Hanover vs. Handley, who wins and why?
- Thread starter VerizonSportsFan
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Hard to go against those 804 teams, sorry. Hanover plays in one of the best Districts in the state, athletic wise. I think this goes to Handley but it won't be easy.
Are there any teams left with any true post play? The kid for GW is really good. Miller for Valley plays everywhere.
I haven't seen any of the west teams at all this year. I will tell you IMO the east is down for div 4. This could be the west's year. I think Monacan and Smithfield have the most talent out of the east but doesn't mean they are the best teams. I can speak for Monacan, they have the players to win the title again but they are inconsistent. Its like every 3rd game they fall asleep for a qaurter or so. I wouldn't be stunned if they beat LV but I haven't seen them play 3 GOOD games in a row in a while. Smithfield has won the last 2 games on buzzer beaters so things are falling their way recently.
I would say Handly over Hanover but Hanover has a habit of beating teams they shouldnt. We shall see soon.
I would say Handly over Hanover but Hanover has a habit of beating teams they shouldnt. We shall see soon.
Jones for GW (the one you're speaking of) is the key for them to win Friday and Saturday. GW has to play a full 32 minutes and control the glass. No second chances.
Does a 15 loss team really belong in the State tourney?
Defense fuels Handley's run to 4A boys' basketball state tournament
WINCHESTER — The Sherando boys’ basketball team entered play on Jan. 20 unbeaten in the Conference 21 West standings, but the Warriors didn’t come close to leaving that way.
“They blitzed us there in the second quarter, and that really took some momentum [away],” said Warriors coach Garland Williams following a 63-34 loss to Handley in which his team committed 25 turnovers. “Then when you get behind so far, you get that little fear of, ‘Oh man, here comes the trap again.’ That’s what we felt. We played scared all night long.”
Handley has played fearsome defense practically all year long. It’s the biggest reason the Judges are in the state tournament, and they are anxious to get back to the standard they’ve set after a rare off game on the defensive end in Friday’s 64-63 4A West Region final loss to Loudoun Valley.
“Last year we weren’t as focused as much on defense,” Handley junior point guard Michael Brown said. “We were more worried about our offense. But steals lead to buckets, and we’ve been doing a good job of that this year.”
The Judges (25-2) — who will take on Hanover (13-15) in the Group 4A state quarterfinals at 4:15 p.m. on Friday at the Salem Civic Center — are giving up 49.7 points per game this season, nearly 10 fewer than last year (59.3).
The steal numbers that lead to easy baskets are about the same as last year (10 per game), but the Judges are deflecting 8.7 passes per game compared to 6.1 last year. Those deflections — as well as their opponents’ rushed passes that go out of bounds and the hurried shots that clank off the rim — have been a staple of Handley’s active defense this year.
A big reason why the Judges have been so active is because they’re deeper than last year. Though the starters’ minutes have increased in the postseason, it was normal to see 10 people play significant minutes in a game during the regular season.
“We want to get up and down the floor as much as possible,” Handley coach Jason Toton said. “You can’t do it for 32 minutes if there’s only four or five guys you think can run the floor. We knew we had more people who can fill those roles and bring a lot of energy.”
Energy is particularly important if you’re going to trap teams over three quarters of the court or in the half court because of the amount of movement and rotating required. Toton wanted to do that more this year, and teams like Sherando have gotten to know Handley’s traps all too well.
Toton also wanted to trap more because his players are taller than last year. Practically every player on the team is listed at least one inch taller than in 2015-16.
“Before, teams would be able to throw it over top of us when we trap,” Toton said. “With some or our size, when we trap and have our hands high, it’s difficult to throw over us. We tell our guys trapping that it’s not their job to get steals. The trapper’s job is to get in position where they throw those [errant] passes, and we’ve got interceptors [waiting], whether it’s Mike or it’s [sophomore guard] Kevin [Curry].”
The 5-foot-8 Brown and 6-1 Curry lead the Judges with 1.9 and 1.6 steals per game, respectively. Toton actually credits their decision to join the football team as defensive backs for helping them read passing lanes when they’re not defending the player with the ball.
“Being in the backfield and reading where the pass is going to go I think has helped them tremendously [in basketball],” Toton said.
