By Aaron Perryman/Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
HARRISONBURG — Madison used a strong defensive effort in the third quarter to distance itself from Alta Vista, eventually winning its second straight Division 1 Region B championship 59-31 Saturday night at Spotswood High.
The Colonels (16-5) hung with the Mountaineers (23-0) throughout the first half, even holding a small 10-9 lead at one point in the second quarter. Madison experienced early foul trouble, especially when senior forward David Falk was forced out of the game early in the second quarter after picking up his third foul.
“It was terrible,” Falk said. “It was the first time all season [I had early foul trouble] and it had to happen in the regional championship.”
Despite playing a fired up Alta Vista squad, Madison took a slight 23-17 into halftime.
Madison blasted the game wide open in the third period, however, outscoring Alta Vista 19-4. The Mountaineers cruised in the fourth quarter and several players off the bench were able to see playing time.
“We’ve focused on ‘D’ ever since the [state semifinal] loss to Dan River,” said senior guard Jerel Carter. “Now we always spend one hour on defensive drills in practice.”
Carter led the way for Madison with 18 points, while senior forward Logan Terrell added 11. Falk reentered the game and stayed out of foul trouble to finish with 10 points.
“You could look in [Carter’s] eyes—you could see a big game was going to happen for him tonight,” said Madison coach Ben Breeden.
Junior forward Jerrell Jordan was the only Colonel to reach double figures for Alta Vista, tallying 15 points.
Breeden said he expects Madison to next play either Friday or Saturday, possibly at James Madison University. The Mountaineers will face Surry County in the Group A Division 1 state quarterfinals.
