Stuarts Draft coach James Carter has watched enough film of his next opponent, Floyd County, that he knows what’s in store for his Cougars — and it’s both good news and bad.
First, the good. Floyd County, the Region 2A West champion, is not real tall.
“That makes it nice,” Carter said. “We don’t have to compete against a six-footer like we have been. We don’t have to deal with somebody like the (Katherine) Hirsch girl from Mason.”
Hirsch scored the first 10 points and presented problems for Draft in the Region 2A East consolation game Saturday.
But what the Buffaloes lack in size, they make up for in other parts of their game.
“They’re going to press us as soon as we get off the bus,” Carter said. “In all the film we’ve seen they’re very active on the ball. They like to trap you on the side, right at the half-court area.”
The Cougars have faced pressure this year, so the coach is hopeful that his team will be able to handle whatever Floyd throws at them. He’ll find out Thursday at 6 p.m. when the two meet in the VHSL 2A girls basketball quarterfinals at James Madison University’s Convocation Center.
“We’ve handled pressure all year long,” Carter said. “I really don’t think their pressure is going to bother us to the extent that some people think it will.”
What may hurt Draft is its lack of depth. Senior Deborah Black was hurt in a regional game against Bruton and is likely out for the remainder of the season with what is thought to be a torn ACL. That makes it a thin bench for Draft.
The Cougars will miss Black’s scoring, but more than that they’ll miss her defense. Carter thinks the rest of the team is ready to step up and fill the void left by Black.
The play of Danielle Brenneman will be a crucial part in Draft’s success, or lack of it, in the state tournament. The senior, who has scored more than 1,000 points in high school, is averaging 16.5 points, five rebounds and 2.6 steals a game. Draft point guard Rachel Sauder is averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.6 steals and 3.1 rebounds a game. Both Brenneman and Sauder, along with long-distance shooter Abby Rodgers, are seniors. Junior Monique Ayres will be important down low, scoring 10.8 points and hauling in 7.1 rebounds a contest.
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Stuarts Draft's Rachel Sauder squeezes through and looks to shoot during a Region 2A East girls consolation game played in Mechanicsville on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)
“The girls know the importance of this,” Carter said. “They’re going to be ready to play.”
Draft is 22-6, but coming off back-to-back losses to East Rockingham and George Mason to finish fourth in 2A East.
Floyd, meanwhile, is 20-7, but has just one loss in its last 18 games. That loss was to Martinsville, but since then Floyd has beaten the Bulldogs twice.
“Over the past few weeks they have learned how to play hard on every possession no matter what the circumstances,” said Floyd associate head coach Travis Cantrell. “It’s always easy to feel good when you are making shots and the ball’s going through the net, but this team has found a way to compete and defend even when we miss a few shots or have a turnover or two.”
Junior Abi Belshan leads the Buffaloes with 19 points and eight rebounds per game. Also in double-figure scoring is junior Michaela Thompson, who scores 11 points and dishes out four assists a game.
Some other key Floyd players are seniors Liz Quesenberry (9 ppg, 4 apg) and Mallary Cox (7 ppg), and junior Cassidy Pratt (5 ppg, 7 rpg). The tallest of that bunch is Thompson, who is 5-foot-6.
The winner of the Draft-Floyd game will face the winner of East Rockingham-Wise Central on Saturday at 6 p.m. at JMU.
This will be Stuarts Draft’s first appearance in the state tournament since 2012, but for Floyd a postseason run is almost expected. The Buffaloes won the Group A, Division 2 state championship in 2013 and were second in the state in 2015. Last season, Floyd lost in the 2A state semifinals, but local fans will remember them because they ended Buffalo Gap’s season in the state quarterfinals.
Gone from that team is Ragan Wiseman, who started 20 games for the University of Richmond this season. With Wiseman graduating, there were some who felt Floyd might struggle this season.
“I feel like this team is special because they heard people outside of our team family tell them they weren’t going to be as good as years past or achieve what past teams have,” Cantrell said. “So far, we have and we hope to keep improving with each day of practice and each game.”
As for the Cougars, this is a new experience for the players. Their coach has been preaching to them to enjoy the moment, but make the best of it.
