By Luke Nadkarni / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Jeff Early scored 17 points, including his 1000th career point, and William Monroe used a big second half to pull away from visiting Manassas Park 65-34 Friday night in Stanardsville.
Early, who did most of his damage before halftime, nailed a free throw just before the break to reach the milestone. It was his 11th point of the half. The game, however, was far from decided, as the Dragons led just 27-18 at the half against the last-place Cougars. The Dragons’ offense struggled against Manassas Park’s 2-3 zone in the first half.
“We didn’t shoot very well [in the first half],” Monroe head coach Mike Maynard said. “We had a little lapse late in the first quarter and let them back in it.”
For Early, getting the milestone out of the way was instrumental in concentrating on the greater picture — winning the game at hand.
“It felt good to get it off my back,” Early said. “Then we could focus on beating Manassas Park after halftime and on what comes next.”
Monroe took control of the game in the third quarter, holding the Cougars without a point for nearly four minutes to open the period. By the time Manassas Park’s Brian Lam broke the drought with a short jumper at the 4:08 mark, the Dragons had scored the first 14 points of the half to open up a 41-20 lead.
The Cougars’ Ben Foster knocked down a three on the next possession to trim the margin to 18, but the Dragons scored the next six points to make it 47-23 and Manassas Park never threatened after that. Monroe’s margin reached as much as 55-26 on a fast-break layup by Kam’ron McCain and hovered around the 30-point mark until the final buzzer. By that time, Early and the rest of the Dragon starters were cooling their heels on the bench.
“Jeff’s had an unbelievable career here,” Maynard said. “But it’s good to get the milestone out of the way and focus on our next games.”
Manassas Park was led by Clinton Boxley’s 15 points, but no other Cougar scored in double figures. In addition to Early’s output, the Dragons got 12 points from Keegan Wolford.
“All four years here, I’ve had amazing teammates,” Early said. “I love them all — they’ve always been there for me through thick and thin.”
William Monroe travels to John Champe on Tuesday night before returning home to face archrival Madison County on Thursday.
