Ron Hartlaub, rhartlaub@newsleader.com
FORT DEFIANCE - While the Robert E. Lee boys' basketball team is making a run at a second consecutive state title, another group of Leemen are preparing for their chance in the spotlight.
The Lee High JV team has been turning plenty of heads during the first half of this season.The Fighting Leemen made it 12 straight wins following a 55-39 win at Fort Defiance on Thursday night.
The 16-point margin of victory was actually the closest game that Lee has had. In 12 tries. The Leemen have outscored the opposition by an average of nearly 35 points per game.
It was a rare struggle offensively against the Indians. Fort is the only team that has held Lee High to less than 66 points, falling to the Leemen 63-35 on Dec. 20.
"All of them can shoot and all of them can score," said head jayvee coach Teley Tate. "With the exception of tonight, we play very selfless ball. I think they love each other and they pass the ball around."
Robert E. Lee's Javon Battle goes in for a layup ahead of pursuing Fort Defiance players during the first half of their nondistrict junior varsity boys basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at Fort Defiance High School in Fort Defiance, Va.(Photo: Tom Jacobs/The News Leader)
With a roster loaded with sophomores, many of the players have been together for three years. That familiarity has led to success.
Ethan Painter is one of the veterans of the JV squad. He says one of the keys has been the offseason work that has been done in the weight room.
"Everybody has come together and played as a team," said Painter. "We've gotten bigger, stronger and faster."
While the offense has put together impressive numbers, Lee has also done a good job shutting down opponents with unrelenting pressure. Only twice have the Leemen allowed more than 46 points.
Elijah Simms, another one of the 10th-graders, points to team chemistry and defense.
"We just press them," said Simms. "Teams can't get by us."
But it is not just the veterans who have helped the Fighting Leemen in their 12-0 start. There are several younger players that have been a part of the success, including eighth-grader Carmelo Pacheco-Whitelow, who had a team-high 15 points in the win over Fort Defiance.
Teley Tate, Robert E. Lee's junior varsity boys basketball coach, watches his team play against Fort Defiance on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at Fort Defiance High School in Fort Defiance, Va.(Photo: Tom Jacobs/The News Leader)
The balanced attack is one of the big things that makes Lee High so tough to stop. You can't concentrate on just one or two players.
"The key has been the excellent shooting of these guys and the hard work they've put in," said Tate. "If we wanted to, two of them could have 20 or 30 points a night."
There are still eight more games that stand in the way of an undefeated season. Even if they get upset along the way, this team has come a long ways from the squad that dropped seven contests a year ago.
Once the current campaign ends, the opportunity will be there for many to move up to the next level. With nine seniors on the varsity team, there will be plenty of spots to fill.
"Me and my teammates are going to have to play hard on varsity," said sophomore Markqwan Miller. "We'll have to show them how good we are."
Robert E. Lee's Carmelo Pacheco-Whitelow rises to the rim over Fort Defiance's Camden Herron during the first half of their nondistrict junior varsity boys basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at Fort Defiance High School in Fort Defiance, Va.(Photo: Tom Jacobs/The News Leader)
Being successful at the pace of the JV game is one thing. Doing the same in varsity is often a different thing.
Tate, who an assistant coach under Terrell Mickens for the varsity Leemen, thinks his team can continue to succeed when they move up.
"They can be very good," said Tate of his young players. "The seniors will get mad at me, but they can shoot better than the seniors. Me and coach Mickens are already talking about what group we're going to have them in next year. They're working toward that goal to get better and go up there and shoot the lights out."
FORT DEFIANCE - While the Robert E. Lee boys' basketball team is making a run at a second consecutive state title, another group of Leemen are preparing for their chance in the spotlight.
The Lee High JV team has been turning plenty of heads during the first half of this season.The Fighting Leemen made it 12 straight wins following a 55-39 win at Fort Defiance on Thursday night.
The 16-point margin of victory was actually the closest game that Lee has had. In 12 tries. The Leemen have outscored the opposition by an average of nearly 35 points per game.
It was a rare struggle offensively against the Indians. Fort is the only team that has held Lee High to less than 66 points, falling to the Leemen 63-35 on Dec. 20.
"All of them can shoot and all of them can score," said head jayvee coach Teley Tate. "With the exception of tonight, we play very selfless ball. I think they love each other and they pass the ball around."
Robert E. Lee's Javon Battle goes in for a layup ahead of pursuing Fort Defiance players during the first half of their nondistrict junior varsity boys basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at Fort Defiance High School in Fort Defiance, Va.(Photo: Tom Jacobs/The News Leader)
With a roster loaded with sophomores, many of the players have been together for three years. That familiarity has led to success.
Ethan Painter is one of the veterans of the JV squad. He says one of the keys has been the offseason work that has been done in the weight room.
"Everybody has come together and played as a team," said Painter. "We've gotten bigger, stronger and faster."
While the offense has put together impressive numbers, Lee has also done a good job shutting down opponents with unrelenting pressure. Only twice have the Leemen allowed more than 46 points.
Elijah Simms, another one of the 10th-graders, points to team chemistry and defense.
"We just press them," said Simms. "Teams can't get by us."
But it is not just the veterans who have helped the Fighting Leemen in their 12-0 start. There are several younger players that have been a part of the success, including eighth-grader Carmelo Pacheco-Whitelow, who had a team-high 15 points in the win over Fort Defiance.
Teley Tate, Robert E. Lee's junior varsity boys basketball coach, watches his team play against Fort Defiance on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at Fort Defiance High School in Fort Defiance, Va.(Photo: Tom Jacobs/The News Leader)
The balanced attack is one of the big things that makes Lee High so tough to stop. You can't concentrate on just one or two players.
"The key has been the excellent shooting of these guys and the hard work they've put in," said Tate. "If we wanted to, two of them could have 20 or 30 points a night."
There are still eight more games that stand in the way of an undefeated season. Even if they get upset along the way, this team has come a long ways from the squad that dropped seven contests a year ago.
Once the current campaign ends, the opportunity will be there for many to move up to the next level. With nine seniors on the varsity team, there will be plenty of spots to fill.
"Me and my teammates are going to have to play hard on varsity," said sophomore Markqwan Miller. "We'll have to show them how good we are."
Robert E. Lee's Carmelo Pacheco-Whitelow rises to the rim over Fort Defiance's Camden Herron during the first half of their nondistrict junior varsity boys basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at Fort Defiance High School in Fort Defiance, Va.(Photo: Tom Jacobs/The News Leader)
Being successful at the pace of the JV game is one thing. Doing the same in varsity is often a different thing.
Tate, who an assistant coach under Terrell Mickens for the varsity Leemen, thinks his team can continue to succeed when they move up.
"They can be very good," said Tate of his young players. "The seniors will get mad at me, but they can shoot better than the seniors. Me and coach Mickens are already talking about what group we're going to have them in next year. They're working toward that goal to get better and go up there and shoot the lights out."
