There was a burst in the second quarter where it appeared that Woodberry Forest and Fork Union were going to have a race to finish. It was short lived though. After the Blue Devils cut a double-digit lead to just three points, the Tigers unleashed a 22-2 run between the last minutes of second quarter and most of the third to fuel a 67-49 win.
“The third quarter has been a nemesis the last few games so we really harked on them to come out and play in the second half like we were behind,” said Woodberry coach Craig Dawson. “The guys really responded to that and came out with a lot of energy and effort. FUMA’s been really hot lately, so for us to come out and execute the way we did, I was pretty proud.”
Joe Foley and Calder Clay combined for three of the Tigers four second quarter 3-pointers to start the run, and Max Johns went off in the third quarter to sustain the game’s big run. Up by 12 early in the third, Woodberry’s offense went into a methodical clock-chewing mode that limited turnovers and only helped add to the margin as the Tigers shots 53 percent from the field.
“We played within our offense, moved the ball and made sure we got good looks,” Johns said. “We just listened to coach Dawson, he drills it into us during practice, to stay disciplined. When we played at FUMA, we didn’t shoot well, missed a lot of free throws, struggled from the three point line. Tonight we attacked the basket.”
With 10-point lead at the break, the lead was more than double headed to the fourth quarter with Woodberry in control up 47-31. Little changed in the fourth quarter as Fork Union was unable to find a rhythm offensively and the Tigers continued to burn away time with lengthy possessions.
Woodberry initially took control in the first quarter by mounting a 14-3 run to finish the frame with Foley’s three quarter court buzzer beater making it 18-8 and stirring up the crowd. However, FUMA battled back to make it a 28-25 game with Shelton scoring 11 of the Blue Devils’ 17 in the frame. But after that, Woodberry uncorked its game changing run and cruised the rest of the way.
“It’s a big win, especially since we started out 0-6,” Dawson said. “Now winning nine of our last 11, it’s a pretty big deal in the Prep League where there are no nights off. We feel pretty good about where we are heading forward.”
For the Tigers, Johns had a game high 24 points. Clay and Foley both had 12 points. Clark Yarbrough finished with 11 and also had eight rebounds
FUMA was led by Detwon Shelton who finished with 17 points and seven rebonds. Carl Trice added 11 points and five assists. Josh Nevers contributed eight points.
Woodberry (9-8, 5-3 Prep League) plays Trinity Episcopal tonight at 6 p.m. while Fork Union (6-10, 2-6) will travel to Collegiate on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m.
