Maroons trample Warriors

By LEE GRIMES/Correspondent

The George Wythe varsity basketball team has six seniors, five juniors and three sophomores on its roster and all 14 players scored as the Maroons traveled to Chilhowie Friday night and avenged last season’s loss by dominating the Warriors 97-56 in a showdown for the Hogoheegee District’s top spot.
Chilhowie won the opening tip-off, but then it went downhill quickly as Tennis Simon and his Associated Press Group A #1 George Wythe Maroons displayed their quickness and team depth by showing no mercy on the (13-5, 6-1) Warriors.
The highly touted Warrior junior Tuff Williams started the game with a three pointer, but quickly fell off the radar screen as the pesky full court press of Tristan Boysaw and Ethan Mills left the Warrior ball handlers with few options. Robert Yonce, Brett Grimes and Brandon Davis were all the recipients of Maroon layups as the defensive pressure and skillful outside shooting of Devin Smith and Tennis Simon left the Chilhowie coaching staff scratching their heads.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, the frustration grew as the Chilhowie coach was hit with a technical. Smith made him pay by ripping the net on both free throws. The quaintly small and very hot Chilhowie gymnasium was filled with emotion as security was increased and several fans were asked to leave the gym.
The second quarter came to an end with a trey from Simon and a pair of steals from Boysaw. The two teams jogged off the court, with GW making a strong statement, ending the first half with a 60-19 lead.
Chilhowie seemed to somewhat regroup in the beginning of the third quarter as the Warriors started off with a couple of field goals on two straight GW turnovers. It didn’t take long for George Wythe to get back in rhythm as another Simon three-pointer and a couple of precision passes from Yonce to Simon and Mills to Davis silenced the Chilhowie crowd. With just a few minutes left in the third quarter, both student sections were still exchanging chants, but Maroon coach Al Copenhaver had already started going deep down his bench, giving his much deserving stars a front row seat for the rest of the game.
Several George Wythe reserves could be starters on many Hogoheegee District teams. Players like sophomores Kenneth Waugh and Drew Lester; juniors Keith Edwards, Willie Grubb and Will Sawyers all made the best of their playing time by bringing even more energy to an already worn out Warrior team.
Waleed Ershad and Daniel Meade finished the Maroon scoring with some great defensive hustle and solid offensive rebounding. When the final horn sounded, GW had fallen three points shy of the century mark and left no doubt that this Maroon team is one of the best this area has seen in years.
Warrior senior Adam Martin and Maroon senior Tennis Simon led their teams in scoring with 19 and 22 points respectively. George Wythe is scheduled to travel to Saltville tonight to take on the Northwood Panthers in another Hogoheegee District contest.

George Wythe (97)
Simon 8 2-2 22, Boysaw 4 3-6 11, Smith 3 2-2 10, Meade 4 0-0 8, Yonce 3 1-2 7, Mills 3 1-3 7, Grimes 2 2-3 6, Waugh 3 0-0 6, Sawyers 2 1-1 5, Davis 2 0-0 4, Ershad 2 0-0 4, Grubb 1 1-2 3, Edwards 0 2-2 2, Lester 1 0-0 2. Totals 38 15-23 97.

Chilhowie (56)
Little 4 0-0 9, Landis 0 1-2 1, Mason 2 0-0 4, T. Lundy 1 2-4 4, Beverly 0 0-0 0, Williams 1 1-2 4, Polk 4 1-4 9, Grindstead 0 1-2 1, Clampitt 0 0-0 0, A.J. Smith 1 1-2 3, Boone 0 0-0 0, A. Lundy 1 0-2 2, Martin 6 7-8 19. Totals 20 14-26 56.

George Wythe 23 37 14 23—97
Chilhowie 10 9 21 1—56

3-point goals – George Wythe 6 (Simon 4, Smith 2), Chilhowie 2 (Little, Williams) Total fouls – George Wythe 18, Chilhowie 19. Fouled out – Williams, Little. Technicals – Chilhowie bench. George Wythe won the JV contest 52-43.