“They’re upbeat,” Carter said. “I think they’re excited.”
First, the good. Floyd County, the Region 2A West champion, is not real tall.
“That makes it nice,” Carter said. “We don’t have to compete against a six-footer like we have been. We don’t have to deal with somebody like the (Katherine) Hirsch girl from Mason.”
Hirsch scored the first 10 points and presented problems for Draft in the Region 2A East consolation game Saturday.
But what the Buffaloes lack in size, they make up for in other parts of their game.
“They’re going to press us as soon as we get off the bus,” Carter said. “In all the film we’ve seen they’re very active on the ball. They like to trap you on the side, right at the half-court area.”
The Cougars have faced pressure this year, so the coach is hopeful that his team will be able to handle whatever Floyd throws at them. He’ll find out Thursday at 6 p.m. when the two meet in the VHSL 2A girls basketball quarterfinals at James Madison University’s Convocation Center.
“We’ve handled pressure all year long,” Carter said. “I really don’t think their pressure is going to bother us to the extent that some people think it will.”
What may hurt Draft is its lack of depth. Senior Deborah Black was hurt in a regional game against Bruton and is likely out for the remainder of the season with what is thought to be a torn ACL. That makes it a thin bench for Draft.
The Cougars will miss Black’s scoring, but more than that they’ll miss her defense. Carter thinks the rest of the team is ready to step up and fill the void left by Black.
The play of Danielle Brenneman will be a crucial part in Draft’s success, or lack of it, in the state tournament. The senior, who has scored more than 1,000 points in high school, is averaging 16.5 points, five rebounds and 2.6 steals a game. Draft point guard Rachel Sauder is averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.6 steals and 3.1 rebounds a game. Both Brenneman and Sauder, along with long-distance shooter Abby Rodgers, are seniors. Junior Monique Ayres will be important down low, scoring 10.8 points and hauling in 7.1 rebounds a contest.
Stuarts Draft's Rachel Sauder squeezes through and looks to shoot during a Region 2A East girls consolation game played in Mechanicsville on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)
“The girls know the importance of this,” Carter said. “They’re going to be ready to play.”
Draft is 22-6, but coming off back-to-back losses to East Rockingham and George Mason to finish fourth in 2A East.
Floyd, meanwhile, is 20-7, but has just one loss in its last 18 games. That loss was to Martinsville, but since then Floyd has beaten the Bulldogs twice.
“Over the past few weeks they have learned how to play hard on every possession no matter what the circumstances,” said Floyd associate head coach Travis Cantrell. “It’s always easy to feel good when you are making shots and the ball’s going through the net, but this team has found a way to compete and defend even when we miss a few shots or have a turnover or two.”
Junior Abi Belshan leads the Buffaloes with 19 points and eight rebounds per game. Also in double-figure scoring is junior Michaela Thompson, who scores 11 points and dishes out four assists a game.
Some other key Floyd players are seniors Liz Quesenberry (9 ppg, 4 apg) and Mallary Cox (7 ppg), and junior Cassidy Pratt (5 ppg, 7 rpg). The tallest of that bunch is Thompson, who is 5-foot-6.
The winner of the Draft-Floyd game will face the winner of East Rockingham-Wise Central on Saturday at 6 p.m. at JMU.
This will be Stuarts Draft’s first appearance in the state tournament since 2012, but for Floyd a postseason run is almost expected. The Buffaloes won the Group A, Division 2 state championship in 2013 and were second in the state in 2015. Last season, Floyd lost in the 2A state semifinals, but local fans will remember them because they ended Buffalo Gap’s season in the state quarterfinals.
Gone from that team is Ragan Wiseman, who started 20 games for the University of Richmond this season. With Wiseman graduating, there were some who felt Floyd might struggle this season.
“I feel like this team is special because they heard people outside of our team family tell them they weren’t going to be as good as years past or achieve what past teams have,” Cantrell said. “So far, we have and we hope to keep improving with each day of practice and each game.”
As for the Cougars, this is a new experience for the players. Their coach has been preaching to them to enjoy the moment, but make the best of it.
“They’re upbeat,” Carter said. “I think they’re excited.”
