757Teamz boys basketball report: Woodside and Hampton looking strong, and a look at this week’s big games
For the first time this season, Woodside coach Stefan Welsh got to see his players get challenged when the Wolverines needed overtime to hold off Hampton last week.
And Welsh was pleased with what he saw as the Wolverines, the defending Class 5 state champions, regrouped from blowing a 13-point lead and dominated in overtime for a 67-59 victory.
“I have a resilient group of guys that have been there before. They know exactly what to expect,” he said. “We’re really going to lean on experience heavily, but I like our chances as we continue to grow.”
He thinks the Wolverines are ready to make another run at another state title.
“Last year about this time, we already had three or four losses,” he said. “I kept telling the guys that I can’t wait until they take one. And if they’re as good as they think they are, then OK, win it all.”
Junior guard Masiah Wells-Stevens, who led all scorers with 22 points, said the win over Hampton was much-needed.
“It was big,” he said. “We got to stay confident and we got to stay hungry.”
Hampton does well in tough week
Hampton coach Eric Brown is encouraged by his team’s performance last week.
On Thursday the Crabbers lost to top-ranked Woodside in overtime. But they bounced back Saturday to beat previously unbeaten and then-No. 3 Oscar Smith 65-60.
“We knew the whole time that we could play with them. And this game, in my opinion, we should have won,” Brown said about the loss to the Wolverines. “Our guys have a lot of heart and have a lot of pride. But down the stretch (Woodside) showed that championship poise that we didn’t have in overtime, and they made more plays than us in overtime.”
But he’s encouraged that last week’s tough games will help the Crabbers for the postseason.
“We don’t take pride in that we almost won. That’s not in our pedigree,” he said. “But we’ll look at the film and see what situations we have to work on, because that’s the part that’s going to come up in the playoffs. But we’ll learn from that.”
Several local ranked teams participating in the VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Classic
The 15th Annual VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Classic is Saturday at Green Run High in Virginia Beach.
The schedule: Kellam vs. Franklin, 11 a.m.; No. 14 Peninsula Catholic vs. Lancaster, 12:30 p.m.; Kecoughtan vs. West Springfield, 2 p.m.; Cape Henry vs. Gainesville, 3:30 p.m.; No. 9 Catholic vs. Forest Park, 5 p.m.; No. 5 Oscar Smith vs. Tunstall, 6:30 p.m.; No. 11 Kempsville vs. Monacan, 8 p.m.
Kellam’s three losses are by a combined nine points.
Peninsula Catholic has won eight of its last 10 games, including four in a row. The Knights are led by recent Hampton University commit E.J. Joyner (16 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game).
Catholic, which won its ninth game in a row, is led by junior Ashton Walker (18.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.3 apg), senior Brayden Thorne (15.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg), senior Josiah Rickards (13.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and junior Alex Pissis (13.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg).
Oscar Smith, which suffered its first loss of the season to Hampton, is led by Travis Johnson, who had 20 points in that defeat.
Big games this week
Kempsville, which has won three in a row and six of its last eight, plays No. 13 Green Run on Tuesday and Kellam on Friday in Beach District matchups
In the Eastern District, it’s a big week for No. 10 Norview as the Pilots face No. 2 Lake Taylor on Wednesday and No. 8 Maury on Friday.
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
