Madison County senior Jerel Carter’s couldn’t seem to find a rhythm on offense, but in a show of his senior maturity, the reigning Bull Run District player of the settled down and came up with plays on the other end of the court.
Three Carter blocks in the fourth quarter cut short Charlottesville’s rally and helped lift Madison to a 66-58 victory in a blockbuster of a season opener for both squads. The Mountaineers also started to erase a bitter memory.
“They needed those shots and I’m just happy I could come through for my team when we needed it since I wasn’t on offensively,” Carter said. “We need defense because last year (in the state semifinals) when we played Dan River we lost because we didn’t play hard defense. This year, we don’t want that same feeling that we had last year.”
After trailing 30-24 midway through the second quarter, Madison ripped off an 11-3 run to take a two-point lead into the break and then took control of the game with a 9-2 tear to open the second half. While Maurice Jackson poured in 25 points and helped cut Madison’s lead from 16 points to six late, Charlottesville couldn’t get over the hump as Madison continued to pound the ball inside to Falk and Logan Terrell.
It didn’t help that the Black Knights’ shot selection deteriorated down the stretch.
“I thought that we didn’t play as a team and we took some ill-advised shots,” said Charlottesville coach Mitch Minor. “We can’t do that and expect to beat a team as good as Madison.”
Carter, who finished with nine points, got a lot of offensive help from three members of Madison’s loaded senior class including two of the usual suspects — Falk and Terrell — and Casey Campbell, a lesser known, but vital cog for the Mountaineers. Falk and Terrell finished with 16 points each and combined for at least 13 rebounds, dominating the glass down the stretch.
But Campbell was the Mountaineers steady head, quietly orchestrating the offense and setting the table for Falk, Terrell and a host of other Madison scorers. Campbell finished with seven assists.
“He worked hard on his ball handling over the summer and he proved it tonight in the fourth quarter,” Carter said. “When we really needed somebody to handle the ball, he was there.”
Madison coach Ben Breeden got a victory in his first game as the head coach after serving under Tim Taylor the last couple of years as an assistant.
The two teams are set for a rematch on January 16, and by then Charlottesville should have had a chance to bring together an inexperienced roster that is still learning to play together. Madison held a distinct advantage in that area with all five starters having logged significant minutes together last season in a run to the state semifinals.
In addition to Jackson’s 25 points, sophomore Daquan Jones and junior Devin Turner turned in solid performances. Jones finished with 12 points, five boards and five steals while Turner hauled down six rebounds and dished out five assists.
