For the longest time, getting past Orange County was a hurdle that Madison County simply struggled with. But that’s no longer the case as for the third straight season, the Mountaineers — most of whom have been playing together since they were freshmen — successfully defended their court against the nearby rival Hornets.
It wasn’t an overtime thriller like it was two years ago, or an even contest of talent as it was last season. No, for the most part it was a one-sided affair, with the Madison veterans piling up the points against a young and developing Orange squad to take a 75-45 victory.
“Orange started the game really well,” said Madison coach Ben Breeden. “They really took our best in the first quarter and it took us a little time to figure out their defensive zone.”
The first eight minutes of the game were close. Madison jumped out in front by six points in the first four minutes, but Orange closed out the quarter by cutting the deficit to three. However, once the clock started in the second quarter, the Mountaineers took off behind the play of forwards Logan Terrell, David Falk and Matt Garr.
“We want to try to attack the basket and not just rely on our jump shots,” Breeden said of his team’s regular gameplan.
And that’s exactly how Madison got rolling in the second quarter, as its inside play hammered away in the paint to build up a double-digit halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Terrell and the Mountaineers continued their assault on the Hornets, going up by 18. With his team up by more than twenty early in the fourth quarter, Breeden pulled his starters and let his bench finish off the job. Just like the starters, the Madison bench went to work, extending the lead to as many as 33 points.
“It was great to see those guys come in and play hard,” said Terrell, who led all scorers with 19 points. “It’s nice for us to know that we’ve got that depth coming off the bench.”
It was also something Breeden was pleased with, but not surprised by.
“Those guys give our starters a run for the money in practice,” Breeden said. “They work extra hard and give it their all.”
One of those players was Travis Warren, who scored seven fourth quarter points with six of those coming on a pair of 3-pointers. Falk finished with a solid 14-point evening while Garr chipped in eight and guard Jerel Carter put forth nine of his own.
For Orange, while coach Keyode Rogers was pleased with the first quarter effort of his young squad — only three current players saw significant minutes last year — everything after that was subpar.
“We didn’t play hard enough,” Rogers said. “We didn’t even show up in the second half. But we’re young and hopefully this will be a learning experience.”
The Hornets’ offense consisted mostly of long-range jumpers, something that Rogers hopes he won’t see as much of in future games.
“In the first quarter we attacked the basket,” Rogers said. “After almost everyone camped out waiting to shoot. We need to get to the basket.”
Tres Winkler and Darrell Milton led the way on offense for Orange with nine points each. Josh Pugh finished with seven points.
The Hornets (3-1) will host Culpeper on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Madison (5-0) will travel to William Monroe on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
