By Scott Richards
CP Correspondent
The Caroline boys basketball team went 1-1 this week, dropping a non-conference game to Chancellor in the fourth quarter 57-46 Tuesday after stopping the Courtland Cougars 62-60 the night before, bringing their final regular season record to 10-9.
Vs. Chancellor
The crowd was sparse at Chancellor High School as both teams played games that were of no consequence to their Conference standings but were games both teams wanted to win.
The game went back and forth with Caroline holding on to a slim 38-36 lead until the last quarter, which opened with a three-point basket by the Chargers’ Jason Brown. Chancellor never looked back.
“Chancellor played the entire game tonight. I can’t take anything away from them,” remarked Caroline Coach Antoine Johnson. “We did not play our game at the end. There wasn’t the concentration that has been there for the past couple of weeks. I thought we were a veteran team that was past that.”
Until the final period, the Cavaliers matched the Chargers in a slugfest that showed off the rivalry that has existed for years. The fourth quarter caught Caroline flatfooted and lacking the confidence supporters have come to expect. Mental mistakes, which have cost the Cavaliers in the past, came back to haunt them in this game. Missed layups and bad passes, in addition to missed opportunities at the free throw line (they were 6-11), cost Caroline.
In contrast, Chancellor attitudes were up, and they knew they had to keep on their game to get past the Cavaliers. The fourth quarter was their most productive period, scoring 21 of their total 57 points and putting on a defense that made the most of the Cavalier errors.
“After the loss the night before, we wanted to maintain a good attitude among the players,” Chancellor Assistant Coach Rob Matos stated. “They wanted to win the game, and we felt like it would be good to go into the Conference quarters with a win.”
Chancellor is scheduled to host Fauquier in the beginning of their conference tournament on Friday.
Vs. Courtland
It was the Battle of the Titans on Monday night as the Courtland Cougars came to Milford to take on the Cavalier boys basketball team.
The Caroline players proved they have found their game and are very good at it when played. In the end, Caroline was on top 62-60 to split this season’s series with a very tough Cougar basketball team.
Being the last regular season home game for Caroline, it was also senior night. The game was played before a full house that was way loud and with an electricity in the air that punctuated the entire game.
Caroline pulled ahead twice, once by 12 and another time by 13, but Courtland fought back each time. Showing the growth and development the Cavaliers have made as a team, they persisted despite the strong play coming from the Cougars, and their persistence paid off with the victory.
The Cavalier press was effective and active from the very beginning as they held against a hard-driving Cougar offense. The Cavaliers went cold for the basket later on in the game, which made it closer than it could have been.
AJ Derricott proved to be the ruler of the boards again this week, scoring his fourth double-double in a row as he was unstoppable underneath in his pursuit of rebounds until fouling out in the fourth quarter after accumulating 11 points and 10 rebounds. His duties were shared by Deandre Christopher and Shareef Gardner. Gardner became the wild man of the court, displaying his lack of timidity as he worked the boards, contributing eight points.
Darius Young continued to show opponents he is a threat both inside and outside the paint as he dropped three treys while working his way to the basket for a total of 16 points. Vondell Green’s nine points were only part of his effort. More valuable was Green’s efforts on defense and his ability to walk through the Cougar defense, offering seven assists on the night.
Courtland’s Darryl Gerald proved to be a challenge for Caroline as he had little problem getting to the basket and had even less problem sinking the ball. Gerald ended up the night with 22 points for the Cougars. The consistent play at both ends of the court of Gerald and Jabari Allen proved to be an asset for Courtland.
Caroline’s victory over Courtland brought their record to 10-8.
Caroline is seeded second in the Division 4A Conference 20 quarterfinal and is scheduled to host Midlothian on Tuesday.