Glass cruises to win over Heritage at packed McCue

Source: The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.mini storageJan. 12--There are times when the basket seems as large as the ocean and you can't miss. Then there are moments when, despite how hard you try, nothing will fall.Heritage experienced both extremes at a filled-to-capacity McCue gymnasium Saturday, going from shooting out the lights to desperate offensive possessions.And when the Pioneers' guard was down the most, E.C. Glass struck, took the lead and cruised to a 58-38 win in the first of two regular-season games between the two rivals.Shawn Brown led all scorers with 15 points and three Hilltoppers -- Tyqion Stokes, Montrez Bateman and Quenton Garland -- added eight points apiece as Glass (10-2, 6-0 Seminole) won its fifth straight game by crashing the boards, earning many of its points on second- and third-chance shots.Unfazed by the electric atmosphere, the Pioneers scooted out to a 10-0 lead before Brown hit the Hilltoppers first field goal at the 5:09 mark of the first quarter. Heritage though, led by just one at halftime after Glass' Rameek Vereen held possession for nearly one minute and then sank a buzzer-beater from beyond the arc.While Glass' offensive woes, a hangover from recent games, stained the squad's early efforts, Heritage was busy knocking down shots. Junior point guard J.C. Calloway (7 points) and senior forward Antonio Sherman (a team-high 10 points) hit early 3s."Coach [Roy Roberson] gave us a good speech at halftime," Brown said. "He told us we've got to take our time more and take good shots."Playing its first game with leading-scorer Justen Joyner sidelined, Heritage (7-3, 3-1 Seminole) went on a scoreless streak in the second half that lasted more than 10 minutes. Jaylin Martin answered a Brown trey with one of his own at the 6:40 mark of the third quarter before the Pioneers went cold. By the time Sherman hit a layup in the fourth, Glass had scored 17 straight points."It was a combination of execution and poor shot selection," Heritage coach Dan Stephens said. "But then, we got to the free throw line early and didn't knock those down either and that was equally aself storage important. So, it snowballed on us a little bit. We didn't handle it real well when we were struggling to make some shots."Joyner, who was averaging 20.6 points per game for Heritage, received news Friday afternoon that he suffered a torn ACL against Halifax County on Wednesday and is out for the remainder of the season. The loss is a blow to the Pioneers, who now must look for ways to adjust."He seems to be handling it really well, probably better than anybody else right now," Stephens said. "He's focused on the college search and finishing strong academically. I have no doubt he's going to be alright. He's a strong young man."Glass finished with 12 offensive rebounds."We made one little adjustment against their zone, did a better job executing, converted some easy opportunities and it's a funny thing: When the ball goes in, kids are more willing to play more aggressively on the defensive end. I think that was evident."Without Joyner at the helm, Heritage turned the ball over 20 times. The 20-point Glass win is the largest margin of victory in the historic rivalry since 2009, when Heritage earned a 75-53 victory."We just wanted the win," Brown said. "Whether it's by one or by 20, a win is a win."GIRLSHeritage 52, E.C. Glass 28The Pioneers streaked to a 20-1 first-quarter lead and never slowed down, keeping Glass winless on the season.Cameron Carter finished with 23 points, Kadijah Anderson added 14 and Heritage made 11 of 12 free throws one night after being upset at home by Staunton River.Brittany Jackson led the Hilltoppers with six points. Glass coach Billy Huffman said the loss was an improvement for Glass, which was tied with Heritage in second-half scoring at one point.Heritage is a work in progress, coach Pat Riley said."I just think we're trying to find supporting cast members for [Carter]," he said. "I think tonight we did a better job of distributing it a little more and that's what we've got to do."Copyright: ___ (c)2014 The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) Visit The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) at .newsadvance.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