroline’s 18-4 run in the third quarter enabled the Cavaliers to pull away from King William, but the game was marred by sloppy play and fouls. King William players went to the free throw line 26 times and converted 19 times, and King William tried to rally in the fourth quarter when Caroline’s reserves were on the floor.
Johnson attributed the team’s numerous fouls to overconfidence. King William proved to be an easy team to steal from, he noted, and the Cavaliers were called for reaching in. “I told them at the half they have to play hard the entire game, do not get too over-confident,” said Johnson.
Caroline was scheduled to travel to James Monroe on Tuesday this week prior to the Christmas break.
During Christmas week the Cavaliers will participate in a tournament at Henrico High School Dec. 27-29.