And with so many players deflecting the ball, it’s easier for players like Brown (team-high 43 deflections) and Curry (31) to steal it.
Everyone is getting their hands on the ball at Handley. The 6-7 junior forward Gus Wise has 36 steals and 32 deflections, 6-3 junior guard Kobe Tigney has 36 steals and 27 deflections, 6-0 junior guard Keevon Martin has 26 steals and 24 deflections, 6-3 junior forward Ra’Shaad Morris has 21 steals and 21 deflections and 6-1 senior forward Quentin Davenport has 22 steals and 15 deflections.
As for when to trap, Toton said there’s no real set formula when to do it, or when to send the extra man at the ball handler.
“We just want to stop the ball from getting to the middle,” Brown said.
In that game against Sherando on Jan. 20, Handley frequently went back-and-forth between man defense and its trap defense to confuse the Warriors.
“We just kind of vary it up,” Toton said. “Sometimes we put somebody on the ball who’s fairly long like Ra’Shaad or Quentin Davenport who has a lot of high energy that kind of forces a trap. Whether it’s Mike, Keevon, Kobe, I try to put the kids in the scenarios where they can be most successful.
“Sometimes we do a man-to-man trap, sometimes we do a zone trap. It just depends on the team, and what we see on film, and what we think will work in our favor.”
Handley’s defensive intensity showed up immediately, including a Dec. 7 game against Broadway in which they outscored the Gobblers 17-2 in the second quarter by forcing eight turnovers in a 61-37 win to improve to 4-0.
But in its next game three days later, Handley gave up a season-high point total in a 67-63 loss to Spotswood. The Trailblazers knocked down four 3-pointers and outscored the Judges 21-10 in the fourth quarter, and they nailed nine 3-pointers for the game.
“We didn’t have enough intensity,” said Curry on Tuesday. “We had no energy.”
Brown said the defeat pushed the Judges to get better on defense.
“We wanted to win a championship,” Brown said.
The Judges have numerous big defensive moments since.
One week later, a switch from man to zone helped Handley outscore Woodgrove 12-4 in the last three minutes and 40 seconds of a 63-58 win.
In addition to the 25 forced turnovers against Sherando on Jan. 20, Handley outscored the Warriors 15-0 in the first 6:59 of the second quarter and held the Warriors to just five shot attempts and two points in those eight minutes.
Against James Wood on Feb. 3, Handley forced 12 turnovers in the first quarter and 20 in the opening half of a 69-24 win.
Against William Byrd in the 4A West Region quarterfinals, Handley held the Terriers to 2-of-11 shooting in the fourth quarter of a 53-43 win.
That was followed by Handley’s 4A West semifinal game against George Washington-Danville, which featured what Toton calls Handley’s best defensive stretch of the year.
The Judges forced 13 turnovers in the second half, and eight in the fourth quarter. A switch to a zone after having played man all game helped Handley (trailing 54-45) outscore the Eagles 17-4 in the final 5:30 for a 62-58 win. A couple of baskets as a result of turnovers played a large part in the run.
“When all of our [players] are defensively moving, they’re so fun to watch,” Toton said. “They cover the floor, and it’s just hard for other teams to make things happen, because they’re moving on the fly and moving on the pass.
“That GW-Danville game, we had a defensive game plan of trying to close out the middle of the paint and make them shoot from the outside. At times we were successful, but at the end we switched to more trapping, and got things going.”
Toton thought the first game against Spotswood got the Judges refocused on the little things they need to do defensively, and Handley responded with a 21-game winning streak.
The hope is that Handley’s latest lost will spark a far-less lengthy but far-more memorable three-game winning streak to end the season. Toton was particularly dismayed by the number of second-chance points that Loudoun Valley had in the first half in the regional title game. The Vikings had seven offensive rebounds in the first half, and made 23 of 44 field goals for the game.
“The biggest difference between our team this year and last year is they’ve bought into that they’ve got to play defense if they want to win championships,” Toton said. “That’s the bottom line.”
