By Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor Josh Driver
Two former foes in the Jefferson District back brought back memories during the Holiday Bash in Goochland County. It was a hard fought game as players dove for loose balls, constantly battled for rebounds, but the competition was really a tale of two halves with the Bulldogs finishing on a furious pace in the fourth quarter to win 78-48.
The first half was won by Louisa leading 28-21 and ended the half on an 11-2 run. Adam Williams led the Lions with an attack of 17 points, thanks to his shooting from behind the arc. Louisa lived well by the 3-pointer in that stretch.
“We shot the ball well the first half,” said Louisa coach Brian Wilson. “Adam has been our scoring specialist and when he goes, we go.”
The start of the second half had a small twist to it as the fire alarm went off. Players, coaches, and fans evacuated the gym and headed out into the cold providing an impromptu extra break. Goochland seemed to take advantage of it.
“I told the team to stay focused,” said Goochland senior Nathan Mattox. “(I said) block out all the distractions and get ready to take care of business the second half.”
And that’s what the Bulldogs did as they took the lead with an 11-4 run started by multiple turnovers by the Lions.
“Our players wanted to run a certain defense and I have faith in their decision making,” said Goochland coach Preston Gordon. “And we went with it even though it was a defense we haven’t practiced all week.”
The third quarter sparked the Bulldogs into the fourth with excellent defense turned into easy layups on the other end. Mattox had 12 of his 14 points in the final frame leading the way for the stingy Bulldogs. Excellent bench play also came from Goochland as they outscored the Lions 27 to 12 led by sophomore Reggie Hobbs. The Bulldogs ended the game on a 31-4 run.
The Lions (2-8) will return to district play on the January 3 with a matchup against the Powhatan Indians.
The Bulldogs (3-0) go to Central Lunenberg for the start of district play on January 2.
