Sports
Colonels Survive Early Scare From Paint Branch
Magruder boys basketball cruises to victory after a close first half.
After receiving a bye in the first round of the playoffs, the Magruder boys basketball team was supposed to cruise against their first opponent, Paint Branch. The Panthers, however, gave Magruder an early scare before the Colonels got their act together and won, 72-51 Monday night.
Paint Branch jumped out early on the Colonels, scoring the first eight points of the game. The zone the Panthers employed gave Magruder fits early on, completely shutting down all the passing lanes into the paint. Paint Branch led 12-5 after the first quarter.
“We didn't attack it the right way,” Magruder coach Dan Harwood said. “It's one thing to work on it in practice, and something totally else to do it under the lights.”
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In the second quarter, they were able to score a few more as some three pointers fell. Just before the halftime buzzer, Garland Owens went up for a rebound and slammed down a putback to give Magruder the halftime lead, one that they wouldn't give up.
JJ Epps took the game, over, particularly in the second half. He scored 14 points and had 6 assists, and was key in penetrating the zone, consistently driving into the paint and either attempting the layup or kicking the ball out when the zone collapsed on him. While his offense was impressive, it was his defensive play that Harwood wanted to talk about after the game.
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“I've never had a player in my 21 years here that could pressure the ball as relentlessly as JJ Epps,” Harwood said. “Before he's through, he's going to be one of the best defenders ever...He's also fearless when he's penetrating with the ball.”
Magruder dominated in the second half, outscoring Paint Branch 45-26 and cruised to victory. Harwood gave credit to his younger players for working through the tough first half in a big playoff game.
“That's playoff basketball,” Harwood said. “I've experienced a lot of those games, but sometimes you forget that we have three sophomores out there...It's a big game for us.”
Magruder will advance to the regional semifinals, where they will face Churchill at home on Wednesday night. Magruder beat Churchill 60-47 in their one meeting this season.
