With the way Andrew White has played all season, much less the last few games, he’s justifiably earned a box-and-one defensive scheme designed to muffle his play. St. Christopher’s threw that exact game plan at Miller, and when White hit the bench early in the first quarter because of a pair of fouls, the Saints should have been in good shape. The only problem was that they were already behind by double-digits.
With the Mavericks leading scorer sitting out the majority of the first half, Brandon Bolden stepped up in a big way to lead Miller out to a great first half. And when White and fellow teammate Hendrix Emu — who was also in foul trouble early — both got back out on the court and found their stride, it was over — despite facing a small hurdle in the third. From start to finish Miller never flustered, and as a result they took down St. Christopher’s, 84-52 to open up the VISAA Division 1 playoffs.
“It’s a good problem to have when a team makes a run on you and you’re still up 16,” said Mavericks coach Scott Willard. “We took care of the game in the first half and then managed it well in the second.”
Bolden had a dominant first half, tallying 13 points and collecting seven rebounds between the two quarters to put the Mavericks up by 18 heading into the third.
“I felt like I had open opportunities and my team needed a boost,” Bolden said. “And I also knew Andrew would appreciate it when we got down to the locker room (at halftime).”
Whether it was tip-ins, dunks, or even a 3-pointer at the top of the key, the Georgetown commit was playing inspired basketball, much to the delight of his coach.
“Today he had an even match up and so I think he felt more comfortable,” Willard said. “He’s been working his butt off for 28 games and he’s starting to come around and we’re going to need that going forward.”
But Bolden wasn’t the lone reason Miller rolled out to a 23-9 start. With St. Christopher’s box-and-one packing it in, the Mavericks rained down one 3-pointer after another. Of their first five field goals, four came from beyond the arc with Janeil Jenkins, Chase Cannon and Devon Anderson all contributing early on, which put White at ease.
“With the box-and-one, I was a little frustrated, but didn’t panic because all the guys were hitting their shots,” White said. “The team played really well and this was supposed to be a competitive game, but we pulled away. I’m real proud of the guys because it’s not all about me in any game. This was a big opportunity for everyone and they all played well.”
In the third quarter the Saints were able to stop the bleeding, but unable to significantly chip away at the Mavericks lead. With guard Jermaine Johnson and forward Rodney Williams finding a spark, St. Christopher’s worked to within 16 points of the lead, but with White and Emu breaking the press and pounding the ball inside, and Travis Hester knocking down 3-pointers, Miller’s lead was more than safe.
“It’s playoff time and we just had to cut down on the silly stuff that we had been doing,” Bolden said. “It’s time to prove that we can play with the best and go hard out on the court.”
With the game in hand, the Mavericks subbed in their whole bench, and watched as the lead grew even more. Daniel Ginsberg buried a trio of 3-pointers, and Grayson Gunner hit a pair of his own to push the lead out to as many as 34 points.
In the end, Bolden finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. The junior sat out most of the second half with his team comfortably ahead. White managed to finish with 11 points and nine rebounds despite playing curtailed minutes as well. Hester had 10 points while Ginsberg finished with nine.
Miller now moves on to face Blue Ridge for the fourth and final time this year. The Barons have won all three meetings, but with the way his team played on Tuesday night, Willard is excited about the opportunity of seeing the familiar foe, even if the Barons are the top seed in the tournament and his team is playing a second game in as many days.
“It’s tough to play back-to-back and they have an advantage that they got to rest,” Willard said. “But we played so well today that I think it works back to our advantage. We’re coming in with confidence. We’re shooting much better and we left a lot of shots out there when we played them (in the VIC finals) on Saturday.”
The Blue Ridge and Miller quarterfinal game tips off Wednesday night at Blue Ridge at 7 p.m.
