Isiah Smith led four Madison County players in double figures with 20 points and the Mountaineers used a 9-0 run in the late stages of the first half to knock off visiting East Rockingham 76-63 in the 2A East regional tournament Friday night.
The Mountaineers also got 16 points each from Dalton Taylor and Dylan Breeden while Dre Twyman had 10. Madison actually trailed 18-13 after one quarter before taking the lead for good on a three-pointer by Gaines Swink one minute into the second, then traded baskets with the Eagles before stepping on the gas in the final two minutes.
Taylor got the run started with a layup, then sank two free throws for a five-point lead. Elijah Lewis drilled a long three on Madison’s next possession, then Smith got a steal in the backcourt and took it all the way to give Madison its largest lead of the half. Javon Butler sank a jumper at the buzzer to trim East Rockingham’s deficit to 35-27 at the break.
“I think we were a little passive on defense in the first quarter, so we had to step it up,” Madison coach Ben Breeden said. “Once we came out and started to press a little bit, we got some easy buckets.”
The Mountaineers continued to pull away after halftime, closing the third quarter on a 15-4 run highlighted by six points apiece from Breeden and Smith. After leading 52-36 after three, Madison’s lead got as large as 20 points midway through the final quarter on a putback by Coby Alexander. The Eagles followed with a 7-0 spurt, including two triples from Jaylen McNair, but the Mountaineers did not allow them to get back within single digits for the rest of the game.
“We preach sharing the ball on this team. We’ve always felt that if we do that effectively, we’re tough to beat,” Breeden said. “It leads to good shots and plus, everyone’s going to feel better about being out there if we’re all contributing.”
East Rockingham also had four players score in double figures, led by Butler’s 18 points. McNair had 15 while Chris Rogers and Logan Comer each had 14 for the Eagles. East Rock sahot 5-for-18 from beyond the arc, compared to 5-for-16 for Madison. The Mountaineers forced 12 Eagle turnovers.
“I thought we were solid contesting their threes,” Breeden said. “That’s the type of energy we need on defense.”
Madison will return to action Tuesday night when they face either Bluestone or Washington and Lee in the regional quarterfinals.