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
Defense fuels Handley's run to 4A boys' basketball state tournament
- By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI | The Winchester Star
- Jeff Taylor/The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER — The Sherando boys’ basketball team entered play on Jan. 20 unbeaten in the Conference 21 West standings, but the Warriors didn’t come close to leaving that way.
“They blitzed us there in the second quarter, and that really took some momentum [away],” said Warriors coach Garland Williams following a 63-34 loss to Handley in which his team committed 25 turnovers. “Then when you get behind so far, you get that little fear of, ‘Oh man, here comes the trap again.’ That’s what we felt. We played scared all night long.”
Handley has played fearsome defense practically all year long. It’s the biggest reason the Judges are in the state tournament, and they are anxious to get back to the standard they’ve set after a rare off game on the defensive end in Friday’s 64-63 4A West Region final loss to Loudoun Valley.
“Last year we weren’t as focused as much on defense,” Handley junior point guard Michael Brown said. “We were more worried about our offense. But steals lead to buckets, and we’ve been doing a good job of that this year.”
The Judges (25-2) — who will take on Hanover (13-15) in the Group 4A state quarterfinals at 4:15 p.m. on Friday at the Salem Civic Center — are giving up 49.7 points per game this season, nearly 10 fewer than last year (59.3).
The steal numbers that lead to easy baskets are about the same as last year (10 per game), but the Judges are deflecting 8.7 passes per game compared to 6.1 last year. Those deflections — as well as their opponents’ rushed passes that go out of bounds and the hurried shots that clank off the rim — have been a staple of Handley’s active defense this year.
A big reason why the Judges have been so active is because they’re deeper than last year. Though the starters’ minutes have increased in the postseason, it was normal to see 10 people play significant minutes in a game during the regular season.
“We want to get up and down the floor as much as possible,” Handley coach Jason Toton said. “You can’t do it for 32 minutes if there’s only four or five guys you think can run the floor. We knew we had more people who can fill those roles and bring a lot of energy.”
Energy is particularly important if you’re going to trap teams over three quarters of the court or in the half court because of the amount of movement and rotating required. Toton wanted to do that more this year, and teams like Sherando have gotten to know Handley’s traps all too well.
Toton also wanted to trap more because his players are taller than last year. Practically every player on the team is listed at least one inch taller than in 2015-16.
“Before, teams would be able to throw it over top of us when we trap,” Toton said. “With some or our size, when we trap and have our hands high, it’s difficult to throw over us. We tell our guys trapping that it’s not their job to get steals. The trapper’s job is to get in position where they throw those [errant] passes, and we’ve got interceptors [waiting], whether it’s Mike or it’s [sophomore guard] Kevin [Curry].”
The 5-foot-8 Brown and 6-1 Curry lead the Judges with 1.9 and 1.6 steals per game, respectively. Toton actually credits their decision to join the football team as defensive backs for helping them read passing lanes when they’re not defending the player with the ball.
“Being in the backfield and reading where the pass is going to go I think has helped them tremendously [in basketball],” Toton said.
And with so many players deflecting the ball, it’s easier for players like Brown (team-high 43 deflections) and Curry (31) to steal it.
Everyone is getting their hands on the ball at Handley. The 6-7 junior forward Gus Wise has 36 steals and 32 deflections, 6-3 junior guard Kobe Tigney has 36 steals and 27 deflections, 6-0 junior guard Keevon Martin has 26 steals and 24 deflections, 6-3 junior forward Ra’Shaad Morris has 21 steals and 21 deflections and 6-1 senior forward Quentin Davenport has 22 steals and 15 deflections.
As for when to trap, Toton said there’s no real set formula when to do it, or when to send the extra man at the ball handler.
“We just want to stop the ball from getting to the middle,” Brown said.
In that game against Sherando on Jan. 20, Handley frequently went back-and-forth between man defense and its trap defense to confuse the Warriors.
“We just kind of vary it up,” Toton said. “Sometimes we put somebody on the ball who’s fairly long like Ra’Shaad or Quentin Davenport who has a lot of high energy that kind of forces a trap. Whether it’s Mike, Keevon, Kobe, I try to put the kids in the scenarios where they can be most successful.
“Sometimes we do a man-to-man trap, sometimes we do a zone trap. It just depends on the team, and what we see on film, and what we think will work in our favor.”
Handley’s defensive intensity showed up immediately, including a Dec. 7 game against Broadway in which they outscored the Gobblers 17-2 in the second quarter by forcing eight turnovers in a 61-37 win to improve to 4-0.
But in its next game three days later, Handley gave up a season-high point total in a 67-63 loss to Spotswood. The Trailblazers knocked down four 3-pointers and outscored the Judges 21-10 in the fourth quarter, and they nailed nine 3-pointers for the game.
“We didn’t have enough intensity,” said Curry on Tuesday. “We had no energy.”
Brown said the defeat pushed the Judges to get better on defense.
“We wanted to win a championship,” Brown said.
The Judges have numerous big defensive moments since.
One week later, a switch from man to zone helped Handley outscore Woodgrove 12-4 in the last three minutes and 40 seconds of a 63-58 win.
In addition to the 25 forced turnovers against Sherando on Jan. 20, Handley outscored the Warriors 15-0 in the first 6:59 of the second quarter and held the Warriors to just five shot attempts and two points in those eight minutes.
Against James Wood on Feb. 3, Handley forced 12 turnovers in the first quarter and 20 in the opening half of a 69-24 win.
Against William Byrd in the 4A West Region quarterfinals, Handley held the Terriers to 2-of-11 shooting in the fourth quarter of a 53-43 win.
That was followed by Handley’s 4A West semifinal game against George Washington-Danville, which featured what Toton calls Handley’s best defensive stretch of the year.
The Judges forced 13 turnovers in the second half, and eight in the fourth quarter. A switch to a zone after having played man all game helped Handley (trailing 54-45) outscore the Eagles 17-4 in the final 5:30 for a 62-58 win. A couple of baskets as a result of turnovers played a large part in the run.
“When all of our [players] are defensively moving, they’re so fun to watch,” Toton said. “They cover the floor, and it’s just hard for other teams to make things happen, because they’re moving on the fly and moving on the pass.
“That GW-Danville game, we had a defensive game plan of trying to close out the middle of the paint and make them shoot from the outside. At times we were successful, but at the end we switched to more trapping, and got things going.”
Toton thought the first game against Spotswood got the Judges refocused on the little things they need to do defensively, and Handley responded with a 21-game winning streak.
The hope is that Handley’s latest lost will spark a far-less lengthy but far-more memorable three-game winning streak to end the season. Toton was particularly dismayed by the number of second-chance points that Loudoun Valley had in the first half in the regional title game. The Vikings had seven offensive rebounds in the first half, and made 23 of 44 field goals for the game.
“The biggest difference between our team this year and last year is they’ve bought into that they’ve got to play defense if they want to win championships,” Toton said. “That’s the bottom line.”
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
Handley boys face Hanover in Group 4A state quarterfinal
WINCHESTER — With 13 wins and 15 losses, the Hanover boys’ basketball team doesn’t have a record people are used to seeing in a state quarterfinal game.
Handley boys’ basketball coach Jason Toton said the Hawks are not a typical losing team by any means though.
“In talking to some coaches, they’re a lot better [than 13-15],” said Toton, whose team is playing in its first state tournament since reaching the 2014 Group 4A state title game. “They play in the Capital District down in Richmond, so they play a lot of good 5A schools. They’ve been battle-tested, so I don’t think their record speaks for who they are and what they are. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Hanover — which will take on the 25-2 Judges at 4:15 p.m. today in the Group 4A state quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center — is one of only two teams in the eight-team Capital District that aren’t in Group 5A.
The Hawks — who are making their first state tournament appearance under sixth-year head coach Darren Thornton — have also lost to Group 5A schools like Deep Run, Highland Springs and Glen Allen.
Hanover’s most recent win came against defending Group 4A state champion Monacan in the 4A East Region third-place game. The Hawks won that 82-71 for their second win in three meetings with Monacan, with them winning the last two matchups.
The Hawks didn’t advance out of conference play last year, but with three returning starters and several other significant contributors back Thornton had a feeling that this year’s team could qualify for the state tournament.
“This team is just so close-knit and everybody gets along so well together,” Thornton said. “We just thought it would be more of a team atmosphere this year than in years past.”
Another thing that helps is Hanover’s height. The 11 players who have been on Hanover’s roster all year (they brought up two players from JV for the postseason) are all at least 6 feet tall, and only one them is under 6-2. Thornton said each of those 11 have played consistent minutes this season.
Their tallest player is coming up bigger than anyone else in the postseason. Senior 6-7 forward Ryan Payne — a first team All-Conference 20 selection — averaged 13.4 points per game in the regular season, but Thornton said he’s averaging 26 points in six postseason games.
“He’s really turned it up a notch,” Thornton said. “He can flat-out shoot the basketball. He can play multiple positions, the 2 through the 5 for us. He plays shooting guard most of the time for us, which creates a lot of mismatches with his length. He can handle the basketball, he runs the floor very well, he blocks shots and he rebounds well for his position.”
Toton said from what he’s gathered, Payne doesn’t like to play inside too much.
“Hopefully our quickness will cause him some problems,” Toton said.
The Judges also feature a 6-7 player in Gus Wise who excels on the perimeter (34.5 percent from 3-point range, 40 3-pointers made) and inside (4.5 rebounds per game, tied for the team lead).
Overall, Toton notes that Hanover is a well-rounded team that attacks the boards hard, has several skilled shooters like Payne, and will play a mix of man and zone defense.
Thornton has used multiple starting lineups this year, and the Hawks had six players earn All-Conference 20 honors.
Hanover is also led by senior 6-5 forward Josh Plummer (14 points per game, 9 rebounds per game, 3 steals per game).
“He does a lot of things for us,” Thornton said. “He can shoot from the outside, and he can also bang inside also. He’s probably our best defender inside and outside.”
Other all-conference selections for the Hawks are 6-4 senior point guard Nik Morrison (9 ppg), 6-3 junior forward Nick Zona (12 ppg), 6-3 junior guard Jaylin Ross and 6-2 senior guard Nolan Caler. Senior 6-3 forward Justin Maurice is another key contributor.
Handley’s starting lineup features Wise (12.2 points), 5-8 junior point guard Michael Brown (9.9 points, 4.9 assists), 6-3 junior guard Kobe Tigney (13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds), 6-0 junior guard Keevon Martin (9.0 points, 42.5 percent 3-point shooting), 6-3 junior forward Ra’Shaad Morris (5.3 points) and an All-Conference 21 West first-team selection off the bench in 6-1 sophomore Kevin Curry (6.5 points).
Thornton said the Hawks prefer to play up-tempo, but he’s noted that a lot of teams have tried to slow the pace down against them because of their size and the fact that they have so many players who can play a number of different positions.
“Hopefully our size and length will give them problems,” Thornton said.
Handley might not be able to match Hanover’s size, but the Judges do have quickness. Handley also hopes that its 3-point shooting (37.8 percent this year) can punish the Hawks if they do decide to focus more on zone than man.
Handley is just glad it has a chance at a fresh start. The Judges didn’t feel they played their best in Friday’s 64-63 4A West Region championship loss to Loudoun Valley that snapped their 21-game winning streak.
“I told the guys after the game that I wanted to win a regional championship, but a state championship would mean a heck of a lot more,” Toton said. “We’ve lived to continue to do it. Hopefully it all works out.”
The Handley-Hanover winner will play the Jamestown-William Fleming winner (they play at 2:30 today) at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday in the state semifinals, also at the Civic Center.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
- By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI THE WINCHESTER STAR | The Winchester Star
- Jeff Taylor/The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER — With 13 wins and 15 losses, the Hanover boys’ basketball team doesn’t have a record people are used to seeing in a state quarterfinal game.
Handley boys’ basketball coach Jason Toton said the Hawks are not a typical losing team by any means though.
“In talking to some coaches, they’re a lot better [than 13-15],” said Toton, whose team is playing in its first state tournament since reaching the 2014 Group 4A state title game. “They play in the Capital District down in Richmond, so they play a lot of good 5A schools. They’ve been battle-tested, so I don’t think their record speaks for who they are and what they are. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Hanover — which will take on the 25-2 Judges at 4:15 p.m. today in the Group 4A state quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center — is one of only two teams in the eight-team Capital District that aren’t in Group 5A.
The Hawks — who are making their first state tournament appearance under sixth-year head coach Darren Thornton — have also lost to Group 5A schools like Deep Run, Highland Springs and Glen Allen.
Hanover’s most recent win came against defending Group 4A state champion Monacan in the 4A East Region third-place game. The Hawks won that 82-71 for their second win in three meetings with Monacan, with them winning the last two matchups.
The Hawks didn’t advance out of conference play last year, but with three returning starters and several other significant contributors back Thornton had a feeling that this year’s team could qualify for the state tournament.
“This team is just so close-knit and everybody gets along so well together,” Thornton said. “We just thought it would be more of a team atmosphere this year than in years past.”
Another thing that helps is Hanover’s height. The 11 players who have been on Hanover’s roster all year (they brought up two players from JV for the postseason) are all at least 6 feet tall, and only one them is under 6-2. Thornton said each of those 11 have played consistent minutes this season.
Their tallest player is coming up bigger than anyone else in the postseason. Senior 6-7 forward Ryan Payne — a first team All-Conference 20 selection — averaged 13.4 points per game in the regular season, but Thornton said he’s averaging 26 points in six postseason games.
“He’s really turned it up a notch,” Thornton said. “He can flat-out shoot the basketball. He can play multiple positions, the 2 through the 5 for us. He plays shooting guard most of the time for us, which creates a lot of mismatches with his length. He can handle the basketball, he runs the floor very well, he blocks shots and he rebounds well for his position.”
Toton said from what he’s gathered, Payne doesn’t like to play inside too much.
“Hopefully our quickness will cause him some problems,” Toton said.
The Judges also feature a 6-7 player in Gus Wise who excels on the perimeter (34.5 percent from 3-point range, 40 3-pointers made) and inside (4.5 rebounds per game, tied for the team lead).
Overall, Toton notes that Hanover is a well-rounded team that attacks the boards hard, has several skilled shooters like Payne, and will play a mix of man and zone defense.
Thornton has used multiple starting lineups this year, and the Hawks had six players earn All-Conference 20 honors.
Hanover is also led by senior 6-5 forward Josh Plummer (14 points per game, 9 rebounds per game, 3 steals per game).
“He does a lot of things for us,” Thornton said. “He can shoot from the outside, and he can also bang inside also. He’s probably our best defender inside and outside.”
Other all-conference selections for the Hawks are 6-4 senior point guard Nik Morrison (9 ppg), 6-3 junior forward Nick Zona (12 ppg), 6-3 junior guard Jaylin Ross and 6-2 senior guard Nolan Caler. Senior 6-3 forward Justin Maurice is another key contributor.
Handley’s starting lineup features Wise (12.2 points), 5-8 junior point guard Michael Brown (9.9 points, 4.9 assists), 6-3 junior guard Kobe Tigney (13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds), 6-0 junior guard Keevon Martin (9.0 points, 42.5 percent 3-point shooting), 6-3 junior forward Ra’Shaad Morris (5.3 points) and an All-Conference 21 West first-team selection off the bench in 6-1 sophomore Kevin Curry (6.5 points).
Thornton said the Hawks prefer to play up-tempo, but he’s noted that a lot of teams have tried to slow the pace down against them because of their size and the fact that they have so many players who can play a number of different positions.
“Hopefully our size and length will give them problems,” Thornton said.
Handley might not be able to match Hanover’s size, but the Judges do have quickness. Handley also hopes that its 3-point shooting (37.8 percent this year) can punish the Hawks if they do decide to focus more on zone than man.
Handley is just glad it has a chance at a fresh start. The Judges didn’t feel they played their best in Friday’s 64-63 4A West Region championship loss to Loudoun Valley that snapped their 21-game winning streak.
“I told the guys after the game that I wanted to win a regional championship, but a state championship would mean a heck of a lot more,” Toton said. “We’ve lived to continue to do it. Hopefully it all works out.”
The Handley-Hanover winner will play the Jamestown-William Fleming winner (they play at 2:30 today) at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday in the state semifinals, also at the Civic Center.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
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